Dominion
Theatre - Built
in 1929 on a site that was once a leper colony and a brewery
which, when its 22-foot high vat of ale burst (in 1814) and
its contents poured into the street, was responsible for 20
deaths, many people drowning in alcohol. For
its early musicals the Dominion struggled to attract audiences. Turning
to cinema it was the venue for the revised "The Phantom Of
The Opera", starring Lon Chaney. In 1931
the premiere of "City Lights" was held there, attended by
its star Charlie Chaplin, and by King George V. In
the following years a number of famous stars appeared in
variety including Judy Garland in 1957, until in 1958 the
theatre once again turned to film when the Todd-AO equipment
was installed for "South Pacific". This four-year
success was followed by an even more successful "Sound Of
Music", which ran from 1965 to 1968. Since then the theatre
has played host to a variety of blockbuster films interspersed
with Georgian dancers, Chinese acrobats, and pop groups. Most
recent productions include: "Grease" (1993 - 1996); "Scrooge" (1996
- 1997), and in 1997 Disney's Beauty And The Beast opened
for what was expected to be a long run, but declining audience
numbers forced the shows closure at the end of 1999. "Notre-Dame de
Paris" (based on Victor Hugo's novel) ran from May
2000 until 2001.
