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The Lyceum Theatre


Sheffield History

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THE LYCEUM THEATRE

LOCATION

Tudor Square, Sheffield, S1 2LA

INFORMATION

Opening in 1897, the Lyceum Sheffield closed in 1968 in favour of bingo which itself only lasted until 1972.

A desultory period of sporadic rock venue usage and long periods of abandonment followed.

Then Sheffield was granted the World Student Games for which there was a cultural as well as sporting requirement and the Lyceum was magnificently extended and restored. It reopened in 1990 and is going from strength to strength in 2007.

PICTURES

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I remember going there around 1968 to see Helen Shapiro ( 1960's pop star), McDonald Hobley (1950's BBC TV announcer), David Kossoff (Pa Larkin in 'The Larkins') and Jean Ferguson (Marina in Last of the Summer Wine) in a play entitled 'It's never too late'. My Aunt worked at Viners at the time and Viners invited Helen Shapiro and David Kossoff to tour the works. They stayed for lunch and my Aunt was one of the persons invited to have lunch with them. She said how lovely Helen Shapiro looked, and that both she and David Kossoff were really easy to converse with.

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Guest Noise Heat Power

I wouldn't normally big up my own stuff quite so blatantly as this, but in 1990 I wrote a book about the Lyceum that was published when the theatre reopened following its renovation.

I don't have access to the photos from the book, but I've put my text online for anyone who's interested.

Warning: you have to plough through a bit of intro banter before you get to the Lyceum history stuff! lol

Noise Heat Power's Lyceum article

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Way back in the early 1980s I went here a few times to see bands before it had been fully restored. As I remember they had done a bit of work but was still shabby.

I found this ticket in a book a while ago - note the offer of discount admission to the Limit afterwards! The only other band I can remember seeing was Bauhaus.

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Guest Old Canny Street Kid

Way back in the early 1980s I went here a few times to see bands before it had been fully restored. As I remember they had done a bit of work but was still shabby.

I found this ticket in a book a while ago - note the offer of discount admission to the Limit afterwards! The only other band I can remember seeing was Bauhaus.

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Guest Old Canny Street Kid

Sorry the picture is the wrong way round, but it was the only wayIcould scan it! Can it be turned by our experts?

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Guest Old Canny Street Kid

They always did say High Storrs lads were clever! Amazing what you can do when you know how.

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I used to be an extra in plays at the Crucible and at the time we were supposed to be rehearsing

the snooker had started so we had to rehearse at the Lyceum. It had just been newly renovated

and looked fantastic. We brushed past the cast of the Pirates of Penzants occasionally eg Paul Nichols.

I believe this could have been the first show after the reopening.

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Would be nice if we could pin down dates of closure for refurbishment, re-opening date, first show after opening - one to chase ... and a nice before and after if not already covered ...

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John E. B. Beaumont was General Manager of Lyceum and Royal Theatres 1911-1925.

He lived at 61 Wostenholme Road in 1911; and 7 Wilson Road 1919-1925.

Secretary in 1925 was E Manning Keer.

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Would be nice if we could pin down dates of closure for refurbishment, re-opening date, first show after opening - one to chase ... and a nice before and after if not already covered ...

I'm sure The Pirates of Penzance was the first , I know it was December 1990 as our play started

January 1991.

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Guest Noise Heat Power

I'm sure The Pirates of Penzance was the first , I know it was December 1990 as our play started

January 1991.

Pirates of Penzance with Paul Nicholas was the first full production at the renovated Lyceum - running December 1990 to January 1991.

However, prior to that show opening, there was a week of one-off gala performances for invited audiences. There was a builders' night with Bernard Manning for those who had worked on the actual construction. There was a night of songs from Gilbert and Sullivan shows performed by the D'Oyly Carte company, and there was a music hall/variety night compered by Keith Baron and featuring the likes of Bob Monkhouse and Frankie Vaughan. There may have been more but these are the ones I remember; they took place during early December 1990.

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Would be nice if we could pin down dates of closure for refurbishment, re-opening date, first show after opening - one to chase ... and a nice before and after if not already covered ...

The Lyceum first closed in March 1969 following a two week run of 'The Desert Song' by the Croft House Operatic Society (still going strong at the Lyceum) and went onto full time bingo until 1972 when it was closed and shuttered up. After several attempts at running it as a Rock Venue it was left to rot until 1988 when the full refurbishment started, re-opening as stated in December 1990 with the week of concerts, then the Paul Nicholas production of 'Pirates Of Penzance' playing over the Christmas & New Year Season.

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Recently on ebay!

The programme front of the Lyceum's 1938 panto 'Babes In The Wood' and a flyer for 'The Black And White Minstrel Show' on their 2nd Lyceum visit in 1965 following a successful months run in 1964.

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This is a photo of the Lyceum's Interval Time Board which used to hang in the Lyceum's original foyer giving patrons times of the interval(s).It now hangs in Palin's Bar at the Abbeydale Picture House.

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Photo of The old Lyceum Advert Drop taken in 1969 (Sorry about poor definition, but taken with cheap instamatic camera)

Plus a 1968 photo when the play 'Emma' was being staged and a photo of the late Dickie Valentine as Buttons in the 1966/67 Christmas Pantomime 'Cinderella' taken on stage at the Lyceum with the Joan Collins Dancers.

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I wouldn't normally big up my own stuff quite so blatantly as this, but in 1990 I wrote a book about the Lyceum that was published when the theatre reopened following its renovation.

I don't have access to the photos from the book, but I've put my text online for anyone who's interested.

Warning: you have to plough through a bit of intro banter before you get to the Lyceum history stuff! lol

Noise Heat Power's Lyceum article

Excellent book it is too.

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Guest Noise Heat Power

Excellent book it is too.

Wow, thanks. It's hard to believe it's nearly 20 years since I started work on it, and viewed with hindsight, I can see that I was really quite young to be working on such a project. I was only 23 at the time. I'm just glad I didn't completely embarrass myself to be honest. ;-)

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Wow, thanks. It's hard to believe it's nearly 20 years since I started work on it, and viewed with hindsight, I can see that I was really quite young to be working on such a project. I was only 23 at the time. I'm just glad I didn't completely embarrass myself to be honest. ;-)

Two photos of the Lyceum's fabulous proscenium arch.

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