The design of the basement lounge was based on the Cunard liner Queen Mary until its conversion into the Studio space during renovations.

Throughout the war, many well-known artists performed here, including Ivor Novello, Margot Fonteyn, Margery Manners and John Gielgud.

In the 1980s it became home to rock and pop concerts, hosting artists such as the Smiths, Slade, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Rage Against the Machine, R.E.M., Iron Maiden, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, Roger Taylor, Brian May, U2, and George Michael.

During this time Pablo Fanque, the black circus performer and proprietor immortalised in the Beatles' song "Being for the Benefit of Mr.

It had been totally rebuilt in Art Deco style to the designs of architect James Bushell Hutchins; its splendor and grandeur made it Liverpool's number one theatre.

The design of the basement lounge is based on the Cunard liner Queen Mary, which had been launched on the Clyde two years before the 1938 reopening.

Throughout the war, many well-known artists performed in the Royal Court, including Ivor Novello, Margot Fonteyn and John Gielgud.

Their first year ended promisingly and proved to be a successful strategy for the venue, which went on to play host to artists as internationally famous as Tangerine Dream, Rage Against the Machine, R.E.M., Iron Maiden, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, Roger Taylor, Brian May, U2 and George Michael.

[7] The music videos for "Let It Go", "High 'n' Dry (Saturday Night)", and "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" by the British rock band Def Leppard were directed by Doug Smith and shot on 22 July 1981.

In 1983, rock group Slade performed their last live UK concert with the original lineup featuring Noddy Holder.

Following two years of being the home to the Rawhide Comedy Club, the Royal Court made a move back to producing theatre in the summer of 2007 with the sell-out re-run of Brick Up the Mersey Tunnels.

Liverpool's Royal Court became a National Portfolio Organisation and has been receiving Arts Council funding since April 2018.

As Cookes Royal Amphitheatre of Arts, up to 4,000 people would gather to attend plays, operas, concerts and circus.

Combining a mixture of music hall, comic opera and a large chunk of spectacle, the pantomime appealed to all levels of society.

George Robey, Harry Lauder, Little Hetty King as Aladdin Tich, the Three Sisters Levey, and the Poluski Brothers all helped to make the Royal Court's pantomime among the most famous in Britain.

Arthur Lawrence quoted in The Liverpudlian, November 1938: In 1906, in Aladdin, I had Hetty King and [Happy Fanny Fields], together with Malcolm Scott and Harry Tate-some combination.

[Fanny Fields] in Aladdin By the 1920s the death of Music Hall was underway, and the Royal Court panto mirrored its decline.

The Royal Court panto ended, replaced each Christmas by musical comedy, or a visit by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company.

Upon re-opening some years after its fire in 1938, its first Panto was Humpty Dumpty, starring Gene Gerrard, Bobbie Comber, the Tiller Girls, and a cast "of Over 80".

By the end of the fifties, facing stiff competition and dwindling audiences, the Royal Court Pantomime began a slow lingering death.

In the Sixties occasional pantomimes (always Cinderella) were interspersed by Christmas shows by Ken Dodd, Dora Bryan, Frankie Vaughan, the Bachelors and the Black & White Minstrels.

Howard & Wyndham's financial problems increased, and the Royal Court was offered to the City Council to purchase.

An attempt to revive panto in 1981 with Snow White was not successful, and pantomimes were no longer performed at the Royal Court.

Starring Les Dennis and Andrew Schofield, TMOGHS is written by Gerry Linford, winner of 'Highly Commended Award' by Liverpool Hope Playwriting Prize[19] Musical that tells the story of The Liverbirds, an all-female beat group in the 1960s.

This was supported by Arts Council England, as part of the third stage of the theatre's refurbishment and work was completed in January 2018.

[21] The art deco style space seats around 150 people and has been home to both inhouse shows and numerous visiting companies.