Francis Laidler

The Alhambra Theatre is a theatre in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, named after the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, which was the place of residence of the Emir of the Emirate of Granada. It was built in 1913 at a cost of £20,000 for theatre impresario Francis Laidler, and opened on Wednesday 18 March 1914. In 1964, Bradford City Council bought the Alhambra for £78,900 and in 1974, it was designated a Grade II listed building. It underwent extensive refurbishment in 1986. Today it is a receiving house for large-scale touring theatre of all types and the main house seats 1,456.

History

Francis Laidler, who already owned two music halls in Bradford, opened the new Alhambra Theatre in 1914. The architects were Chadwick and Watson, who described it as "English renaissance of the Georgian period".

Building

The building is recognisable for its large domed turret with giant-paired Corinthian columns, an iconic landmark on the Bradford skyline together with the complementary domes on the adjacent, disused Bradford Odeon. Behind this, the building is stepped up, culminating in tall square towers with smaller domes.

It is situated on a sloping site amongst other Bradford landmarks – the National Media Museum, aforementioned Bradford Odeon, the former Windsor Baths building and Bradford City Park. The entrance to the building is on the corner on the other side of the building to the dome and has a distinctive iron and glass canopy.

Elsewhere, the exterior is faced in white faience, which has now been painted white and grey. The faience was produced by Gibbs and Canning of Tamworth.

Inside, the auditorium consists of two tiers, a balcony and an aisle. It is highly decorated with plasterwork. There is moulded plasterwork to the curved balcony fronts and elliptically bowed balconies to the boxes, which are situated in round arched openings with giant fluted Corinthian columns. The circular auditorium ceiling is decorated and has a small rectangular dome to centre. There is a rectangular proscenium arch.

Organisation

The Alhambra is part of the Bradford Theatres group, which also includes St. George's Hall and King's Hall, Ilkley.

The theatre is also a member of the Dance Consortium, a group of theatres who collaborate to bring international dance theatre to the UK.

Facilities

Main house

The 1,400 capacity main house is a major touring venue and hosts a wide range of stage shows from ballet and opera to variety and comedy, musicals, drama and the annual pantomime. Regular visits are made from prestigious companies such as Opera North, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, Matthew Bourne's New Adventures and the Royal National Theatre to complement spectacular West End musicals such as '' Grease'', ''Miss Saigon'', '' Whistle Down the Wind'' and ''The Phantom of the Opera''. ''Wicked'' started its world tour at the Alhambra Theatre in 2016

Studio Theatre

The complex also houses a smaller studio theatre, with seating for 200, or standing room for 300. This is mainly used for new comedy, including tours by Alun Cochrane, Tom Stade & Patrick Monahan.

Catering

In 2012 a new restaurant, called ''"Restaurant 1914"'' was opened at the top of the Alhambra theatre, with views overlooking Bradford City Park. Restaurant 1914 was constructed at a cost of £250,000 and has more than doubled the dining capacity of the theatre.

In popular culture

*The Alhambra appears in the 211 second long, short film ''Bradford Silver Jubilation'' (1935). It's decorated in flags and buntin to celebrate George V's Silver Jubilee.
*On Christmas Eve 1973, Junior Showtime did a Babes in the Wood pantomime episode at The Alhambra. It starred Bobby Bennett as ''Robin Hood'', Peter Goodwright as ''Alan A'Dale'', Susan Maughan as ''Maid Marian'', Roy Rolland as ''Nanny Riley'', John Gower as the ''Sheriff of Nottingham'', Eddie Large as ''Private Large'', Syd Little as ''Private Little'', Colin Prince as ''Little John'', Norman Collier as ''Will Scarlett'', Bonnie Langford as ''Babe Tilly'', and Mark Curry as ''Babe Willy''.
*The Dresser (1983 film) starring Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay was filmed at The Alhambra, as the main location of the film.
*In March and April 1987, Tom O'Connor spent 5 days presenting ''The Tom O'Connor Roadshow'' live from The Alhambra stage, while his co-host Debbie Greenwood explored the rest of the city.
*Testimony (1988 film) starring Ben Kingsley filmed at The Alhambra.
*Kate Nash's music video for Mouthwash was filmed at The Alhambra on the 20 August 2007, and had earlier filmed at the Bristol Hippodrome in late July or early August 2007. Nash performed with the touring cast of Starlight Express on both occasions, who learned two new routines for the video. It features Nash backstage of the theatres, and on the theatre stages playing the piano while the show is being performed.
*In 2020 BBC Three's reality magic series ''School of Hard Tricks'', consisted of 6 Bradfordians learning how to do magic in just three weeks, which they then performed in front of a live audience at The Alhambra.

See also

*Listed buildings in Bradford (City Ward)

References

Bibliography

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External links

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Bradford Alhambra History

Alhambra Webcam Tour

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Buildings and structures in Bradford
Grade II listed buildings in West Yorkshire
Theatres completed in 1913
Theatres in West Yorkshire
Grade II listed theatres
1913 establishments in England