Palace Theatre, Oxford Street, Manchester

The Manchester Palace of Varieties was opened in 1891 with the purpose of providing Manchester audiences with a taste of the modern music hall. The theatre met with opposition from local temperance groups and it was repeatedly refused a drinks licence, but that did not stop audiences flocking to the Palace to enjoy the 'good, clean wholesome vaudeville entertainment'. The beginning of the twentieth century saw the rise of competition as several new music halls, such as the New Theatre (later called the Opera House), were opened. In response, the Palace was completely rebuilt in 1913 under the supervision of Bertie Crewe, one of the country's best-known theatre architects, and it was able to weather the gradual shift away from music hall during the 1920s and 1930s, so that by the 1940s the Palace was the top venue for a number of touring companies and the home of more conventional drama. The late-1950s onwards saw a gradual decline and increasing financial difficulties, in common with other theatres in Manchester, so that by the 1970s the Palace was in a battle for survival with the Opera House, both vying for funding from the Arts Council and the Greater Manchester Council. It was the Palace that won, receiving extensive refurbishment while the Opera House closed. The Palace re-opened in 1981 and enjoyed phenomenal success by, on the one hand, attracting star names and high quality touring companies and on the other hand by broadening its audiences, both in geographical and social terms, through effective marketing. The Palace was so successful that it was able to refurbish and re-open its old rival the Opera House.