Love this story: What Killed Music Hall? I can tell you. You’re in a depressing suburban street, where there is a decaying building alleged to be a theatre. Either side of the entrance are dirt streaked photographic frames and behind the grime are artiste’s pictures full of pin holes from previous use. The commissionaire is wearing a suit handed down for ten years that doesn’t fit. At the box office a black dressed biddy, who has put a teapot on the seating plan wearily tears off a ticket. The bar is 80 yards long and at the far end on a wooden seat is a barmaid. She’s going to get up for nobody. Eventually you get a light ale, but it has been next to the radiator all night. Before you complain, it’s show time and you walk in to find all of 25 people there. If you fired a cannon you wouldn’t hit anybody. Two girls come out and sing “Happy Days Are Here Again”. Into the dance off. Next a young novice comedian. He’s pinched everybody’s material, but, being inexperienced, he walks off in carpet slippers. A juggler act follows. The props are dropped maybe three times but he gets away with it. Finally, a star act you’ve never heard of closes the first half. With 25 people in the bar you’ve no chance of being served. The two girls open the second half with “Slow Boat to China” – same act, but different song – and then the young comic returns and does foot juggling for a change – and then a voice says “Ladies and Gentlemen, will you please welcome a star of variety, TV and radio, the one and only Jimmy Wheeler”. And I walk out pissed – and that’s what killed music hall. Jimmy Wheeler. Published in the British Music Hall Magazine Call Boy.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 11:10:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015