Bristol Hippodrome

Bristol Hippodrome
Facade of the Bristol Hippodrome
Address	St Augustine's Parade
City	Bristol
Country	UK
Designation	Grade II
Architect	Frank Matcham
Owned by	Ambassador Theatre Group
Capacity	1951
Type	Provincial
Opened	1912
www.bristolhippodrome.org.uk/
	Coordinates: 51°27′11″N 2°35′53″W / 51.4531°N 2.5981°W / 51.4531; -2.5981

The Bristol Hippodrome (grid reference ST590729) is a theatre in the centre of Bristol with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1951. It frequently features West End theatre shows when they tour the UK as well as the yearly traditional pantomime.

History

Auditorium from Upper Circle

Auditorium Dome, last opened July 2009

The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham, and opened on 16 December 1912. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building.^[1] An important feature of the theatre when it opened was a huge water tank at the front of the stage; which could be filled with 100,000 gallons (454,609.188 litres) of water. Along with the tank was a large protective glass screen which could be raised in order to protect the orchestra and those in the stalls. It also has a dome, which can be opened when necessary; however since air conditioning had been installed it is rarely opened. The theatre survived World War 2, however less than three years after it ended, a fire destroyed the stage— luckily the auditorium was saved. The theatre reopened about 10 months later, and there have been no other disasters as severe.

The theatre now plays host to many top shows, such as Cats, Les Misérables, Blood Brothers and The Phantom of the Opera. This is due to the size of its stage, which is one of the largest outside of London^[2]. In addition to large musicals it is also a venue for comedians and 'one night shows' such as Derren Brown, French and Saunders and Russell Brand, as well as children's shows such as Winnie the Pooh Live. The Bristol Hippodrome has strong links with many shows that frequently appear there, such as the Welsh National Opera and the Scouts' Bristol Gang Show.

Premieres

The theatre is notable for staging a number of premieres including:

• British premiere of Guys and Dolls in 1953
• European premiere The Music Man in 1961
• European premiere of Sail Away in 1962
• British premiere of Jeeves in 1975
• World premiere of Windy City in 1982
• World premiere of The Nutcracker by the English National Ballet in 2002
• World premiere of the stage musical version of Mary Poppins in 2004

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bristol Hippodrome

• Theatre site
• Bristol theatre archive at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, University of Bristol

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