Palace Theater, Manchester is one of the renowned theaters located in the famous Oxford Street. The theater was opened on May 18th 1991 and was originally known by the name of 'The Grand Old Lady of Oxford Street'. The Manchester Opera House on the Quay Street is its sister concern and both these theaters are managed by their parent company 'Live Nation'.
The original building of the Palace Theater in Manchester was built by Alfred Darbyshire and FB Smith in 1891 as the Manchester Palace of Varieties. In 1896 Frank Matcham a renowned theater architect renovated and made changes in the building. However, in 1913 Bertie Crewe reconstructed the auditorium and the entire facade of the theater building acquired a new look. This theater along with its sister 'Opera House' was on the verge of closure. The theater building was then utilized as a touring house and was extensively renovated. Finally, Raymond Slater bought this theater from the Moss Empires, and formed the Manchester Palace Theater Trust. He acquired some land and office buildings in the rear so that they could increase the area of the stage.
Originally, Palace Theater of Manchester could accommodate up to 3, 675 people but then it was
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reduced to 1,998. For its opening presentation, the theater chose to perform Cleopatra in the ballet opera form. Initially, the show failed to attract audience and made little profit. Later on, popular performers were included and their shows were an instant hit with the audience. Noted artists like Gracie Fields, Charles Laughton, Judy Garland and many more performed in this stage in the late 20th century.
Today, the Palace Theater Manchester is one of the most popular and well equipped theaters in England. It hosts a variety of entertainment programs like one night concerts, comedy acts and ballet opera. This theater has been the venue of many regional premieres, which became a resounding success. Plays like Les Miserables ran successfully at a stretch for 13 months. Miss Saigon, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mamma Mia deserve a special mention. 'The Wedding Singer' is one of the best broad way musical to be staged in this theater. From December 2008 to March 2009, this famous theater plans to host a tour of Mary Poppins in UK.
The ticket center of Palace Theater in Manchester is just adjacent to the theater building. This center sells ticket for the Opera House and Apollo along with a range of Live Nation Theaters and also for some selected venues all across UK.
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