Rob Cope was a volunteer at the Theatre Royal from when it reopened in 1983. He worked both front of house and back stage. You can read his reviews of various current shows like ‘Kinky Boots’ and bands like Steeleye Span & the Brotherhood Of Man (yes they are still going!), over on his blog – highly recommended and well worth a visit.
When did you work at the theatre and in what capacity? How did you become involved in the Theatre Royal?
It was March 1983 I think, I had read the Theatre Royal were looking for volunteers and went to help out one night and ended up carrying a prop table on stage for variety star Tessie O’Shea. I guess I was hooked on theatre from then on. I ended up doing a short stint in the box office, lots of front of house and then onto stage crew and spotlight work. I also did a couple of panto seasons as dresser to first Wayne Sleep and later Frankie Howerd (and THAT was an experience, as you might guess).
Which shows did you enjoy the most and why?
For someone who hadn’t had any experience of professional theatre before, it was all very new and exciting. The first big musical I saw was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which has remained a favourite for that very reason all these years later. But the wonderful thing about the Royal was that you would get opera, musicals, comedians, ballet, plays, circuses… in those early days there really was something for everyone and fascinating to watch the shows come and go. I remember walking through the pass door one night from front of house to backstage and coming face to face with a camel and a caged tiger just in front of me!
What performers and actors/actresses did you enjoy seeing the most and why? Which perfomer(s) surprised you the most (in that they were much better than expected) and which performer(s) were a let down and why?
It really was a joy seeing live some top notch artists. Billy Connolly was one I remember very well. His two nights were totally different. Most of the material on the second night was all about Stoke because he had spent the day going around the city. I remember The Nolans surprised me a lot, I had seen them on many TV shows and thought nothing much about them but live they were simply superb, such incredible harmonies and voices. There were not many people who disappointed. I was never much for Bernard Manning. Although his material is not the sort of thing I gravitate to anyway, he seemed very unprofessional. He arrived in a dirty track suit and proceeded to cadge cigarettes off the audience throughout his act. No semblance of presentation.
I was introduced to The Rocky Horror Show there and it was through that I ended up going on tour to a few dates doing the merchandising for John Farrow. The Theatre Royal Hanley PLC incredibly became a production company which started with the amazing four year tour of Rocky Horror and I suppose reached it’s peak with the production of Cabaret starring Wayne Sleep and directed by (Dame) Gillian Lynne which went into the West End. I will never forget watching Gillian chorerograph Wayne Sleep in a tap dance to one of Hitler’s speeches on the stage of the Royal. Just breathtaking to see such top flight performers at work. And the theatre also produced the stage tours of Prisoner Cell Block H, at that time at the height of its television fame.
Of course you also have to mention (Sir) Ken Dodd, such a huge supporter of the Royal over the years. Quite literally the funniest man I ever saw in a lifetime of going to live entertainment. He was quite brilliant in a way you very seldom see. I remember one night my stomach hurt laughing so much during the first (two hour) half of the show I just couldn’t go back in for the second, I was hurting too much.
Your memories of the fellow staff/volunteers you worked with?
I’m sure a lot of the volunteers I remember are no longer with us as they were not spring chickens back then, but everyone was so dedicated and believed in not just the Royal but live entertainment full stop. The Ankers family seemed to live there and so too the Powells. Without their dedication there would have been no theatre for all the acts to appear at. I felt sometimes Managing Directors and those in charge of the theatre over the years never quite appreciated the sacrifices they – and a lot of others – made to keep the theatre open on a day to day level.
Why do you think the Theatre Royal never quite got the success it deserved?
I think it was all a bit political really. There are stories of producers absconding with money and it all gets a bit murky during the active years from the early 80s. Mike Lloyd made a wonderful attempt to put the Royal back on the map when it was failing and I was very sad to see that too eventually crumbled. I do feel that there was room for both the Regent and the Royal. They could have complimented each other nicely.
If in an ideal world an investor came along, do you think the theatre could be restored to its former glory or is it best left in the past?
The building has now been deconstructed as a theatre and to revive it would take a rebuild of massive proportions so financially I don’t think it will ever happen. “All things must pass” as George Harrison says, but what memories all of those who worked in that building have. It fostered a life time of theatre going for me which continues to this day. I saw so many legendary performers at the height of their powers and for that I shall always be extremely grateful. The Theatre Royal Hanley will have a special place in the hearts of everyone who worked there or was a regular visitor. Happy days.
Memories of the Theatre Royal Hanley 