Historic Visitors
Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee initially studied method acting at Rank’s “charm school”, where he was supposed to spend six months of the year in rep. But floundering at the Connaught in Worthing, and humiliated by audience laughter when he put his hand through a window supposedly made of glass, he recognised that the theatre was not his metier and never went near the stage again.
In the photo above, you can see Christopher Lee far right, on the set of Design for Living by Noel Coward showing the French windows that became his downfall.
Winston Churchill
In 1958 Sarah Churchill who had been in America for many years returned and stared in Terence Rattigan’s ‘Variations on a Theme’ on the 10th October both Sir Winston and Lady Churchill came to see her perform, Before the performance was due to start there were more than two thousand people lined Union Place to see them arrive.
In the photo above, you can see Winston arriving at the Connaught with his wife, being met by the Theatre manager Melville Gillam.
Noël Coward
Noël Coward became a regular visitor to the Connaught. Seen here with West End impresario Jack Waller and Peggy Mount.