Entertaining past takes centre stage

IT has hosted performers of the calibre of Laurel and Hardy, Stephanie Powers, the Muppets and Elton John during its 79-year history.

And while treading its boards has become a rite of passage for many an aspiring Scots actor, it is a more ethereal star who is about to take centre stage at the Edinburgh Playhouse.

The popular theatre hit the headlines yesterday when it was announced that a team of paranormal investigators are to study the building's famous ghost.

Experts from Ghost Finders Scotland plan to camp out backstage, aiming to draw the spirit of "Albert" out of the shadows.

Albert was first sighted at the Playhouse in the 1950s and is believed to be the ghost of a stage doorman who died there.

Said to be friendly, the ghost, who frequents level six backstage, especially likes to make his presence felt on important occasions.

When police were checking over the building, prior to the 1997 Commonwealth leaders' visit, their sniffer dogs, sensing something, refused to enter level six.

The Edinburgh Playhouse on Greenside Place actually began life as a cinema, opening with The Doctor's Secret in August 1929.

Its grandiose design was inspired by The Roxy in New York and the Playhouse remained a picture house for 40 years until 1973.

One of the highlights from its cinema era was comic duo Laurel and Hardy's special appearance to promote their film Laughing Gravy in 1932. The popular pair even climbed on to the roof of the theatre to pose for pictures.

A less spectacular but still popular attraction was the cinema's sweet counter, where crowds flocked to buy bags of sweets from the Misses Lyall and Hall.

The Playhouse's busiest ever screening was the Scarlet Pimpernel, which was seen by 48,000 people in one week in 1935.

As the glory days of cinema drew to a close, a campaign group was set up to protest against the proposed demolition of the venue to build an office block.

Despite its efforts, the building closed in 1973 after a final showing of Live and Let Die. It did not reopen until June 1980, after it was purchased by Lothian Regional Council and turned into a theatre.

Since then, Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera have performed there many times and, in 1982, its first touring musical, My Fair Lady, arrived.

Over the years staff have accommodated the most difficult requests to give the public the biggest names in the business.

Shirley Bassey demanded her dressing room be painted white while The Cure demanded theirs was painted black.

Animal guest stars have also featured over the years, including Maureen the Indian elephant who appeared in Scottish Opera's Aida in October 1987.

In 1993, another larger than life guest appeared in the form of the Les Miserables set, which was so massive it needed to be moved into the theatre by knocking a gaping hole in the back wall.

The Playhouse has hosted a wide range of events from sell-out shows, such as those by Bruce Springsteen in 1981, to a meeting of farmers calling for the lifting of the EU beef ban in 1998.

In 1993, a £2 million refurbishment returned the building to its former glory.

All the while, it may be that Albert was watching quietly on level six. If paranormal investigators are successful in recording Albert's ghostly whispers, imagine what tales he'll have to tell.