Sue Addis meets Queen Elizabeth II

In 2007, on New Road, Theatre Royal Brighton was to be 200 years old. Its life commenced in 1764 in a barn on the west side of the Old Steine near the Castle Hotel, then in 1774 in North Street opening with The Jealous Wife, then Duke Street in 1778 with a private act of parliament to authorise the start of this Theatre. In 1806, the Prince of Wales, who later became the Prince regent, approved the Theatre building's plans on New Road. An unknown architect built the late Georgian playhouse; much of it is still buried in the venue's existing walls. It opened in 1807 with Shakespeare's Hamlet starring Charles Kemble.

Pietro and Sue Addis arrived in the Theatre Royal's life when David Land, an impresario, bought it in 1984. The producer was to discover Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The husband and wife were arts philanthropists and generously donated to the Royal and Brighton Festival. In Sue's dancer training, Madame Rambert tapped her students' legs with a cane, often heard to say stand up straighter Sue! Naturally, Sue quickly joined the Royal family. She enjoyed telling stories of her time with the Land family. One in particular made Sue laugh when David dispatched Christmas presents across the city to his friends. The impresario carefully chose an individual's gift from the Theatre's lost property box. An umbrella or cigarette case was dispatched across the city with his seasonal well wishes.

As time passed, opening nights, cast parties, and nightly feeding of actors was at Pinocchio's and, latterly, at Donatello's became the flagship restaurant of the couple's empire. After David Land died in 1995, the emerging theatre giant, The Ambassador Theatre Group, bought the Royal at the turn of the century. As Pietro Addis retired, Sue continued her Theatre Royal's involvement by generously sponsoring pantomimes and significant events.

Returning to 2007, as a part of the Theatre's bicentenary celebrations, our late Her Majesty The Queen would visit the Theatre. Though out the 200 years of the Theatre's life, the venue was accustomed to royals, and the Prince Regent made several visits. At the beginning of her reign, in 1845, Queen Victoria watched The Honey Moon's production. In 1959 Elizabeth II sat in the stalls to watch privately; surprisingly, Prince Genji adapted from a Japanese novel. Seats for the Royal Party were booked by telephone only a few days before. In 1960, a newspaper reported that Her Majesty had to stand in a queue in the rain to obtain a ticket for her second visit. It wasn't the first time that infamous Box Office would make someone wait! Although the Royal was under nine monarchs' sovereignty, 2007 would be the first official visit by our crowned head of state.



Palace negotiations were about renaming The Royal Box to The Queen Elizabeth II Box on this visit. As an aside, Sue's quick wit asked if the name would be shortened to QE2, and wasn't that a cruise liner Julien? Finally, a copy of the Theatre's first playbill within its archive was to be duly presented to her Majesty. The celebration's central part was a concert with music associated with our country's kings or queens over the last two hundred years. In planning this momentous day, Sue was the natural choice for this last part of the visit.

The concert went well and ran on time at the Palace's insistence and constant concern. Afterwards, the Royal Party visited the balcony to watch a community performance. Sue and other dignities swiftly left the auditorium to line up to meet their sovereign in The Royal Circle bar. The unique framed item was delivered that morning, and before she met, HRH was deposited into Sue's hand in readiness. In the familiar lineup, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh met Leonard Stall and Glenn Mishon. James Brown's Goddaughter Carleen Anderson had sung a Marilyn Monroe-style Happy Birthday minutes before the concert. As Carleen went to shake the monarch's hand, she froze to say almost nothing in awe of the Queen's beautiful smile.



As the Royal Party approached Sue, out of the corner of my eye and for the first time, I saw the playbill's title MR BETTY! As our monarch stepped forward, Sue caught my eye; seeing my horror, my naughty friend winked before placing the presentation into our monarch's gloved hand. Of course, the two conversed on the Theatre's illustrious history. Her Majesty tried to move on where Sue held her for a moment more, ever the saleswoman to tell how proud Brighton was of its Theatre. The Queen went to leave again. In another beat, Sue pointed to the playbill's title. In catching my eye again, my heart stopped. Sue acclaimed the playbill was in her namesake! Of course, HRH thought it hilarious. Sue's touch was putting anyone at ease, whether royalty or the commoner and, of course, placing a sense of fun into any occasion.

Now, Theatre Royal Brighton has over a quarter of a millennium of theatrical heritage, enviable for any city, and places her in one of the oldest theatres in our country. The Addis family genuinely played a leading role. They, spurred by Sue as its leading lady, have been at the front as one of the South East regional leaders in arts' philanthropy.

Script copyright Julien Boast
Photographs courtesy and copyright of Theatre Royal Brighton and ATG

Tags: HfCSue Addis, Brighton, Theatre