1st October –
8th October –
15th October –
22nd October –
29th October –
30th October – ANNIE GET YOUR GUN
On the stage – for TWO weeks – For the first time in 17 years the stage of the Gaumont, no longer encumbered with the restraints of the Moss Empire’s stipulations, hosted a musical, not just any musical, but the full blown West End production from London‘s Coliseum of Annie Get Your Gun, which had closed earlier in the year before setting out on tour. The show demonstrated to the directors of Rank Theatres the potential of their Southampton Gaumont with most performances sold out ahead of the musical‘s opening.
Annie Get Your Gun tells the story of the rise of hillbilly Annie Oakley to become the star attraction of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, even eclipsing the fame of marksman Frank Butler. Although Annie loves Frank, their rivalry keeps them apart until Annie realises that the only way to get her man is to let him win her over in a shooting contest. With lyrics and music by Irving Berlin and a book by Dorothy Fields and her brother Herbert Fields. The show which opened on Broadway in 1946 was a hit, and the musical ran for even longer in London than New York. Songs that became hits include “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly”, “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun”, “They Say It’s Wonderful”, and “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better).”
12th November –
19th November –
26th November –
3rd December –
10th December –
17th December –
24th December –
26th December – INTERNATIONAL BALLET
Until January 7, 1951 – On the stage- International Ballet – Ballet returned to the theatre for the first time since 1930. The company was comprised of a selection of leading international stars under the direction of Nicolai Sergueeff, the former director of the Marinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. During the two week residency the company performed Coppelia (4 performances), Swan Lake (5 performances), The Sleeping Princess (4 performances), and a programme comprising Les Sylphides, Visions, and Gaiete Parisienne (2 performances).
