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Appearing on stage at Hippodrome was a magical experience
The desire to hold on to a lively piece of the city's history - the former Hippodrome Theatre - at the junction Macklin Street and Green Lane has been forcefully expressed by many Derby folk in response to recent proposals to demolish the elegant auditorium. Lynne Brighouse speaks to one of its fans, Dorothy Whittaker, left, of Spondon, who, as a young teenager, performed in the last show to be held there, back in the late 1950s.
There has been a huge outcry from those who remember watching shows in what has been described as a magnificent auditorium, with acoustics "second to none", and dismay from the few lucky Derby people who have actually performed on its stage.
One of these select band of performers is Derbeian Dorothy Whittaker, who was in the last show ever to take place in the venue - a pantomime which ran over the Christmas and New Year period of 1958-9.
Dorothy, aged 13, had answered an advert for young dancers for the chorus line of the pantomime, Queen of Hearts. She could not believe her luck when she was picked to take part and subsequently went on to share the stage with stars such as Jimmy Paige, Eddie Henderson and the American actor Call McCord.
"The cast of pantomimes in those days was colossal compared with today," she explained. "Full-houses every night were guaranteed during the early 1950s, before the days when every household had its own TV, so it had become an expected feature of the genre.
"Sadly, as it turned out, we were the last of an era, one of the final productions to enjoy that type of luxury."
The devastating impact of cinema and TV was starting to be felt by most theatres by 1958 and The Queen of Hearts ended up finishing its run a week early, on January 31, as the theatre closed due to the grim financial reality of falling audiences at live shows.
The troubles did nothing to dampen Dorothy's enthusiasm for the magic of the theatre, though, and neither did the freezing cold conditions in which they rehearsed.
"It was so cold in the Hippodrome during the day," she recalled. "Presumably, it was an attempt to keep the heating costs down. I also remember that the dancers shared a dressing room right at the top of the building with a tiny window to the outside world.
"The costumes were all stored in huge, square wicker baskets and, as instructed, we all trooped down to the nearby Boots to buy our stage make-up."
As a dancer, Dorothy was paid a few shillings a week and, out of this, she was expected to pay for her trolleybus fares to and from the show.
On one side of the young dancers' dressing rooms were The Roselli Singers, professional vocalists, and, on the other side, a troupe of acrobats called The Five Barrani, who, Dorothy recalled, were most memorable for the smell of their cigar smoke which managed to seep into all the rooms on the top floor of the building. Dorothy was delighted and awe stuck by every aspect of the experience.
Taking part in such a spectacular production was not without its risks, however, both for its human performers and the live animals, which were sometimes drafted in for the show.
According to newspaper clippings, which Dorothy has saved from the era, there were as many as three stage accidents, during the five-week run of The Queen of Hearts. Two of these resulted in minor injuries and one in a near miss, which could have been disastrous.
One of the injuries happened to 12-year-old dancer Patricia King, who was "struck a glancing blow to the head by a batten as a drop cloth fell down onto the stage".
The valiant youngster did try to carry on regardless but collapsed in the wings and was subsequently taken to Derby Children's hospital.
The other victim was Ladybird, the pantomime horse, a 16-year-old mustang, which was ridden onto the stage by Cal McCord, dressed as a cowboy. Fortunately, Ladybird was saved from serious injury by the prompt action of two young stage-hands who came to its aid when it slipped on the 3ft ramp linking the stage to ground level.
The two rapidly ploughed in to help, despite the fact that the horse began to panic, kicking-out wildly. Although one leg was slightly injured, Ladybird emerged largely unscathed.
What could have been potentially the most serious injury of all was also, luckily, averted when principal comedian Jimmy Paige was left dangling 25 feet above the stage, following a fault in the flying ballet mechanism.
The mid-air drama happened part way through one of the shows when the mechanism stuck, leaving the comedian suspended in mid-air for seven minutes. Throughout this time, he valiantly continued to joke and ad-lib to the audience.
Eventually, Jimmy managed to grab a scenery batten, on which he balanced precariously while stripping off his ballet harness and stage costume - a suit of chain mail. He was then slowly and carefully lowered into the audience, where he was met with a huge round of applause.
The show must go on, as they say in show business circles, but it must have taken a great deal of courage and presence of mind just the same!
Although Dorothy's blossoming stage career was fairly short-lived, it is an experience she will always treasure. Her enthusiasm for the bright lights was passed on to her daughter, who also attended a dance school and her young granddaughter, Anna Fox, who goes to dancing lessons and recently gave a solo dance performance on a Derby stage.
"I did continue with my ballet and dance lessons for a while after the show but I was quite a shy teenager really," Dorothy explained.
"At 17, I worked in an office in Derby and other interests had taken over, such as horse-riding and romance.
"But I have always loved the feeling of magic which surrounds the theatre, especially the old-style theatres with their extravagant plush seating and carpets and large band at the front of house.
"There is just something about the atmosphere and acoustics of old theatres, such as the Hippodrome, which simply can't be replaced by the smart new venues.
"They may be perfectly adequate but they are lacking in real character.
"I know parking and accessibility is a real issue at the Hippodrome but I do feel that it would criminal for it to be pulled down and replaced with something mundane and ordinary."
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