Shrewsbury’s Music Hall received a standing ovation before the auditorium closed its doors last night for the last time after 169 years.
Theatre manager Lezley Picton blew a kiss into the crowd of hundreds as they clapped and cheered to mark the final performance at the theatre in the Square.
Staff and equipment will move to the county town’s new Theatre Severn in Frankwell.
Miss Picton joined the cast and crew of Robin Hood on stage and called on the audience to make some noise to mark the occasion.
She said: “I want to say an enormous thank you to this wonderful cast.
“Yet again it is a record breaking season and the last ever one at the Music Hall.
“Of course tonight is not just about the last night of the panto. I have to admit that there have been times when I thought that we would be closing the theatre tonight and not have a new one to go to but that is not the case.
“This theatre opened in 1840, that is 169 years of entertaining, Shrewsbury, Shropshire and beyond.”
She said there used to be about a dozen theatres in the river loop and the Music Hall was built to be an assembly room.
When Miss Picton said: “I would like you all to stand up and applaud the Music Hall,” the audience stamped their feet, screamed and shouted.
Among the audience last night was Dave Cookson, 66, of Bomere Heath.
He said: “I was in the first panto 39 years ago and I could not miss the last one. It was Aladdin in 1969/70.”
It is hoped the building will be turned into a museum to house the town’s treasures but plans are yet to be finalised as bosses continue to source funding.
By Rhea Parsons
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15 Comments
Good riddance. A shambles of managing the venue has meant it has needed constant subssidisation from our taxes… Now we have an even bigger white elephant in more expensive premises with more staff and more empty seats… Never mind… The people of shropshire have limitless funds to support the councils delusions of grandeur…
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Surely there should be an apostrophe and some capital letters in the above.
As for the ‘Music Hall’ – I have seen some fabulous shows there. The empty seats are a reflection of the demographics and the lack of cultural experience of most who flock to Shropshire as if they’re in a bad BBC sit com.
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i totally disagree with you.
the music hall had made so many people happy yes it costs money but if we didnt have one so many people would complain im pretty sure that there are only a few people who are glad to see the music hall go but there is deffinatly a higher percentage of people who will miss me being one of them.
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Andy stop avoiding the point and say it as it is :-(
There is no doubt the Music Hall was well past its sell by date but it served a function and in my teens we had really good times on a Saturday night dancing to soul music with DJ Pete Smith.
Not so sure about the new venue have heard its not big enough to attract the big West End Shows and that might be a big problem.
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I have spent many happy hours at The Music Hall, as a member of the audience and even more, working on shows behind the scenes, I find it very sad that people like Andy have adopted such a negative attitude towards The Music Hall and more recently towards Theatre Severn. The entire staff are like one big happy family who have dedicated their lives to ensuring the entertainment of others at the expense of their social lives. It is not the best paid work in the world and everyone who works there, does it for the love of the job.
They will all transfer to Theatre Severn and continue their good work.
Theatre Severn will be a success, not a white elephant. Theatre Severn is the future of entertainment in Shrewsbury and will the put the town on the map. Comments such as Andy’s are hurtful and unecessary, fortunately, positive comments tend to outweigh the negative ones.
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I’m sorry to see the demise of the Music Hall as a performance venue, but welcome the opportunities that the new Theatre offers. On the other hand, I can’t understand why there are so many bitter and negative people in Shropshire. Those such as Andy, posting above, have had a good moan at the Theatre, and others have moaned on and on about the Old Market Hall, the Darwin Gate on Shoplatch, and so on and on and on ad nauseum. Some people don’t seem to have a good word for anything. Have you actually attended a show at the Music Hall within the last 10 years, Andy? Maybe if you had, the venue would have needed less ’subssidisation from our taxes’. You might even have enjoyed it!
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Ahh, one of the ‘ignorance and moral outrage’ set. Oh how they enhance our town with their uninformed mouthing off.
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Oh dear poor Andy mate I think you have to get out more. Maybe the new theatre looks like a power station from the front but drive over the Welsh bridge and it looks fantastic. It reminds me of The Royal Shakespeare Companys Theatre at Stratford. The Music Hall was a lovely place to perform in on a last night the atmosphere was electric. It was my favourite venue to perform in so much better than Oakengates Theatre (sorry The Place!) Talk about a great barn of a place its like performing in an aircraft hanger. Good luck to the Severn Theatre. And thanks for the memories Music Hall
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Yeah Theatre severn will be a roaring success, can’t wait to see Pam Ayres.
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I moved to Shrewsbury 20 years ago to marry a Shrewsbury girl and my God what a shock. the biggest highlight of the year was the West Mid Show. Now we have pubs and clubs offering live music plus the quarry events, a art movie house in the square,the folk fest. and not to mention the summer season. Now we have theatre Severn which is much more than just a Theatre we have a real chance of getting better shows. Shrewsbury will never be the West End but will be a good reginal theatre.Most of all when the Music Hall is vacated it is to be the new herritage centre for Shropshire and this looks from the info given out as good as the Old Market Hall. Maybe we could put Andy in a glass case next to a DoDo in the new herritage centre but who would be able to tell which was which.
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R Jaggs you are absolutely spot on. Whilst I loathe the architecture of the new Theatre Severn it’s wonderful that we have a new structure for entertainment in Shrewsbury and can still retain the wonderful Music Hall, Old Market Halld and Rowleys Mansion. I willingly give my taxes towards the upkeep of these lovely old buildings which attract the visitors to our town that keep the shops, restaurants and pubs with trade.
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Poor old Andy he really has been put in his place!
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unless more people get off their backsides, the new theatre will surely need heavy subsidies from somewhere.hey though isn,nt it greatthat live theatre [and anything else]can exsist from o/s london.
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added comment. if there is 1 thing the new theatre will do , is that it will give boring people something else to moan about, i.e the do nothing,ers,see nothing,s. the same people who expect top class and new entertainment on tv every night
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As I live in Oxfordshire now, I have only just found out about the Music Hall shutting its doors for the last time, very sad, back in the 1970’s it was the place to be Soul Music and good fun. Please keep the Building make into something useful, dont let it go to dust.
Andy you need to get a life, we need to look after our history.
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