ABSTRACT
In 1890 there were forty-five licensed theatres in London, centred on the West End. Inside they were heavy with atmosphere, with mirrors, comfortable chairs, dark-coloured flock wallpaper. Outside they were situated in a dense area dedicated to entertainment and pleasure. The licensers seemed happy to cram the West End with theatres and music halls. It was a free market, and those in control wanted to enable the market to supply what was demanded. At the same time in Manchester, John Tiller was establishing his school for the training of chorus girls for performances in other shows, and the Tiller Girls became known not just in Britain but in Europe and America as well for their discipline, their high kicking and their ‘fancy dancing’. The Alhambra was a known haunt of gay men, flamboyant and attractive in the audience, like the notorious couple, Ernest Bolton and Frederick Park, who were ejected from the Alhambra more than once.
