Theatre Royal poster, Grimsby 1891; The ‘Royal Thompson Trio’ were top of the bill.

An original, 1891 poster advertising a variety show. The poster measures about 34 inches by 11.5 inches. The Theatre Royal was built in 1865 and closed in 1904. It was located on Victoria street, just to the left of Marshall’s Victoria Mills. The site was later occupied by the Palace Theatre. Charles Woolhouse ran the theatre. Top of the bill were the ‘Royal Thompson Trio’. They were Harry and his wife Mary, who adopted the stage name Marie Mandeville after her home village, and their son Percy. The trio of musical entertainers of music hall and revue added “Royal’ to their name after performing before royalty. The family from Northamptonshire toured the continent and the USA. Young Henry used the name to Percy Honri after performing in Paris. Percy Harry “Honri” Thompson (1874-1953) eventually toured on his own and had a very successful career. He regularly performed at the London Palladium.