By John Maguire
In this latest instalment of Buried Treasure with ArtsGroupie CIC writer and theatre-maker John Maguire reflects on a century of storytelling, stars, and stagecraft at the iconic Liverpool Empire. As the theatre celebrates its 100th birthday, John takes us on a journey through its rich and dramatic past, reminding us why this majestic venue remains a jewel in Liverpool’s cultural crown.
2025 marks a significant birthday for one of Liverpool’s most beloved theatre’s, The Empire. ArtsGroupie recently attended a centenary celebration showing of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers and we were reminded of the significance of this venue and its sheer majesty. For, the space is charged with a magical energy. Wonderful and electric. A result of the many dramas being played and audiences coming together to enjoy a piece of storytelling.
For a century, the stage has been populated by theatrical productions, spectaculars, concerts, and a vast variety of entertainment. The theatre site itself is actually older than one hundred years. The first performance to take to the boards was Faust, opening on October 15, 1866, as the New Prince of Wales Theatre and Opera House. This building consisted of a lower story, with carved heads of dramatists Shakespeare, Schiller, Moliere and composers Beethoven and Rossini, above the first floor. A bold statement to indicate its function and figures chosen emblematical of drama and music.
When it opened as the New Prince of Wales Theatre, it was Liverpool’s largest theatre built to date, though it was only two-thirds the size of The Empire which now stands in its place. The building changed hands in 1867 and was renamed in honour of the then Princess of Wales, Princess Alexandra of Denmark. It became known for a variety of Italian operas, plays, pantomimes, and burlesque. Esteemed thespian Henry Irving, renowned for his performances in revivals of Shakespeare’s plays performed at the venue, he became the first actor to ever be knighted. The exact dates of Irving’s performances at the Empire are not specified but, the theatre’s history indicates that he and other famous actors, including Ellen Terry, Sarah Bernhardt, and Marie Lloyd, were among the many notable performers who graced its stage.
In 1895, it came under the ownership of a company called Empire Theatre (Liverpool) Ltd., though it retained the name Alexandra until December 1896, when after renovations it was reopened as the Empire Theatre. A production of Cinderella came direct from the Lyceum in London with an impressive two hundred performers in the spectacle.
The theatre switched to Variety performances, until 1911 when it briefly showed silent motion pictures, (it gained the exclusive rights for Liverpool to show Kinemacolour, an invention of pioneer filmmaker George Albert Smith, with the likes of 1908’s ‘Natures Looking Glass’ – the only stereoscopic life motion pictures, reproducing the actual colours of nature without any means of colouring), before the opening of Liverpool’s first purpose built cinema in 1912, Lime Street Picture House (later The Futurist).
The theatre continued to host Variety entertainment throughout the First World War (1914-18) and finally closed for the last time in February 1924. The building was then demolished to make way for the much larger art deco Empire Theatre that we know today. The 1925 new build was constructed in the style of a New York City theatre. But the original plans had to be changed as they left out a key asset to a theatre’s profit making. As being modelled on an American venue, there were no bars included. Due to prohibition, venues in the states could not sell liquor.
The Empire’s stage was declared the largest in Great Britain, making it an attractive venue for big names internationally. Big musical productions came to Liverpool, like 1926 Lady Be Good starring Fred and Adele Astair.
Despite Liverpool being the most bombed city outside of London in WWII, The Empire survived and was managing to book Hollywood greats like Mae West (1947), Laurel and Hardy (1947), Judy Garland (1951), and Frank Sinatra (1953), amongst many others during the rebuilding effort. The theatre was still pulling in big names throughout the 1960s, and even during the peak of Liverpool’s economic decline The Empire, alongside the Royal Court had become an important rock and roll venue hosting the biggest rock acts in the world. The Rolling Stones, Bowie and Kate Bush, to name a few.
The theatre would go through multiple renovations and improvements over the years. The Empire is now Liverpool’s largest receiving house, attracting the countries biggest touring theatre shows.
Here is to another hundred years of theatrical adventures.