In October 1866 a new theatre, named The Prince of Wales Theatre and Opera House opened in Liverpool, on Lime Street. About three quarters the size of the theatre that stands today, it was lit by gas light and all the stage machinery was controlled by steam power. The very first production was the opera Faust, performed by an Italian company. Within a year the theatre had been renamed and became the Alexandra Theatre and Opera House, probably because the Prince of Wales married Princess Alexandra and it was named after her. The theatre staged a variety of shows, mainly focussing on opera but also featuring plays, ballet and musical shows.
In 2001 Apollo Leisure became part of a large American company called Clear Channel Entertainment before the theatrical division of CCE became known as Live Nation. Recently the Ambassador Theatre Group completed the acquisition of all of Live Nation’s UK theatres, including the Liverpool Empire. ATG is also one of the country’s foremost theatre producers and has been behind some of the most successful and innovative productions in Britain and internationally. All the redevelopment work has now finished and there now stands a new building next to the theatre on the corner of Lime Street and London Road, replacing the old Legs of Mann pub. The new building, attached to the theatre by a glass atrium contains the box office, bar and three floors of multi-function space that can be used for events, parties, conferences and performances. The new building also contains a lift, providing access to the circle on two levels and enabling us to increase the number of wheelchair spaces we have in the auditorium.
