Scottish Cinemas and Theatres
Waterloo St. / Wellington St.
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The last big traditional
theatre built in Glasgow, the Alhambra opened in 1910, architect
J.J.Burnet. Seating was for 2,750 on 4 levels. Originally programmed
for variety, it switched to opera, plays and musicals by the mid-20s,
then was taken over by Howard & Wyndham in 1954, who already ran
the Theatre Royal and the King's.
It became host to their spectacular summer variety shows, starting off
as the Half Past Eight shows, eventually starting earlier as the Five
Past Eight show. Many top comedians hosted this show, including such
hot English talents of the day as Bruce Forsyth and Max Bygraves! The
sets were spectacular for these shows, each year trying to outdo the
last, including giant violins, swimming tanks and a Starlight Room.
Scotland's first Royal Variety Show was staged there in 1958. The cost
of the summer spectaculars eventually proved too much, though, and the
theatre closed with a Cilla Black concert in 1969. Despite a massive
campaign to save it, the building was flattened in 1971.
The office block that replaced
the theatre was itself called Alhambra House, but it too was demolished
in 1996, to be replaced by the one shown below.
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Unless otherwise
specified, all photographs and other material copyright (c) 2001
- 2022 Gordon Barr and Gary Painter.
All rights reserved. Permission for use elsewhere normally granted, but please ask first!
No attempt is made to infringe any existing copyrights or trademarks. Please contact the editors in case of any queries.
All rights reserved. Permission for use elsewhere normally granted, but please ask first!
No attempt is made to infringe any existing copyrights or trademarks. Please contact the editors in case of any queries.