Alhambra

[smurfchops]

Why are a lot of theatres called The Alhambra ?

[kinkajou2]

To give people the impression they were visiting a Palace?

[Buenchico]

The original:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

[boxtops]

Fabulous place, chris, I love Moorish architecture.

[Buenchico]

Yes, Boxtop, it's on my list of places to visit 'one of these days'.

[Maydup]

I've only heard of The Bradford Alhambra. Are there many others?

[Maydup]

^^ Theatres that is and not Palaces!

[ladyalex]

We visited the Alhambra in Granada in 1978 or thereabouts. It was breathtakingly beautiful and we were the only people there , other than a couple of handymen/gardeners who were more than happy to show us round.
We went again in 2008 and the place was heaving. We queued from 8am until 11:30 by which time the queue had hardly moved at all. SO...if you want to see it (and it is stunning) make sure you book an organised tour. It was so frustrating to watch coachloads of people being waved in as we continued to wait in line. In the end we gave up and just looked at the gardens ...they too are just stunning.
I am pretty sure I will go back and try again, but I'll book a tour next time.

[Buenchico]

Not many are left, Maidup.

There's an Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline.

The Odeon in Leicester Square is on the site of the former Alhambra Theatre.

Glasgow's Alhambra Theatre was demolished in 1971.

The Whitehall Theatre in Dundee was originally the Alhambra Theatre.

The Alhambra Theatre in Devonport was destroyed by fire during WWII.

Manchester's Alhambra Theatre was turned into a cinema (and then a restaurant and nightclub) before eventually being destroyed by fire in 2009.

Leicester had an Alhambra Theatre and an Alhambra Music Hall.

There was an Alhambra Opera House & Music Hall in Brighton.

Hull had the Alhambra Palace Music Hall.

Morecambe had an Alhambra Thetatre.

There are (or were) also Alhambra Theatres overseas including Sacramento, San Francisco and Johannesburg.

[jno]

a lot of old theatres and cinemas had very elaborate designs inside - it could be the ones called Alhambras specialised in Moorish design, or something like it

[Quizmonster]

Given that the name comes from Arabic and means 'the red house/place', could it just be because red was the predominant colour within...seat-upholstery, curtains etc?