Gaiety Theatre
Gaiety Theatre is a name given to a number of theatres in the late 18th and early 20th centuries across the globe, also in South Africa.
See also Gaiety Company
Contents
South African Gaiety theatres
The Gaiety Theatre, Johannesburg
A small music hall theatre in Kort Street, Johannesbrug, opened by Harry Stodel in 1895. Run on the old “Chairman” Music Hall lines, selling beer, whiskey etc on the premises, entrance 1 shilling. The acts were “local but first class”. Round about 1898 he took over Luscombe Searelle’s Music Hall, and apparently closed the Gaiety.
The Gaiety Theatre, Port Elizabeth
The venue opened in 1914 in Princes Street (now part of Govan Mbeki Ave), Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha). It seated 650 people and opened with a mixture of cinema and live entertainment, including a snake charmer and a dancer named 'Ambrosia'.
The Gaiety Theatre, East London
This venue was in Oxford Street, East London and was sometimes used for live performances.
Sources
See Fletcher, 1994; Kaplan and Robertson, 1991, Stodel, 1962
Robbie and Alta Hift. 2001. Port Elizabeth.
Beryl Bowie. 2005. East London - heart of Buffalo City
For more information
See also Music hall, Gaiety Theatre of Varieties, Oudtshoorn
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