April 30, 2025|Reports

“Kings Theatre Portsmouth: Then and Now” – Dave Allport

We heard the history of this fine Edwardian Theatre, including its restoration and the famous names who have appeared through its first hundred years. See our website and the March parish magazine for the meeting report.

Our first ‘non-virtual’ talk of the year by Dave Allport, theatre guide, actor and backstage grafter, was the perfect choice for our 62 attendees.

Kings Theatre, built in 1907, was actually an off shoot from the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth, intended to appeal to the new middle class community living in rapidly growing  Southsea. It was the brainchild of John Boughton who employed the famous theatre architect Frank Matcham to design the building. Matcham designed over 150 theatres and Kings is one of the 25 remaining today.

The seating was arranged along rigid class and gender lines. The front five rows were reserved for men, known as ‘stage door jonnies’, hoping to catch a glimpse of ankles or even calves. The posh private boxes actually had poor views of the stage, but more importantly showed the occupants off to the rest of the audience.

Dave listed the famous acts that have performed at Kings. You can see the theatre in the 1974 film Pinball Wizard, with Elton John and The Who on stage, when the Southsea Pier fire forced Ken Russell to relocate filming. There is a Wickham connection too: Joan Cooper, the theatre’s second owner, was an active member of the Wickham Dramatic Society and performed in Blithe Spirit at the Victory Hall in 1955. Thanks to her patronage, WDS performed Sweeney Todd at the Kings in 1966 – veal pies were said to have been served during the interval!

The Theatre, now owned by a Trust, has recently bought three shops by the Theatre on Albert Road to provide a new foyer, rehearsal space and – most importantly of all – more ladies toilets, as part of its expansion programme.