Liverpool Empire Theatre

The theatre was designed by W. and T. R. Milburn for Moss Empires; the carving and the ornamentation in the auditorium were carried out by E. O. Griffiths. The building is constructed on a steel frame, with a Portland stone façade and brick elsewhere. The architectural style of the façade is free Neoclassical. The front of the theatre is in five bays, the central three of which have an attic rising above the two lateral bays. The ground floor of the central bays contains the entrance doors and over them is a steel canopy decorated with medallions and guilloché bands. The storey above ground level contains the balcony, with single and paired Ionic columns, between which are recessed windows. Over this is a dentilled cornice and the attic. In the first floor of the side bays there are windows in architraves that are flanked by shallow pilasters above which is a plain parapet.[6]

The entrance foyer is on the ground level, with stairs to the balcony on both sides of the foyer. The seats are raked both to the sides and to the rear in order to improve the lines of sight. The internal decoration is in Louis XVI style. It contains "many curious decorative features including carved elephant caryatids".[6]

The theatre was listed in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II listed building on 16 October 1990.[6] When it was opened its design was considered advanced, owing to the raked seating layout.[6] There are 2,350 seats, Britain's largest two-tier auditorium.[2] It is sited in the William Brown Street Conservation Area.[7]

Performers in the original theatre included George Formby, Sr., Harry Tate, Dan Leno, Florrie Forde, The Two Bobs, and Wilson, Keppel and Betty. The first production in the present theatre was Better Days, starring Stanley Lupino, Maisie Gay and Ruth French.[2] Subsequent performers have included Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Mae West, Laurel and Hardy, Roy Rogers and Trigger, Charlton Heston, Sarah Bernhardt, Henry Irving, Vesta Tilley, and Arthur Askey.[2][8] More recent artists include Johnny Mathis, The Carpenters, Neil Sedaka, The Osmonds, Tommy Steel, Adam Faith, Bruce Forsyth, Victoria Wood, Morecambe and Wise, Ken Dodd, Shirley Bassey, Kylie Minogue, Kate Bush, Elton John, Cilla Black, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Chuck Berry, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen, Santana, Iron Maiden, Genesis, Steve Hillage, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel (the band's 1976 concert at the theatre is frequently alluded to by Steve Harley when he plays concerts in the North of England, since, during the extended instrumental in his song 'Death Trip' (track 10 of 1973's 'The Human Menagerie' album), he fell off the stage and into the orchestra pit, but continued performing as though nothing had happened, despite breaking 3 ribs and as a result having to cancel the rest of the tour). The Shadows (1989). In 1957 a local pop group called The Quarrymen appeared at the theatre. They returned in 1959, having changed their name to "Johnny and the Moondogs". They returned to the Empire again in 1962, now named The Beatles.[2] The Beatles played the Empire for the last time on 5 December 1965.[4] During the 1970s two Royal Command Performances were held in the Empire,[8] and in 2007 the theatre was the venue for the Royal Variety Performance in recognition of Liverpool being made the European Capital of Culture for the following year.[9]