Music from the old Empire Theatre
Introduced by John Watt
Singers:
Billie Baker , Helen Clare
Dudley Rolph. Arthur Richards with the BBC Chorus
(Chorus-Master, Leslie Woodgate )
London Theatre Orchestra
(Leader. Sidney Sax )
Conducted by Raymond Agoult
Produced by Charles Beardsall
The Empire Theatre,Leicester Square. was famous as a music-hall in the '80s and '90s, particularly for its Promenade. It was famous, too, for its ballet, like its rival across the Square, the Alhambra; Adeline Genie was prima ballerina here for eighteen years. In 1911, the Empire began to put on revues, and one of Irving Berlin's early efforts in this direction, Watch Your Step, was staged here. Here was seen the first appearance in this country of Edith Day in Irene; here was first produced The Lilac Domino; here Fred Astaire starred in Lady Be Good in 1926. The theatre was demolished a year later to make way for a modern cinema.