Palace Theatre, Manchester

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The Palace Theatre

The Palace Theatre Manchester is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It, and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street, are operated by the same parent company, Live Nation. The original capacity of 3,675 has since been reduced to its current 1,998.

The theatre, originally known as 'The Grand Old Lady of Oxford Road', opened on 18th May, 1891, having been built at a cost of £40,500. The opening presentation, to a capacity audience, was the ballet Cleopatra; however its initial presentations failed to gain popular support and for several years it struggled to make a profit. Only when it broadened its scope to include more popular performers was it a resounding success. During the early part of the 20th century it came into its own, with artists such as Danny Kaye, Gracie Fields, Charles Laughton, Judy Garland, Noel Coward and Laurel & Hardy making appearances.

In the 1970s, audience numbers declined as they did in many live venues, and it was threatened with closure. The Arts Council supported it in the 1980s, and after major internal refurbishment and an enlarged stage facility, it was run by a charitable trust, Norwest Holdings.

It is now one of the best equipped and popular theatres outside London. In its repertoire it hosts major touring musicals often with major celebrities and performances of opera and ballet along with various other comedy acts and one night concerts.

The Palace Theatre Ticket Centre is situated to the right of the building and sells tickets for the Palace, Opera House and Apollo, plus a range of Live Nation theatres and other selected venues across the UK.

Continuing a long tradition of tour openings in Manchester the hit Broadway and West End musical The Producers will open at theatre in February 2007 for a run until May when it will continue on tour around the UK. Peter Kay will be starring as Roger Debris for the Manchester dates.