Stan Laurel and Other Stars of the Panopticon: The Story of the Britannia Music Hall

UK: Birlinn Ltd, 2007. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket. p/b 180 pages, condition is very good. From music hall to chicken farm, the building in Glasgow's Trongate that houses one of the oldest surviving music halts in Britain boasts a remarkable story in the history of popular entertainment. Music-hall stars such as ]ack Buchanan, Charles Goburn, Harry Lauder, Dan Leno and Vesta Tilley all trod the boards at what started life as the Britannia Music Hall, as did a certain Stan Laurel, who made his debut there in 1906. Under the management of A E Pickard, the Panopticon, as it became known, widened its range of attractions to include freak shows, waxworks, a carnival and a zoo, continuing to draw the crowds until 1938. During the next sixty years, however, the theatre's very existence faded into memory as the building was converted and its auditorium sealed off. Take your seats as Judith Bowers, founder of the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall Trust, traces the history of this magical place and the people who performed there, and tells the fascinating story of how the Panopticon is being gradually restored to its former glory.