Still the town’s principal theatre, the impressive classical building of Theatre Royal Brighton – with its three-storey facade and Doric colonnade – is now a Grade II-listed building. Courtesy Theatre Royal Brighton

Rose Shillito treads the boards of Brighton Museum and Art Gallery to find out about the 200 year history of Brighton's Theatre Royal.

Living proof of that old thespian adage, the show must go on, the magnificent Theatre Royal Brighton is still going strong after 200 years of almost non-stop entertainment. It is now celebrating its bicentenary with a colourful, action-packed exhibition.

Stagestruck! 200 years of Theatre Royal Brighton is at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery until 2 September 2007, and gives a real flavour of the drama of the theatre’s story – from the impassioned figures who kept her running to the many famous actors who have trod her boards.

The theatre, which was built for Mr Hewitt Cobb for the princely sum of £12,000 to replace his Duke Street theatre, opened its doors to an eagerly awaiting public on 6 June 1807.

Under the management of the actor Henry “Nye” Chart of the theatre’s own company, The Theatre Royal enjoyed a period of prosperity and growth, and this was carried on in the devoted work of his wife Mrs Henry Nye Chart.

Charles Kemble as Hamlet. © V&A Images/Theatre Museum, London

Incredibly, performances continued throughout the First World War and almost all the way through the Second World War, despite poor audience attendances and competition from “talkie” cinemas and other theatres.

One of the many landmark acting performances the theatre has witnessed include Hamlet starring acclaimed British actor Charles Kemble, of the Kemble acting dynasty.

A fine illustration in the exhibition shows Kemble in character and full costume, delivering his Shakespeare lines in a performance that was celebrated with riotous applause.

Other highlights include colourful props such as Widow Twanky’s pink and gold stage wedding costume from the pantomime Aladdin, and a stunning collection of Angus McBean and Cecil Beaton portraits.

John Bull at the Italian Opera. Courtesy Brighton Museum and Art Gallery

But the real star of the show is the re-creation of a 19th century stage, complete with sound machines and dressing up area, on which visitors can appear in an eight-minute production of Hamlet.

If audience participation is not your thing, there’s also video of film extracts, on and off stage at the Theatre Royal, including 1913 footage of Jonston Forbes-Robertson in Hamlet and a 2007 performance by Toyah Willcox as Aladdin.

Visitors can also hear recordings of actors revealing some of the secrets of their craft, such as Susan Hampshire confiding that one of her many superstitions is that she can’t have carnations in her dressing room.

Other interesting items include everything from theatrical ephemera – such as programmes, posters and illustrations – to a timeline of management. There’s even a wall of playbills, dating from 1911 to 1965, which includes the 1929 listing of the musical The Show’s The Thing, featuring Gracie Fields as star billing.

Ah the whiff of the greasepaint... the view from a box at the Theatre Royal. Courtesy Brighton and Hove Museums

One fascinating document that perhaps sums the enduring popularity of the theatre is an illuminated thank you address to Mrs Nye Chart, dating from 1888, from 1,100 inmates and staff of Brighton workhouse – thanking her for the annual invitation to a free performance of the pantomime.

Much like the Theatre Royal, this exhibition has something for everyone from young fans of the pantomime to grown-up theatregoers and luvvies…