Dominion Theatre
268-269 Tottenham Court Road,
London,
W1T 5AQ
268-269 Tottenham Court Road,
London,
W1T 5AQ
14 people
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Showing 1 - 25 of 54 comments
There is footage of the Royal premiere of Star! on youtube. As both Julie Andrews and Daniel Massey(at least we don’t see him but we see Noel Coward) are not there it doesn’t seem very exciting. And the Duke and Duchess of Kent? This makes it Royal? A wet firecracker. Like the film.
A projection booth was built in 1958 at the rear of the stalls for Todd-AO, presumably using Philips DP70 projectors (the only Todd-AO projectors at that time). Yet on some pictures, we can see small rectangles looking like portholes on the wall at the rear of the dress circle, and a picture taken in a projection booth with blue walls showing a pair of Cinemeccanica 35-70mm projectors, tilted down. Also, the small red box to the right of a projector is a remote control for a Dolby CP100 processor. Does somebody know when this new projection booth was built ?
Occasional films after 1981 also included a limited engagement of “Gremlins” in 70mm from August 17 to 26, 1986 (I believe it was 1986). In the early eighties, I saw the “Chinese Acrobatic Show” there, the only time I went to the Dominion. I just added 2 pictures of the theatre front to the photos section, which I took around 1986-1988.
Hello! I work at the Dominion and I’m currently researching the history of the theatre as it is our 90th anniversary this year! If anyone has any anecdotes about working at/visiting the Dominion, or old photographs, I would love to see them! Please email .uk if you can help. Thanks! Liz
I understand the screen at The Dominion back then at 48ft width was small by comparison to the other West End Cinemas such as The Astoria, Metropole and Empire, let alone The Odeon Marble Arch….
Only part of the upper circle was converted to a large room, the rear portion, with the wall containing portholes from the projection room, steppings, and even the rear row of seats, survives and could in theory be restored to make the Dominion the largest West End Theatre. Whether there is the demand, or whether people would put up with seats at the rear of the balcony (which are a very long way from the stage) is debateable!
DOMINION BALCONY
The Dominion Theatre was ‘downsized’ in 1958 when the 677-seat balcony(upper circle) was closed off and converted into offices. There was a loss of seats in the rear of the orchestra level when a new projection box was installed to screen Todd-AO and 70mm films. Other side seats with a bad view were also taken out and the seating capacity was reduced to 1,654. “The Sound of Music” became a BIG attraction, both for Londoners and tourists to the city. It also played for many months (sometimes years) in other large UK cities before going on general release. It played London suburban cinemas in 1969, four years after its Roadshow opening at the Dominion Theatre.
Nice picture of auditorium posted.
Were all these seats available for reserved seat movies? Seems like too many. Did they make a smaller theater within it like they did with the Rivoli and Warner and Loew’s State in NY? If not how did they get 3 years out of SOM and 4 out of SP? Huge audiences going again and again?
1975
The above picture seems like the early 70s when the film was re-released yet the artwork is the original.
In New York the re-release used new artwork. So what year was the picture taken?
http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/DominionTheatre.htm
Arthur Lloyd.co.uk has some fascinating info and new photos of this Theatre added recently. Incidentally my mother a drama student at the time worked as an usherette on South Pacific. She saw it more times then she would have liked.
it certainly does although I must say as a 10 year old seeing the matinee of the SOM in March 1966 it looked enormous
46 ft seems pretty small for a screen for a major London roadshow house.
Especially for films like SOM, Cleopatra and Lawrence.
couldn’t agree more. Maybe Ken Roe has some photos he could post? It is astonishing there are no photos of these TODD AO screens surviving anywhere? Also I would love to see photos of The Astoria screen and Metropole Victoria screens too from this famous period…
Interesting that a theater of this enormous size could show South Pacific for 4 years and Sound of Music for 3(maybe longer if 20th Century didn’t want it for Star. It was pulled from NY’s Rivoli despite management’s objections because the studio wanted it for Sand Pebbles.)
I too would love to see interior photos from its roadshow days.
Good remembering these golden days I just wish someone had a photo of the screen during the Todd AO days at this landmark cinema
My first visit to a west end cinema was to see South Pacific – an experience still very much in my memory nearly 60 years later.
regrettably no. The Dominion has reverted back to theatre events. I would have gone like a shot… Has anyone a photo of the Todd AO screen installed at the Dominion from 1958-1974 when roadshows were a staple diet of this venue… would be fascinated to see…
Query to cultman (Feb 19, 2015) did it ever happen- a 50th screening of The Sound of Music at the Dominion?
Just added an incredible photo of The Court Theatre in 1927, a year or two before being torn down to build the Dominion Theatre. Credit: Stockholm Transport Museum Photo, courtesy of the Who Knows East – Old Photographs Facebook page. Since The Court Theatre has no CT page, and occupied the same site and address as the Dominion Theatre, I posted it here.
With the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music Movie this year and The Dominion’s 50th anniversary of the UK premiere next month, wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could stage a Todd AO screening to celebrate this important landmark in the theatre’s history? They are currently in between progammes there….
it is interesting to see The Dominion is showing movies again as at February 18th 2015, even if it is just Disney’s Frozen sing a long. I wonder if the original projection box and screen area is being used?
My father was manager of this cinema late 1950’s possibly early 1960’s…he met several stars Judy garland etc..
And for a comparison some interior shots from 1990, before restoration :–
FOYER
DETAIL OF BOX
VIEW OF STAGE
VIEW ACROSS AUDITORIUM
Some interior shots of the Dominion from August 2011 here:–
AUDITORIUM FROM STAGE
STAGE FROM UPPER CIRCLE
VIEW FROM REAR CIRCLE
REAR OF CLOSED UPPER CIRCLE
STAIRS TO UPPER FORMER UPPER CIRCLE