Lancashire theatre almost as famous as the Chorley Cake itself
Jimmy Cricket has been telling readers of his monthly column about a small theatre which has “a warmth and atmosphere all of its own”.
The even-green Northern Irish comedian writes about working with Chorley Little Theatre in his latest column in the Lancashire Evening Post.
He begins: “While visiting Chorley recently, I made it my business to go and see the Little Theatre. Nestling slap bang in the middle of town in a place called Dole Lane, it’s so quaint and cute, you could see why it’s getting to be almost as famous as the Chorley Cake itself.
“It opened in 1910 as the Empire Electric Theatre with a capacity of 700. The less well-off sat at the front on wooden seats, while the posh people were able to put their feet up at the back in ‘plush seats.
“It originally showed silent movies with a live pianist accompanying the action. These piano players were special in the way they interpreted the scenes, using light-hearted music when the characters were happy and dramatic notes when danger struck. What a lovely era that must have been, sitting with your friends passing round the popcorn looking up at the big screen and laughing hysterically at the comedic exploits of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.”
Jimmy finishes off his column by saying: “With a fully licensed bar and car parking facilities just across the road the 236 seater has a warmth and atmosphere all of its own. I know that from playing it myself a few years back.
“It’s run by a team of enthusiastic volunteers and spearheaded by a young man whose passionate about live Theatre called Ian Robinson.
Tickets for Jimmy’s show at the Chorley Little Theatre are £10 concessions £5, Box Office: 01257 284362 for more information visit their website: www.chorleytheatre.com