The first Royal Variety Performance (known as the Royal Command
Performance) took place on 1st July 1912 at the Palace Theatre
in London’s West End. King George V and Queen Mary attended.
This was a lavish occasion; the theatre was decorated with
3
million roses which were draped around the auditorium and over
the boxes. The performers included music hall stars Paul Cinquevalli, Vesta
Tilley and the great Russian ballerina,
Anna
Pavlova.
The Royal party by all accounts enjoyed the show. The only
embarrassment occurred when Queen Mary saw Vesta Tilley appear
on stage in trousers. Apparently she buried her face in her
programme. Women were never seen in trousers until the
First World War and it would have been considered most immodest in 1912. The
Royal Variety Performance still takes place every year, raising
money for the Entertainment Artists’ Benevolent Fund.
The Origins of Music Halls
