 Birmingham Hippodrome | |
 Interactive map of Birmingham Hippodrome | |
| Address | Hurst Street Birmingham England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°28′29″N1°53′51″W / 52.4746°N 1.8976°W /52.4746; -1.8976 |
| Capacity | 1,935 seats |
| Current use | Ballet,Opera,West End shows,Pantomime andDrama |
| Opened | 1895 (1895) |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheBirmingham Hippodrome is atheatre situated onHurst Street in theChinese Quarter ofBirmingham,England.
Although best known as the home stage of theBirmingham Royal Ballet, it also hosts a wide variety of other performances including visitingopera andballet companies, touringWest End shows,pantomime anddrama.
With a regular annual attendance of over 600,000, the Hippodrome is the busiest single theatre in the United Kingdom,[1] and the busiest venue fordance outsideLondon.[2]
The first venue built on the Hippodrome site was a building of assembly rooms in 1895. In 1899 the venue was redesigned by local architect F. W. Lloyd, a stage and circus ring was added together with a Moorish tower (removed 1963) and the enterprise named it the "Tower of Varieties".[3] After failing, this was soon rebuilt as a normal variety theatre, reopened as the "Tivoli" in 1900, finally becoming "The Hippodrome" under the ownership of impresarioThomas Barrasford in October 1903. The currentneo-classical auditorium seats 1,900 and was designed byBurdwood and Mitchell in 1924. Following the construction of the nearby Smallbrook Queensway, the entrance building and tower were demolished in 1963, and a new modern entrance constructed. At the same time, the theatre was renamed 'Birmingham Theatre' for a time.[4]
In the 1970s it was sold toBirmingham City Council, and has since 1979 operated under the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust, a registered charity.[5][6]
This plain facade was refaced in the 1980s with a mock-Victorian plasterwork, while the stagehouse was demolished and rebuilt to accommodate larger shows. The decade also saw the theatre host theCentral Television revival of the ITV talent showNew Faces, hosted byMarti Caine.
The exterior of the theatre was substantially rebuilt byAssociated Architects andLaw and Dunbar-Nasmith in 2001, with a new glass facade and accommodation for the Birmingham Royal Ballet and additional performance space.[citation needed]
The Hippodrome has since presented large scaleWest End touring musicals and plays, such asBlood Brothers,Wicked,The Lion King,Matilda,Mary Poppins,Annie,Grease,Les Misérables,The Phantom of the Opera,War Horse,Billy Elliot,Mamma Mia!,We Will Rock You,The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time andHamilton.
The theatre has also hosted numerous dance productions fromMatthew Bourne's companyNew Adventures such asSwan Lake,Nutcracker!,Edward Scissorhands andThe Red Shoes.
In July 2015, comedian and actorBrian Conley was celebrated at the end of a performance ofBarnum, having performed at the Hippodrome for 600 performances, appearing in six pantomimes,Jolson,Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,Hairspray,Oliver! and hosting the 1999Royal Variety Performance at the theatre.[7]
On 8 October 2020 it was announced that Birmingham City Council had given the green light to a phased redevelopment of the theatre, to create a new facade together with a first floor terrace and creating an outdoor seating area with access to refreshment areas and a new restaurant on the third floor. Work is due to commence in early 2021.[8]
In September 2022, the theatre presented the world premiere ofPeaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby byRambert Dance, based on theTV series of the same name, prior to touring the country and returning to the Hippodrome, before being filmed for theBBC.
In September 2023, the world premiere ofBirmingham Royal Ballet'sBlack Sabbath: The Ballet opened at the theatre which band memberTony Iommi appeared during the finale on the opening night.[9]
The theatre's Christmas pantomimes are produced by Crossroads Pantomimes (previously Qdos Entertainment) over recent years attracting stars such asBrian Conley,Don Maclean,Julian Clary,Joe Pasquale,John Barrowman,The Grumbleweeds,Paul Zerdin,Ray Quinn,Joan Collins,Nigel Havers,Keith Harris,Lynda Bellingham,Basil Brush,Lesley Joseph,Gok Wan,John Partridge,Stephanie Beacham,Gary Wilmot,Jane McDonald,Duncan James,Chris Gascoyne,Marti Pellow,Lee Mead,The Krankies,Steve McFadden,Jodie Prenger,Beverley Knight,Danny Mac,Suzanne Shaw,Jimmy Osmond,Darren Day,Meera Syal,Jaymi Hensley,Joe McElderry,Faye Brookes,Jason Donovan,Alexia McIntosh,Ranj Singh,Alison Hammond andSamantha Womack. Comedian and actor Matt Slack has starred since 2013, returning every year due to popular demand.
