 The 2,000 seater theatre opened on 10 December 1900 with the play ""Sign of the Cross"," performed by William Greet's company, with Edward Vincent as the Prefect and Virginia Buckle as the Christian girl Mercia.The front of the theatre was described as "red terra-cotta, divided by Ionic pilasters into five bays" and the foyer was described as "a hall 34 feet long and 18 feet wide, with marble mosaic floor, walls panelled in fibrous plaster, and hand-painted ceiling".The dimensions of the stage were also recorded as "Its width is 74 feet, the distance from the curtain line to the back wall is 40 feet, the distance from stage to grid is 50 feet, and the proscenium opening is 30 feet in width.