Lost and Found in E17: Field Study's Man in E17 Loses Himself in a Phantasmagoria of Music Hall Variety

Sunday 27 January 2013

Field Study's Man in E17 Loses Himself in a Phantasmagoria of Music Hall Variety

Palace Mews, E17 26th January 2013

Field Study's Man in E17 loses himself in a phantasmagoria of music hall variety

It is just over 110 years since the grand opening of The Palace Theatre on Walthamstow High Street. I forget if the high street was still called Marsh Street at the time of the opening, on Monday 28th December 1903. When though, precisely, for the purposes of hauntological rigour (mortis), did I 'forget'? I found out (or was reminded) about the theatre opening, and its location, by visiting the free exhibition, 'Walthamstow High Street' at Vestry House Museum. The exhibition runs to 24th February. I enjoyed the collection of artefacts on display; mainly photographs along with old music hall leaflets and posters, oral histories - all well presented and supplemented by informative texts. It was the Palace Theatre posters I enjoyed most, including the poster for the grand opening, which featured the announcement:

'expensive engagement of Fred Karno's company of speechless comedians in, Jailbirds - the funniest absurdity ever seen. 30 minutes continual roars of laughter. Scene 1 The Banquet Card Burglary, Scene 2 Corridor of Prison, Scene 3 The Quarry at Portland'.

The theatre, up until it's demolition in 1960, has an intriguing 'sub-history' that involves a veiled Italian countess who may have been a Mussolini show girl. I was so absorbed in the exhibition that I assumed the creaking floorboards of the exhibition space signalled the presence of just another fellow exhibition going punter coming to immerse themselves in the elegiac history of a high street. I felt a little uncomfortable as he or she stood right behind me, breathing heavily over my shoulder. Just as I started to turn to move away, I heard an exclamation, "Mamma Mia!", exclaimed in a terrible Italian accent, and there and then I caught a glimpse of 'Field Study's Man in E17' making his way to 'High Street, Walthamstow', no doubt, to look for traces of the funniest absurdities ever seen.

Palace Mews E17, 26th January 2013.

Site of the Palace Theatre?

Field Study's Man in E17 seemed most concerned that the water mains replacement/market displacement work in progress on the high street might have disturbed some of the spirits of Walthamstow's music hall past. In his mind, 57 years of variety, courtesy of the Palace Theatre, was about to reemerge - in a huge but silent promenading phantasmagoria. Marie Lloyd, The Dream Nudes, The Mighty Atom, Gertie Gitana, Maria Di Calci, Al Perry, Edward Petrof, the Del Rosa Dancers and Billie Roche were just a small part of the ghostly bill playing on his mind. Would high street shoppers be so spooked and annoyed by the wonderful but nuisance making bicycling acts of the great Lavender Troupe, that they would desert the high street in favour of online and mall shopping? Unlikely. Would the ghosts of the Palace Theatre gatecrash Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub? Unlikely. I just managed to intervene when someone asked the haunted field student why he was taking photographs of the alley way that is Palace Mews; to pull him away before he could talk about mass music hall high street 'hauntings'. Look there, no up there, I called as I pointed to some signs I/we had only just noticed despite our many trips up and down the high street.