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Dateline: 10th January, 2012
A New Theatre for Chester Chester, a city without a theatre since the closure of the Gateway Theatre in January 2007, is to transform the Odeon Cinema at a cost of some £43 million. The Odeon, the 1930s iconic listed building on the corner of Northgate Street and Hunter Street, closed as a Cinema some ten years ago. It has already been acquired by Cheshire West and Chester Council and the choice was confirmed recently after a struggle between champions of the former cinema and those favouring a completely new building on the city's Little Roodee, close to the famous Roodee Racecourse. "The Odeon is considered the best option," said Conservative Culture Chairman Councillor Stuart Parker, who pointed out that the cost of the Little Roodee project had already risen to £57 million. A third proposal, by architect and former Lord Mayor James Latham, for a new building on the library and bus exchange site looking onto the Odeon was also rejected. Plans for the new theatre were adopted by the controlling Conservative group after the announcement that the Odeon was the popular choice in a poll organised by the local newspaper. And members of the council's Labour group have also indicated their support for the Odeon. "I and the Labour group have been pushing for it all along," said Labour culture spokesperson Councillor Angela Clayton. Designed by Harry Weedon and his assistant Robert Bullivant, the team responsible for Odeon's throughout the country, Chester Odeon was opened in 1936 before an assembly including the Mayor, Oscar Deutsch, founder of Odeon Cinemas, film star Douglas Fairbanks Jnr and the Jack Payne Band, the first film shown being Two's Company starring Gordon Harker and Ned Sparks. Chester's first theatre was The New Theatre, St Werburgh Street, opened in 1773, four years later becoming the Theatre Royal and in 1855 taking the name the Music Hall by which it was known later as a cinema until converted into retail premises in the 1960s. Personalities who appeared at the Music Hall included Edmund Kean (1855), Charles Dickens (1867), and Winston Churchill who spoke on the Boer War in 1901. In 1882 Chester's longest serving theatre, The Royalty, was opened as The Oxford Music Hall in City Road, and it was briefly The Prince of Wales until the wooden structure was replaced by a 2,000 seat brick building known as The New Royalty in 1882. Among famous stars to appear at The Royalty included Sir Henry Irving, Marie Lloyd, Florrie Ford, Sir Harry Lauder, Sandy Powell and later, Shirley Bassey and, on 15th May 1963 The Beatles. After some use as a club, The Royalty eventually closed its doors in 1966 and after local campaigners, supported by local civic leaders and actor-playwright the late Emlyn Williams were unable to obtain the freehold, the building was demolished around the turn of the century. Well-known names who appeared at The Gateway included Rodney Bewes and James Bolam and members of the repertory company included Geraldine James, Harry Waters and David Suchet whose first major classical role was at The Gateway where he played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Kevin Catchpole
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