NOSTALGIA FEATURE SHOWBIZ YESTERDAYS
The summer season show is almost a thing of the past. Aside from one or two UK coastal locations such as Cromer, Gorleston On Sea and Babbacombe, there is very little to seize upon in terms of produced and regular shows in seaside theatres in 2025. Someone once said that variety is not dying, it is changing. Mark Ritchie examines a few comparisons between now and the good old days.
In August 1970 I went along to the ABC Theatre in Blackpool, where the great Tommy Steele was starring in a long summer season show. Also appearing was the popular singer and musician Mary Hopkin and one of the great ‘front-of-cloth’ comedians, Billy Dainty. The ABC is long gone and a nightclub, close to the North Pier now occupies the area this theatre used to stand upon.
Of the three great piers in Blackpool, which are all owned and operated by the Sedgewick family of Showmen, only the North Pier stages regular theatre shows. This high season the now re-named Joe Longthorne Theatre on the North Pier, has one-nighter style star shows featuring the likes of Crissy Rock, Roy Chubby Brown and our great friend Justine Riddoch with her wonderful Totally Tina show. The Central Pier theatre has long since been replaced with cabaret style surroundings and these days a large-scale tribute-show features. The South Pier theatre was demolished early in the new century and replaced with a funfair.
Great Yarmouth was a childhood holiday special place for me. The likes of Jimmy Clitheroe and Donald Peers were just two of the stars I enjoyed there as a child. The Wellington Pier boasted its own end of the pier theatre, but the venue is no more and the space is now occupied by a casino and bowling alley. Jim Davidson and Bradley Walsh featured on The Wellington Pier until 2010. The Britannia Pier still has a functioning seaside theatre and comedians Chris McCausland, Jim Davidson, Russell Kane, Roy Chubby Brown and Jimmy Carr will all be appearing soon, as well as appearances from national treasure Su Pollard and media personality Katie Hopkins.
There is still much to enjoy in seaside theatres across the UK. We have only scratched the surface here, but the picture in Blackpool and Great Yarmouth reflects the national continuation of the touring trend and the move away from theatre and into more cabaret and hotel style live shows.
Do you have a story to write about show businesses yesterdays? We would love to hear from you. To have articles considered for publication, please e mail mark.ritchie@ukcabaret.com
