A historic bar next to the Theatre Royal, in Brighton, faces its final curtain, according to staff in an impassioned post on Facebook.
The Colonnade Bar, in New Road, is due to close next June – but theatre director John Baldock said that it would be a temporary closure for a multimillion-pound restoration project.
Lyndon Brooker, the manager of the Colonnade, and his colleagues posted on the pub’s Facebook page that the Theatre Royal’s owner, ATG (Ambassador Theatre Group), had “decided to turf us out and close our pub in June 2023 – despite us being an entirely viable, successful business, more than willing to pay the market rate for our premises.
“Apparently, they need the room to make their foyer bigger … so the pub has gotta go. That pub that’s lasted more than a century until now. That gorgeous little relic of a bygone era. The one that everyone tells us is precious and they should never change.
“That pub that’s listed in every Brighton tourist guide as a point of cultural and historical significance. That pub that’s listed by CAMRA as having an ‘historic interior of regional importance’. That beautiful little oasis from the hustle and bustle, slap bang in the city centre.”
Theatre bosses claim, though, that patrons face an interlude rather than a curtain bow, with Mr Baldock also taking to Facebook to respond.
He said: “We want to use this opportunity to reassure everyone that there are no plans to close the Colonnade Bar.
“We absolutely appreciate how important the pub is to the local community, a great many of our theatre customers, visiting companies and venue teams.
“We are undertaking a 12-month, multimillion-pound programme of building and restoration work on our grade II* listed theatre including replacing our historical façade.
“The Colonnade Bar is an integral part of the theatre and of course the façade. We will be ensuring that any disruption that these major works will incur will be minimised.”
In reply, Mr Brooker said: “To clarify, when we say we believe ATG plan to close the Colonnade Bar, we have been told the plan is to incorporate it in to their front of house foyer area.
“While that might mean they get to leave a sign up and claim the pub still exists as part of a wider front of house area run by a theatre group, that is for all intents the closing of a pub and the opening of a concession stand in a theatre.”
The bar has served theatre-goers, cast and crew members as well as the local community for more than 200 years.
Mr Brooker added: “We’d love for you to take a moment to tell them how you feel. Honestly, they haven’t listened to us in the past two years. I don’t suppose they’ll listen to you either but your effort would be appreciated!”
What are these major works at the Theatre Royal? A welcome thing would be some real plays. So much is versions of films and all those jukebox musicals. As for the pub, I cannot see why it should change. It is a welcome snug, a far cry from the barn-like boozers all round. Look what happened to the Cricketers. It has a Greene Room but the pub is not one he would recognize, let alone put in a novel as he did.
You are absolutely right about the productions at the Theatre Royal. Years ago hardly a week went by when they did not have one that was worth seeing, often with great actors appearing in them. Nowadays, together with friends who are also theatre lovers, I prefer to go over to Chichester or Eastbourne to see intelligent, original productions. I have stopped being a Theatre Royal club member, because of the examples you give (I would also add revivals of revivals, as well as totally unthrilling and unfunny comedy thrillers). Over the past year I only went to see one play that looked interesting, but in fact that turned out to be very forgettable. No amount of restoration work will bring in the audiences, especially at the high cost of ticket prices, if the theatre cannot improve on the choice of production. Likewise the Dome, by the way.
Thanks! I find great delight in going to The Little Theatre and The New Venture Theatre. A chance to see plays – classic and recent – not performed elsewhere.
Why do they need to make the foyer larger? It is hardly ever open, and on the rare occasions I have been in there (refusing to book online, and pay an agent’s fee), there has been one just member of staff in the Box Office. It is a typical example of ATG cutting back on staff, while expecting the audience to pay a few pounds to book, apart from on one afternoon a week, or just prior to a performance, when the foyer is open. Like so many theatres now, they have hiked up their prices (similar cinemas incidentally) and added this item, thereby turning theatregoing into an elitist experience.
The Theatre has a “bar” on the inside. And it is comical. I remember on a visit pre-buying a bottle of champagne with my ticket. And then had to open it myself as the “bar staff” didn’t have a clue. Made me laugh.
Especially funny memory as it was a Hawkwind gig and it was only me and my friend drinking the fizz… everyone else was on the beers.
Quirky little establishments like the Colonnade need protecting. Far better to have character than another Wetherspoons.
dont ask me how i got this but if you want a more direct means to protest atg closing the collonade here it is
atg ceo – markcornell@theambassadors.com
tr brighton manager – johnbaldock@theambassadors.com
tr brighton phone – 01273 764 400
as a front of house employee and stage door keeper PLEASE don’t call our stage door number about this. we all stand with the colonnade and I for one am outraged at the events unfolding but this is everything to do with the higher ups at ATG and nothing to do with us minimum wage employees that have to man the phones and social media pages. by all means please please please contact higher ups and protest as they definitely deserve it but the marketing teams and stage door keepers have no power here–we don’t deserve grief
It is a precious bar. There is no need for a larger foyer.
The bar is grade 2 listed and needs in itself no renovation. Sounds like the theatre wants to take it over and it won’t be the same. (it’s much better than the rubbish in house theatre bars where you can write a novel waiting to be served..
It occurs to me that as this is a putative alteration to a listed building, it will have to go to the Planning Committee – espeically if there are enough objections and local councillors call it in (and speak).