Broadway Theatre Catford… theatre of dreams and fun, fit for 21st century

It is unveiling its plush revamped interior to the public this month – the Grade II listed Broadway Theatre is truly set for a new phase in its colourful history after a £million revamp, writes Yann Tear.

The theatre closed in 2020 due to Covid restrictions, and over the lockdown period the council invested in improvements to modernise the building for its 21st century audience.

Councillor James Walsh, cabinet member for culture, recently said: “We’re at the beginning of a new chapter and fresh new era for The Broadway and we cannot wait to welcome people back.”

So what better excuse could there be for looking at what we’ve had so far – and appreciating how many years of joy the famous art deco venue in Catford has already brought to its patrons and performers?

And, lest we forget, it is significant enough a building for the Queen to have attended in 2002 to mark its name change from Lewisham Theatre.

The grand old edifice at Rushey Green has generated scores of happy memories and some weird and wonderful moments since it first opened 90 years ago.

It started out as an orchestral concert and dance hall but then, during the war and throughout the 1950s and 1960s the venue saw stars come to perform from all over the UK and US. Including The Four Tops and Dizzy Gillespie.

From 1991 onwards the Black Theatre initiative encouraged black-led shows and performances that introduced new audiences to the venue and led to a string of sell-out shows.

Throughout the rest of the 1990s the theatre was famous for hosting live comedy.

The building was given its Grade II listed status in 1993. And there are so many tales.

Just before going on stage in 1979, the great comic magician Tommy Cooper asked the stage manager to get him a bread roll.

All shops were shut at that time of night, but the quick-thinking manager spotted that one of the stewards had brought a ham roll with him to eat later.

He removed the ham and took the roll back to Tommy, little realising that far from being hungry, Cooper just wanted it for a gag about asking for a roll on the drums – whereupon he would throw the bread at the drummer.

The legendary American singer Peggy Lee had a problem with her left foot before a 1984 concert and refused to go on unless a chiropodist could be found.

After a frantic ring around and the invitation to take this superstar down to outpatients at Lewisham Hospital, a Mr KW Danks of Peckham, listed under chiropodists in Yellow Pages, agreed to come and see her.

He arrived, everyone held their breath as the show had sold out and a late cancellation would be disastrous.

Fortunately, Mr Danks was quite brilliant. Peggy Lee was delighted and took his phone number.

For all we know, Mr Danks may have swapped Peckham for Hollywood soon after.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra (official UK branch) made a nostalgic appearance at the theatre in 1984 on the anniversary of Glenn Miller’s death.

But one gentleman demanded his money back before the show, because he had just heard that Glenn Miller had gone missing in a plane in 1944 and that we could not guarantee his personal appearance that night.

He was quite sincere and outraged that the venue should attempt to sell tickets, in his opinion, under false pretences.

Many items have been handed in to lost property including a baby who had been left behind by a mother who had brought five others to pantomime. She returned shortly after the show wondering where she had left the child.

Probably the most unusual item was a false leg found after one performance.

It stayed in the lost property box for three days until it was claimed – presumably by someone who took a while to notice he was falling over a lot.

At one pantomime performance in 1995 a lady went prematurely into labour in the front circle. This was a unique occurrence, although it has been unkindly suggested that there have been quite a few conceptions at the theatre over the years.

Mr Grover, attended virtually every show at the theatre for around 20 years.

His aisle seat was put aside for each performance in order that he could see properly and he probably spent in excess of £15,000 at the box office over the years.

He would always come back or phone the next day to complain vehemently about the load of rubbish he had just seen and then would book for the next show.

When the theatre’s future was threatened in 1990, he fought a campaign to save it, despite the ‘load of rubbish’ he sat through each night.

In March 2002, comedian Ken Dodd went on stage at 7.30pm.

He finally finished his act at 1.40am the following morning. Always notorious for over-running he did think it was only 12.40am forgetting the clocks went forward that night.

The theatre manager that night, Chris Hare, joked with Ken as he came off asking if it was okay to let the second house in now.

Never to be out done, Ken quipped back “Don’t be funny with me or I’ll do the full act next time.”

Here’s to the next 90 years.

 

Picture: The theatre under construction in 1932. Pictures: Broadway Theatre, Catford