Lancaster Footlights is halfway through it’s run of Enchanted April, based on the classic novel by Elizabeth Von Arnim, and I absolutely urge you to go and see it. There are still three performances left on 19/03, 20/03, and 21/03, and you can get tickets here.
I went along on Friday night and was swept away to the 1920s Italian Riviera and paradisio! When two married women decide that they need more from their lives and, along with two ladies, escape post-war London for the Mediterranean coast of Italy, they are surprised to find that their lives, when viewed through the lens of ‘sunshine and wisteria,’ perhaps have more to offer them than they previously thought…
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The whole ensemble cast were absolutely brilliant and funny; whilst Maire Robinson shone in the linchpin role of Lottie Wilton. I was amazed by the sheer number of lines (and quite long monologues!) she had to deliver, and she seemed to do it with relative ease!
“I enjoyed it so much if I was able to make a second night, I would happily watch it again.” – Happy Theatregoer
I would like to congratulate the director, Sarah Ludford, and the whole crew for pulling together a wonderful and heart-warming performance in such a short space of time (9 or so weeks!). It really was a truly lovely piece of theatre!
As Christmas comes ever close and the Theatre becomes a hive of activity once again with not one, not two, but THREE pantomimes (Footlights, Schools’, and Adult), I thought I’d take a look at the historic venue that they will be taking place in. Having “trod the boards” in this historic theatre, I can say that it is a wonderful place to perform, and I can’t wait to get the chance to do so again.
Lancaster Grand Theatre is a Grade II listed building built in 1782, and has been a mainstay of Lancaster’s cultural scene since then. Originally just called “The Theatre” and part of the Northern Circuit of theatres, where touring groups and players would make the rounds with their shows. The Grand is now the only surviving venue in it’s original state. The Grand Theatre is the third oldest working theatre in Britain, and it has been in near continuous use since it was built, apart from the odd year here and there when it has been dark. Pretty good going for a theatre approaching it’s venerable 250th birthday!
In the first summer it opened, the theatre put on Hamlet, with Lady Macbeth being played by Sarah Siddons, a relation of one of the men who opened the theatre. Other performers included Ira Aldridge, who was the first Black British actor to appear on a UK stage.
There is a pervasive theatre myth that the ghost of Sarah Siddons haunts the venue. I mean, what would a theatre be without a good ghost story and a residential spirit? As someone who has spent quite a bit of time there, I have yet to meet her, although if I do, I do hope she’s friendly. After all, this was a place she loved to be! Hopefully she would appreciate everything the volunteers and players do to keep The Grand going and vibrant.
Ira Aldridge (1807?-1867) in the character of Othello
Theatre performances at the theatre declined through the 1830s and 1840s, but it was reopened in 1849 as a music hall with a focus on classical music, as well as having a space for a museum for the Natural History Society, and was increasingly used for lectures. Charles Dickens appeared twice in 1860s, reading from A Christmas Carol and The Pickwick Papers.
In 1897 the theatre was modified, including a new stage, by architect Frank Matcham, but the work of this architect was lost in 1908 when the building was badly damaged by fire. It reopened the same year, after significant restoration, as The Grand Theatre. In it’s currently form it seats 457 over two levels and is owned by Lancaster Footlights, an amateur dramatic group, who have been performing since the 1920s, but bought the theatre in 1951 for £7,000 to save it from demolition in the remodelling of the Canal Quarter in the city. This “remodelling” involved mass demolition of streets of old housing, in order to rebuild for “healthier,” more spaced out, housing.
Tours of the theatre that explore it’s history, both older and more recent, are available throughout the year, hosted by extremely knowledgeable volunteer tour guides. Check out Lancaster Grand’s website for more information of when you can visit and take a tour.
There is also very exciting things planned for the theatre’s future, and a major fundraising operation is ongoing to raise money for an extension to make a new foyer, and to make the building more accessible for all.
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Lancaster Footlights presents Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web at Lancaster Grand from October 3rd – 11th 2025.
Clarissa, married to a top diplomat, loves to spin tales just like a spider spins a web. However, when someone is murdered right in her drawing room, that’s another matter! Live drama is so much harder to cope with! Her house guests help her try and dispose of the body before her husband gets back but they are interrupted by the arrival of Detective Brown who was told there has been a murder! Hilarity ensues […] “Spider’s Web” is Christie’s second most successful play (744 performances), surpassed only by the record-breaking “The Mousetrap”.
Christie is well known as one of Britain’s best loved authors, with her own estate claiming the title of ‘Queen of Crime’ for the writer. Her characters of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are known across the globe. Spider’s Web, however, was written for a specific actress, Margaret Lockwood, who had appeared in many films, but wished to increase her theatre repertoire, asking Christie to write a play for her. Must be nice to have that sort of clout and for a request like that to bear fruit!
The cast have been having a lot of fun rehearsing, and are excited to bring the play to the stage.
“The Spider’s Web has been great fun to rehearse and the cast have all been brilliant to work with. The show itself has all of the usual murder mystery trappings – secret passageways, invisible ink, and more than a few red herrings! What I’ve particularly enjoyed is the humour, as there is much more to be found in The Spider’s Web than in most other Christie plays!” – Ian Brown, Inspector Lord
Lancaster Grand Theatre is a Grade II listed building built in 1782, and has been a mainstay of Lancaster’s cultural scene since then. Originally just called “The Theatre” and part of the Northern Circuit of theatres, where touring groups and players would make the rounds with their shows. The Grand is now the only surviving venue in it’s original state. The Grand Theatre is the third oldest working theatre in Britain, and it has been in near continuous use since it was built, apart from the odd year here and there when it has been dark. Pretty good going for a theatre approaching it’s venerable 250th birthday!
In the first summer it opened, the theatre put on Hamlet, with Lady Macbeth being played by Sarah Siddons, a relation of one of the men who opened the theatre. Other performers included Ira Aldridge, who was the first Black British actor to appear on a UK stage.
There is a pervasive theatre myth that the ghost of Sarah Siddons haunts the venue. I mean, what would a theatre be without a good ghost story and a residential spirit? As someone who has spent quite a bit of time there, I have yet to meet her, although if I do, I do hope she’s friendly. After all, this was a place she loved to be! Hopefully she would appreciate everything the volunteers and players do to keep The Grand going and vibrant.
Ira Aldridge (1807?-1867) in the character of Othello
Theatre performances at the theatre declined through the 1830s and 1840s, but it was reopened in 1849 as a music hall with a focus on classical music, as well as having a space for a museum for the Natural History Society, and was increasingly used for lectures. Charles Dickens appeared twice in 1860s, reading from A Christmas Carol and The Pickwick Papers.
In 1897 the theatre was modified, including a new stage, by architect Frank Matcham, but the work of this architect was lost in 1908 when the building was badly damaged by fire. It reopened the same year, after significant restoration, as The Grand Theatre. In it’s currently form it seats 457 over two levels and is owned by Lancaster Footlights, an amateur dramatic group, who have been performing since the 1920s, but bought the theatre in 1951 for £7,000 to save it from demolition in the remodelling of the Canal Quarter in the city. This “remodelling” involved mass demolition of streets of old housing, in order to rebuild for “healthier,” more spaced out, housing.
Tours of the theatre that explore it’s history, both older and more recent, are available throughout the year, hosted by extremely knowledgeable volunteer tour guides. Check out Lancaster Grand’s website for more information of when you can visit and take a tour.
There is also very exciting things planned for the theatre’s future, and a major fundraising operation is ongoing to raise money for an extension to make a new foyer, and to make the building more accessible for all.
If you liked this article and would like to receive more updates, please subscribe for free below to get weekly updates on fabulous things to do around the North!
