The Stage

Oxford’s New Theatre club turned back into bar

Published Tuesday 18 January 2005 at 13:05 by Alistair Smith

Downtown Manhattan’s, the nightclub below the New Theatre, Oxford, has been closed and turned back into a stalls bar, 20 years after last fulfilling the purpose.

The club closed on December 31 following a decision by senior staff at the venue’s owner Clear Channel Entertainment to restore the nightclub to its original function as part of a refurbishment scheme that began in 2003.

Theatre manager Anne Charles commented: “Things have turned full circle. It was not long ago that we returned the theatre to its original name and now we are able to return the space below to its original use. I’m sure audiences will be delighted with the facilities the additional space will allow us to include.”

The decision to reopen The New Bar, as it will be known, was taken after consultations with theatre patrons during the venue’s £1 million refurbishment, which also saw the theatre’s name changed from the Apollo Theatre. The survey revealed a need to expand the theatre.

Ted Doan, area general manager for CCE, said: “One of the problems we’ve always had at the theatre was a lack of space. That was one of the main points raised by customers.”

He added that renovation work at the venue would continue with refurbishment of the back stage area and upgrading of the theatre’s electrics, while installation of a balcony bar was also being considered.