Happy Hundredth Birthday to Watford Palace Theatre

Flea pays tribute to our very own live theatre

On 16 November three local operatic companies came together to do a toe-tapping show. They presented Intervals – a musical extravaganza to raise funds for the Watford Palace Theatre as part of their Centenary celebrations. There was an air of anticipation as I joined them for what proved to be an unforgettable performance of some of the great show-stopping songs of the last century. I was not disappointed, in fact I was amazed by the talent of our local amateur groups, Watford Operatic Society, Cassio Operatic Society and Abbots Langley Gilbert & Sullivan Society.

This host of talented singers gave emotive and humorous performances. Charlotte Gregory’s rendition of ‘Little Girls’ from Annie was polished and had the audience laughing, although I am biased of course as this happens to be a personal favourite of mine. Gareth Edwards and Emma Southorn are definitely worth a mention as they brought humour and fantastic comic timing to their performance of ‘Abandoned Person’ from Ruddigore.

Jeff Nicholson had charismatic stage presence and an outstanding voice when singing ‘stars’ from Les Miserables. No show would be complete without a dip into the songs of Rogers & Hammerstein and they did not disappoint with ‘I’m gonna wash that man right outta my hair’ from South Pacific.

What a successful night and I wish the three groups the best of luck with their future performances in 2009. To view their performance schedule visit the “Whats on” listings at Watford FLEA on-line – or go to www.watford.theflea.co.uk and click ‘What’s On’

The Compère for the evening was Ian Scleater who gave the audience a potted history of Watford Palace Theatre’s humble beginnings and heritage. A special part of the celebration of the Theatre’s Centenary is the publication of Ian’s fascinating book ‘The Story of The Palace Theatre’.

He is a former Trustee and is Honorary Archivist of Watford Palace Theatre and his research into the history of the Palace has unearthed many fascinating facts about the beautiful building which has been central to Watford’s life for 100 years. “Writing this book has been a labour of love” Ian said as he signed copies before the Intervals performance.

Call the box office to reserve your copy, price 19.95 (+£3.75 P+P) OR
you could enter our competition below to win a signed copy! ____________________________________________

Competition!

Watford FLEA, courtesy of Watford Palace Theatre, is offering a signed copy of Ian Scleater’s Book. Simply answer this question:

In which year did The Watford Palace Theatre open?

For your chance to win this fantastic book send your answer to: Watford FLEA Competitions, 19 Sussex Road, Watford, WD24 5HL or send an email to: win@watford.theflea.co.uk, with Watford Palace Theatre in the subject bar. Please include your name, address, phone number and where you received your copy of Watford FLEA. Closing date for entries is midnight on 18 January 2009

The winner will be the first correct entry drawn at random on 19^th January 2009. Before entering, please read the additional information and rules for this competition by visiting www.fleawin.com. In all other respects, flea’s general competition rules shall apply.

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Love Competitions?

Why not visit www.fleawin.com for your chance to win:

Dinner for Two in the award-winning Conservatory Restaurant at the White House Hotel? It's just a stone's throw from the theatre!.

Expecting a baby? Enter our competition courtesy of Christine Black for a FREE "Confident Childbirth" course worth £180.

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A Hundred Years of History

To commemorate the achievement marked by the Palace Theatre's centennial year, the Watford Flea will present a New Series of articles starting in the next on-line edition.
The series will be published on-line ONLY - so check back next month to read the first instalment covering the decade 1908 - 1918.

This series will cover many of the amazing events of the last century that have shaped the world we live in today - from the first production model T Ford in 1908, the development of aviation, the discovery of nuclear fission, satellite communication, the moon landings, the personal computer and our understanding of space, time and our place in the universe.
And that's just a quick look at the scientific developments - there's a lot more to tell, about political change, demographics, economics, industry, commerce, environment and conflict.

The past century has seen unbelievable change - from horses and gas lights to electricity, radio, television and space exploration.

So please come and join us as we start the New Year in our time capsule and return to the world as it was when the Palace Theatre was built.

This article was created on Wednesday, 17th December 2008. It was last tinkered with on Thursday, 18th December 2008.

This is the 35th issue of Flea Magazine in Watford. The on-line version of the articles includes additional content that we couldn't fit into the printed version. You can see the individual articles and additional material by selecting from the titles below.

View the printed version of the Watford flea magazine on line in pdf format.

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Inside Watford Flea 205

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