Players Recreate the Style
A music hall reprise by Michael Leech
An institution much loved by Londoners and visitors to the capital alike, is marking fifty-five years of life in a new playhouse. Well, one should really say a 'renewed playhouse' for the Players' Theatre, housed off the Strand on Villiers Street, returned to its roots after playing the Duchess Theatre – in the West End. It must have been more obvious there, for you have to burrow a bit to find it now.
The fare has not changed a bit however, for there is a deep vein of nostalgia for the entertainment of other times in Britain. From Punch and Judy, to reconstructions of popular plays of other eras, old-style theatre will always have a lure for audiences. Many are lured to the Players' by the promise of a glimpse at real Victorian music hall. But if it is genuinely close to the original how is that achieved in an art-form so evanescent þ as that of the theatre?
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
