Out on the Whitechapel Road was the Pavilion Theatre. By 1892 this Theatre was known to have a capacity of 2,650 with 174 in the Stalls, 436 in the Pit, 417 in the Dress Circle, 690 in the Grand Circle, and 85 in the Boxes. At the theatre, they performed melodrama of a rough type, farce, pantomime, etc. The early decades of the 20th century were the heyday of Yiddish theatre in London, and the Pavilion Theatre in Whitechapel, on one of the main crossroads in the East End, became its main home.

I have read that the Yiddish theatre of the early twentieth century was remarkable for the range of its repertoire, the versatility of its actors, and the enthusiasm of its audiences. At this theatre, there were different plays every night and the houses were always packed. The shows ranged from recreations of life in Eastern Europe to evoke the nostalgia in the audience, through to Shakespeare translated into Hebrew and romantic musical comedies.

The audiences had a keen eye onto what they wanted to see. They showed their appreciation in a lively and noisy way. They were frequent visitors to the theatre as this provided an escape from daily life. The theatre was a social centre, giving the locals somewhere to eat, meet, and enjoy their memories in this new and sometimes hostile country.

One report I have read talks about the noise. Everyone in the audience was talking all the time. no one would take any notice of the numbered seats and this would lead to rows among the audience. These arguments would be going on all over the seating area. There was a large snack bar selling rolls, sandwiches and bagels filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese. The actors overacted like mad. This was really appreciated by the audience. People would mutter their approval or disapproval and the hub bub would be added to by people translating the show to their friends or explaining what was going on to those who hadn’t understood it. The audience was reminded of their life in Eastern Europe and so nostalgia was one of the over-riding themes in the shows.

There is an interesting site with information on the Music Hall and this has a page on both the Pavilion Theatre and the East London Wonderland. Dedicated to the Music Hall “star” Arthur Lloyd, and created by Matthew Lloyd (great grandson of Arthur) it is well worth a look.