If you lived in Dublin between 1935 and 1962, chances are you’ll remember the Theatre Royal. For other folks, if you know it at all, it may only be as a reference in Pete St. John’s Dublin in the Rare Auld Times. Either way, the Royal’s story is worth telling.

History

Over the years, there were actually three Theatre Royals on Hawkins Street. The first opened in January, 1821 and burned to the ground in February, 1880. During its lifetime, it played host to such 19th century luminaries as Jenny Lind and Paganini (on the stage) and George IV (in the audience).

The second incarnation opened in December, 1897, and lived for over thirty years, finally closing in March, 1934. Audience capacity --- approximately 2,000 --- was similar to that of its predecessor and it too was marked by the royal presence, Edward VII doing the honours in April, 1904.

But the best known Theatre Royal is the one that debuted on September 23rd, 1935, with a gala performance of the New Royal Revue headed by the celebrated tenor, Count John McCormack. Sean Lemass, then Minister of Industry and Commerce, presided, McCormack sang Bless This House and an impressive venue was auspiciously launched.

The architect, Leslie Norton, had chosen a stylishly Art Deco exterior, floodlit at night, with a contrasting Middle Eastern/Moorish interior. The large marble foyer had a staircase at each side, supplemented by an elevator on the left. Inside the auditorium, the forty feet deep stage and audience capacity of 4,000 (3,700 seated plus 300 standing) made it one of the largest venues in Europe. Like many of the giant theatres of its time --- New York’s Radio City Music Hall being the most famous example --- the Royal often played first-run movies alongside the stage presentations. In addition, there was a resident 25-piece orchestra. Clearly, it was built to host the biggest acts in the English-speaking world. And it did.

The Pre-War Years

Major international names like Gracie Fields, Jimmy Durante and George Formby played the Royal. But probably the biggest of the pre-war events came during 1939’s Horse Show Week when the Singing Cowboy, Gene Autry, hit town for the first stop on a month-long European tour.

Arriving at the North Wall on Saturday, August 5th, Autry made his European live radio debut that same evening with a thirty minute show on Radio Eireann. Then at noon on Monday, August 7th, there was a welcoming parade down O’Connell Street, drawing tens of thousands. In the afternoon, he opened a week-long engagement at the Theatre Royal, playing three shows a day, with performances at 3:38, 6:05 and 8:40. Demand was such that a 1:00 early Saturday matinee was added. It still wasn’t enough, so two Sunday performances had to be tacked on to the end of the schedule. At a total of twenty-one shows, potential audience capacity exceeded 80,000. And while the Royal’s companion movie that week, Man of Conquest, was not an Autry vehicle, unsated fans could catch him in Mexicali Rose next door at the Regal Rooms.

There was another auspicious aspect to the week --- the international launch of an Irish song that was to become a bona fide standard. During the Royal run, Tyrone-born songwriter Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr, his Dublin-raised collaborator, pitched a song to Autry. It was their new composition, South of the Border. By the end of the year, it was both a big transatlantic hit and the title song of a new Autry movie rushed into American cinemas for Christmas.

The pre-war years also marked the theatrical emergence of the man who was to become Ireland’s premier mid-20th century impresario. The son of a Jewish refugee from Tsarist Russia, Louis Elliman entered the picture when his family took control of the Royal in 1936. Running the Royal and the Gaiety, he nurtured local talent, keeping both theatres open during World War 2.