The Play Pictorial
Encyclopedia
The Play Pictorial was an English theatrical magazine which was published in London between 1902 and 1939. It concentrated on providing a pictorial record of West End
theatrical productions, each issue being devoted to a single show, with descriptions of the plot, the costumes and the sets, and numerous photographs of the cast and scenes from the production; in the case of musicals, it usually included some of the lyrics and short extracts from the score.
In its early years, the magazine experienced several changes. The ownership changed hands in May 1904, when the first editor, Rudolph Birnbaum, was replaced by Frank M Boyd. He in turn was succeeded after less than a year by Fred Dangerfield. who edited the next 20 issues.
In 1905, The Play Pictorial merged with a rival magazine, The Play, which had been published between May and October 1904 under the editorship of Benjamin William Findon, and in mid-1906 Findon took over as editor of the combined magazine, which he continued to edit for over 30 years.
The last issue of Play Pictorial, no 446, appeared in 1939, after which the magazine was absorbed into another London theatrical magazine Theatre World
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
theatrical productions, each issue being devoted to a single show, with descriptions of the plot, the costumes and the sets, and numerous photographs of the cast and scenes from the production; in the case of musicals, it usually included some of the lyrics and short extracts from the score.
In its early years, the magazine experienced several changes. The ownership changed hands in May 1904, when the first editor, Rudolph Birnbaum, was replaced by Frank M Boyd. He in turn was succeeded after less than a year by Fred Dangerfield. who edited the next 20 issues.
In 1905, The Play Pictorial merged with a rival magazine, The Play, which had been published between May and October 1904 under the editorship of Benjamin William Findon, and in mid-1906 Findon took over as editor of the combined magazine, which he continued to edit for over 30 years.
The last issue of Play Pictorial, no 446, appeared in 1939, after which the magazine was absorbed into another London theatrical magazine Theatre World