EXCITEMENT is building among theatre fans across the city as venues prepare to re-open after 18 long months of closure.
Here at Times Past HQ, we thought it would be a good time for a trawl through the archives to revisit the grand old stages of Glasgow’s past.
Some of these photos are bound to jog the memory of Times Past readers.
Did you attend any of these productions? What is your favourite theatre in the city, past or present? Do you remember the long-lost venues where many a Hollywood star trod the boards?
Our images show a galaxy of stars, some legendary, others long-forgotten, who dreamed of having their names in lights above the city’s famous theatres.
There’s Kenneth McKellar, for example, alongside Mary Benning and Faye Lenore, at the Alhambra’s lavish 1960 pantomime A Wish for Jamie, written by John Law and choreographed by Peter Darrell, who would go on to become Artistic Director at Scottish Ballet.
“Howard & Wyndham boss Stewart Cruikshank, fulfilling an ambition to stage an all-Scottish panto, tossed a caber through the old weary panto routine and came up with a sparkling production that had the audience erupting in wild applause”, wrote the Evening Times reviewer after the first night.
Jane Lindsey was on sparkling form at the Pavilion as Cinderella, pictured here complete with carriage; while Phil McCall made a brilliant Widow Twankey in Aladdin at the Citizens in 1970.
READ MORE: Hampden crowds and Old Firm battles feature in new book about Scottish football
Stanley Baxter and Rikki Fulton were just checking if it was time for the Five Past Eight Show at the Alhambra in 1958, while Larry Marshall, Helen Cant and Frances Slaven are pictured starring in the Whigmaleeries at Rutherglen Rep in 1956.
Get in touch to share your stories and photographs.
In the meantime, have a wallow in these lovely images from theatres around the city over the decades….
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here