The Tivoli Theatre is a theatre in
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, opened in 1872 as Her Majesty's Theatre and was built by the ''Aberdeen Theatre and Opera House Company Ltd'', under architects
James Matthews of Aberdeen and
Charles J. Phipps
Charles John Phipps (25 March 1835 – 25 May 1897) was an English architect best known for his more than 50 theatres built in the latter half of the 19th century, including several important London theatres. He is also noted for his design of ...
, a
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
-based architect brought in to consult. The auditorium was rebuilt in 1897 by theatre architect
Frank Matcham
Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920)Mackintosh, Iain"Matcham, Frank" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 7 July 2019 was an English architect who specialised in the design o ...
, but then closed temporarily in 1906, following the opening of the larger
His Majesty's Theatre. The smaller theatre was extensively reconstructed in 1909, again by Frank Matcham, and re-opened in July 1910 as the Tivoli. The Tivoli was refurbished again in 1938.
![The Tivoil, Guild St, Aberdeen, Scotland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/The_Tivoil%2C_Guild_St%2C_Aberdeen%2C_Scotland.JPG)
The theatre became a bingo hall in 1966. In the mid 1980s plans were made to improve the bingo-oriented facilities and the building, but little was actually done. The building finally closed for bingo in 1998 and became disused.
From 2000, The building had been in private hands, and attempts by the Tivoli Theatre Trust to purchase the building were unsuccessful, . In April 2006, some cosmetic preservative work was observed at the building.
On 10 July 2009, the owner of the Tivoli Theatre decided to sell the property to Mr Brian Hendry. On 16 July 2009 during a meeting with the Aberdeen Tivoli Theatre Trust, Mr Hendry outlined his intention to operate the Tivoli Theatre on a profit-making basis as a mid-scale venue with ancillary facilities, through the Tivoli Theatre Company Ltd. The building was restored. The reopening was funded by many businesses.
The Tivoli was listed on the
Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland
The Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland records buildings of national architectural or historic interest which are considered to be under threat. The list is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). The register was established in 1 ...
.
On 19 April 2012, it was announced that the Theatre had been made wind and watertight and that its frontage had been brought back to its former glory. The next phase of the restoration was set to bring the interior up to 21st century standards, including a 450-seat auditorium, a cafe and a gallery.
The theatre reopened on 25 October 2013 with
''Inferno'', an original play by
Thomas Bywater which ran from 25–27 October 2013. On 7 December 2013 Attic theatre's production of ''Robin Hood and The Babes In The Wood'' became the first
Pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
at the theatre in 50 years and was followed by Sleeping Beauty in 2014 and Dick Whittington in 2015. Attic return in 2016 with Aladdin. Joseph Purdy Productions became the first UK touring pantomime to visit the Tivoli in July 2018 with Rapunzel. All three levels of the theatre are now open.
The theatre was closed during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, and is set to reopen in August 2021.
Predecessors
A plaque erected by Aberdeen City Council at Theatre Lane states:
''"In 1795 the Theatre Royal, seating 600, was created in Marischal Street by
Stephen Kemble
George Stephen Kemble (21 April 1758 – 5 June 1822) was a successful English theatre manager, actor, and writer, and a member of the famous Kemble family. He was described as "the best Sir John Falstaff which the British stage ever saw" though ...
, brother of the actor
John Philip Kemble
John Philip Kemble (1 February 1757 – 26 February 1823) was a British actor. He was born into a theatrical family as the eldest son of Roger Kemble, actor-manager of a touring troupe. His elder sister Sarah Siddons achieved fame with him on t ...
. Eminent performers included Charles Macready and Charles Keen. The theatre flourished until 1872 when it was replaced by Her Majesty's Opera House, later the Tivoli, in Guild Street."''
References
External links
Tivoli Theatre WebsiteThe Tivoli Theatre TrustPanoramas of the Tivoli Theatre(QuickTime required)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tivoli Theatre Aberdeen
Culture in Aberdeen
Theatres completed in 1897
Category A listed buildings in Aberdeen
Theatres in Aberdeen
Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland