The Lyric closed around 1931, and in 1933, brothers Ben L.A. Coupled with growing competition from radio and television, the Lyric and other theaters suffered additional setbacks as audiences shrank. Despite early success, the theater struggled, and its economic situation worsened when the Ritz Theatre, with true air conditioning, opened in 1926.Īs the Great Depression deepened after 1929, audiences were less and less able to pay for live performances. Admission was considered low even for the time, $.25 to $.75, depending on the show, and the theatre was home to a repertory company, the Favorite Players. In its early years, the Lyric hosted soon-to-be famous entertainers such as the Marx Brothers, Mae West, Sophie Tucker, Will Rogers, Jack Benny, and many others. Barnum’s circus to craft a unique brand of variety theater. The Lyric was a stop on the vaudeville circuit created by Benjamin Franklin Keith, who had used his time with P.T. That action prevented its opening for two days, an event that was reported in the national entertainment magazine Variety. The Lyric suffered an ominous start when theatre tycoon Karl Hoblitzelle, who may have had an interest in the Majestic, secured an injunction over a disagreement on its opening acts on January 12, 1914. The opening of the Lyric, however, led to the demise of the Majestic next door, such was the competition in the city. Indeed, the neighborhood drew comparisons with Broadway in New York City for the number of theaters. The Lyric was the last theatre constructed for live performances in Birmingham. and African American patrons entered around the corner on 18th Street North and proceeded to the upper balcony to an area restricted to them. The two marquees above the entrance are recreations of those one that graced the theatre at its 1914 opening. Two box offices were located underneath a large arch with decorative molding that still remain. The venue had seating for 1,583 patrons, 12 exits to facilitate evacuation in case of fire, a large water tank under a removable panel in the center of the floor for water shows, and a light-dimming system that was considered one of the most advanced in the South. It was considered the most lavish theater in the city for its ornate balconies and wall ornamentation and exterior white cornice, since removed. The theatre portion was built at the rear of the building, set back far enough to accommodate store fronts facing the street. Construction began in 1912, with plans to open that year, but various setbacks delayed the opening until January 1914. He leased the theatre to entrepreneur Jake Wells, who ran similar theatres in Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. Clark, commander of the Alabama National Guard and a real estate developer who was born in Georgia but raised in Mobile, Mobile County. The theatre was built as part of a six-story multipurpose commercial structure by Gen.
The Lyric is located on Third Avenue North across the street from the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham’s Historic Downtown and Theatre District.
Additionally, the Lyric was one of the first theater venues at which African Americans and whites could attend the same show and pay the same admission price, although they sat in separate sections. It was the first to use artificial cooling, though not always successfully, by using fans to blow air over two tons of ice (stored under the stage) toward the audience. Once one of the finest theaters in the city, it played host to several firsts for Alabama theater culture.
First opening in January 1914, the Lyric Theatre in Birmingham, Jefferson County, has had a long and tumultuous history as a performance and entertainment venue.
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