The Globe is a Grade II listed

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

theatre, in Stockton-on-Tees,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

Situated at the north-western end of High Street, the original Globe Theatre was built in 1913 and was the area's first purpose-built cinema. Demolished in 1925, it was first rebuilt in 1926, when it showed the area's first

talkies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

. It was rebuilt again, still on the same site in 1935, designed as a leading variety theatre but also including cinema facilities and seating for 2,372 people. The Globe regularly hosted stage shows with national companies. In 1938, it became an ABC cinema but live performances continued including an annual pantomime, ballet and West End shows. From the 1950s to the 1970s the Globe was a premier venue hosting many famous acts, such as Buddy Holly,

the Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

Guy Mitchell Guy Mitchell (born Albert George Cernik; February 22, 1927 – July 1, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor, successful in his homeland, the UK, and Australia. He sold 44 million records, including six million-selling singles. In the fa ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

the Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

, Cilla Black, Carl Perkins and

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

twice played at the Globe, the first time being Friday 22 November 1963, the day U.S. President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

was assassinated. The Globe has hosted other stars, such as

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

the Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

and

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002), known as Lonnie Donegan, was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the " King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scot ...

, who made their acting debuts here in pantomime. Cliff Richard and the Shadows composed their "Stars Fell on Stockton" (B-side to "

Wonderful Land "Wonderful Land" is an instrumental piece written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded and released as a single by The Shadows in February 1962. It stayed at number one for eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart, a feat only Elvis Presley (in 1960), th ...

") here and much of the music for the Cliff Richard film '' Summer Holiday'' whilst taking part in pantomime at the Globe. As late as the 1970s, bands such as Mud,

Showaddywaddy Showaddywaddy are a rock and roll group from Leicester, England. They specialise in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, while also issuing original material. Showaddywaddy spent 209 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and had 10 ...

and the Bay City Rollers played here. Mecca Bingo Stockton-on-Tees 1982

Whilst the theatre played host to these famous bands, it was also a cinema and showed the very first 3D film in the region, House of Wax in 1953. The last film was ''

The Sting ''The Sting'' is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to con a mob boss ( Robert Shaw).'' Variety'' film review; December 12, 1973, pag ...

'', on 15 June 1974. Status Quo were the final rock band to play there in December 1974, but the very last show was on 5 February 1975 when the London Philharmonic Orchestra staged a concert. The doors of the Globe closed only to re-open as a bingo venue for a few years until closing for good in 1997.

Reopening

Many of the original ornamental features have survived and the

Theatres Trust The Theatres Trust is the National Advisory Public Body for Theatres in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1976 by an Act of Parliament to "promote the better protection of theatres for the benefit of the nation". The Trust has played a leadi ...

described the Grade II-listed building as "an excellent example of its kind" and had it as one of 68 buildings on its 'at risk' register. There had been several plans to reopen the venue in recent years, including a plan in 2002 to transform it into a nightclub, but none were realised until it was announced in 2010 that the building would be restored to its former glory at a cost of £4 million, and will reopen as venue for music, comedy and other events. Globe Theatre

Despite multiple delays due to structural problems and the original budget ballooning to £27.9 million, the theatre reopened in 2021. Pop band

McFly McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...

were the first act to perform on the Globe's stage since 1975.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Stockton-on-Tees Theatres in County Durham Art Deco architecture in England Rebuilt buildings and structures in the United Kingdom