The Connaught Theatre – Worthing

Time for an update on my Easter Art Deco adventures. Having four days off gives me plenty of time to play!

Last night I went to see The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Munroe by Dyad Productions. To be honest what drew me to go and see the play was that it was being performed at the Connaught Theatre in Worthing and I had been looking for an excuse to go and have a nosy around the Art Deco building for a while. The outside of the building is certainly eye catching. It is built in the Streamline Moderne style and the outside has been maintained really well.

The theatre began life in 1914 as the Picturedrome Cinema and the original Connaught Theatre was situated next door to it. The Art Deco frontage seen today wasn’t built until 1935, with the purpose of extending the original Picture dome to create the New Connaught Theatre for the Worthing Repertory Company. It was designed by A. T. Goldsmith, who also designed a number of important Art Deco buildings in Worthing. During the war the building was used by the Home Guard and over the years the theatre has seen performances by a number of notable actors including Susannah York and Glenda Jackson. Harold Pinter has performed at the venue and it has even been visited by Winston Churchill. The theatre closed for a while in 1966 before being taken over and reopened by Worthing Council who own it to this day.

I love the outside of the building and spent a while taking photos of that. Inside there are some really lovely touches that add to the period feel of the place. The foyer carries through the outside theme and the staircases had some nice detailing. More could be done with the bar upstairs but thought has gone in to making sure the chairs follow the familiar Art Deco lines and both the lampshades and side lamps upstairs are true to the time period.

The play itself was also well worth going to see. It shows Marilyn Munroe in the hours before her death, reflecting on her life and the influences that have shaped who she is, both in creating the icon Marilyn and the effect on the girl Norma Jeane. I always find Marilyn Munroe an interesting and complex character and the themes of her life also tie in with one of my other favourite topics: the psychological effects of fame.

Art Deco and a bit of Marilyn? That was me entertained for the evening…