The Tivoli doors are open

Interview with Charlie North Lewis, Tivoli general manager

By Marilyn Barber

The Tivoli has always been close to the hearts of local people, who over the years have supported the Wimborne theatre by filling its seats – and now they have proved how much it means to them by donating funds to fulfil its £50,000 target.

“As soon as the appeal was launched one woman in Blandford sent us a cheque for £2,000,” said general manager Charlie North Lewis. “Others who had booked seats for productions have asked us to keep the money as a donation.”

And now the good news for everyone is that the Tivoli is now open, initially with three film screenings a week, and there will be a handful of live shows in November.

“At the beginning of lockdown we thought we would be closed until midAugust, and even in July we were still optimistic,” said Charlie who is still upbeat about the future.

A glass-half-full man, he added, “I haven’t been very happy about the comments made by Andrew Lloyd Webber. He says he feels the situation is the end of theatre. But it isn’t. It might take another year to get back to normal, but we will.”

He is delighted that Ben Waters – who has played at the Tivoli with both Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones – is going to stage concerts on 6, 7, 13 and 14 November.

The Blues Band are scheduled to appear on 12 December.

And the good news for people of all ages is that there will be a panto at the Tivoli this year, with Made to Measure Productions staging Rapunzel.

“It will last for 80 minutes and there will be no interval or song sheet. And in order to cope with the demand there will be additional performances, sometimes three a day,” said Charlie, who took over the management of the Tivoli in 2002.

These are the only professional pantos being staged in Dorset this Christmas.

What can you expect if you would like to see a film on the big screen?

Book your tickets, and you will need to pay by card. The capacity for each showing is 190 and the computer system does the distancing.

There are hand sanitising stations in the foyer, and you need to wear a face covering. The theatre management is also asking people to keep use of the washrooms to the minimum.

The bar will be open for coffee and wine before performances, but space is limited. Ice creams will be available.

Charlie said that October is usually his favourite time of the year, with so many hugely popular shows being staged in the lead up to Christmas. Live theatre shows have been booked for the New Year, but he is pragmatic and realises they may have to be rescheduled

However, he remains undaunted and full of optimism for the future of the Tivoli.