Theatre 'Waxing Lyrical' Over Audiences

In the six months since opening upwards of 40,000 theatregoers have enjoyed the newly named Northern Bank Stage of Belfast's Lyric Theatre, it was revealed on Thursday.

A string of hard-hitting plays and star performances have contributed to the success of the main auditorium and focal point of the new £18.1m replacement Lyric Theatre.

Ciaran McAuley, Chief Executive Lyric Theatre, (pictured here with Rosamond Bennett, Head of Communications Northern Bank), welcomed the news of the 'star' attendances since the Lyric re-opened in May.

While crowd-pleasing musicals including The Jungle Book attracted a healthy following, it was the French farce The Painkiller starring Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon and The Crucible starring Catherine Cusack that received the most acclaim and attracted the best audience figures to the Lyric's main stage.

Ciarán McAuley attributes the record audience figures to the quality of the productions: "With performances from stars of both the small and big screens, amazing playwrights and production teams, the sheer quality of the performances on offer have made the Northern Bank Stage the entertainment venue for theatre-goers across the city and beyond who are looking for a great night out.

"With audience figures reaching over 40,000 to date, we are already looking forward to the new year and are confident that the stage will continue to attract record audience figures," he said.

Rosamond Bennett said of the partnership: "Our investment in the Northern Bank Stage has been a great success with customers and staff alike.

"It is particularly encouraging that despite the squeeze on household incomes, theatre fans across Northern Ireland have, in their thousands, become regular visitors to the Lyric Theatre and have responded with such enthusiasm to the outstanding productions on the Northern Bank Stage. It is very rewarding to be in partnership with a venue that is such a vibrant part of Belfast's night time economy."

(BMcC/GK)