Empire Theatre

The New Empire Theatre stood in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, on the site of a former public hall. Built in 1896 by theatre impresario Frederick Marlow, it replaced a building destroyed by fire the previous year. The new theatre had five floors and electric lighting, making it the first of its kind in Southend. Local press called it "the prettiest theatre outside of London" when it opened. Marlow presented musicals, opera, concerts, plays, variety and music hall performances during his time there. The theatre changed hands several times, including a period run by illusionist Albert Marchinsky, known as "The Great Rameses." In 1919, it closed to make way for a cinema, The Rivoli, which thrived until 1962. The cinema underwent refurbishments, including the addition of a Marine Bar underground and a second smaller cinema in 1982. It operated under different names, including ABC and Cannon, until its final closure in 1998. The site reopened as the New Empire Theatre in 1998 with a production of Little Shop of Horrors. It operated until 2008, when it closed due to unpaid rent. In 2015, arson devastated the building, destroying the first floor amphitheatre and collapsing the roof. A Hong Kong company bought the site in 2016 and demolished the theatre in 2017.