Entrepreneur raises the curtain on his renovated Playhouse project

House prices are climbing, millions of pounds are being spent on regeneration and Bexhill has also welcomed the reopening of the iconic De La Warr Pavilion.

In a further boost to the town, tens of thousands of pounds have been spent on the old disused Curzon Picture Playhouse.

Now called the Redstack Playhouse, it aims to offer variety, with cinema, comedy, jazz, opera and perhaps even bingo.

The demise of one of the few independent cinemas in Sussex was much lamented by film buffs.

It may not have sold popcorn and it may have screened obscure films far removed from the mainstream blockbusters shown in most other cinemas, but the Curzon Playhouse in Western Road, Bexhill, attracted a loyal following from film connoisseurs after being built in 1921.

Sadly, there was not enough support for the cinema to survive and eventually film enthusiast Ray Sutton, who ran the venue as a one-man band, saw the curtain go down on his dream.

Having bought it in a semiderelict state in 1994, the former BBC engineer admitted defeat in 2004 when the 159-seat cinema closed.

It seemed a sad end to cinema in Bexhill. Or so most people thought.

Because now, under the ownership of Philip Cotterill, the old Curzon Cinema has been resurrected under a different guise with more varied entertainment.

Now called the Redstack Playhouse, it is packing audiences into its enlarged 220-seat venue.

Judging by the snaking queue that gathered outside on its opening night, the reopening could not have come soon enough.

After sipping champagne and indulging in a chocolate fountain, two capacity audiences settled down to watch back-to-back screenings of Casablanca.

More than anything, the reopening marked the culmination of months of toil and investment by the team behind it.

Mr Cotterill, 36, sacrificed a high-flying job at American Express's Brighton offices to pursue his dream.

It was during his three years working in America that he realised how restrictive UK licensing laws can be.

He did not understand why he could not enjoy a beer while watching a film.

After being given a generous package from his employer, he has ploughed almost £150,000 into the venture.

Mr Cotterill, who owns the Redstack restaurant over the road, has even given up trendy city living in Brighton to move to Bexhill.

But the project has not been without its share of blood, sweat and tears.

He said: "I'm working on average 15 hours a day, seven days a week, but I don't mind because I am following my dream.

"I've given up a well-paid job and my suits for this. It's what I've always wanted.

"When I was working in America, I would often pop to the cinema.

"No matter how bad the film was, I could always console myself with a beer and a meal while I was there. Yet I'd never understood why we couldn't do the same over in the UK.

"Then one day I was walking past the old Curzon Cinema near my restaurant and thought how wonderful it would be if I could tie in the two.

"I thought it would be great to offer pre-show meals at my restaurant and then people could pop along to the cinema or catch a show afterwards.

"So I put in an offer for the cinema and it was accepted.

Then I thought: 'Oh my God, what have I done?'

"Since then, it has been nonstop work to get things off the ground."

An 8mm screen has been fitted, along with new electrics, a stateof-

the-art sound system and upholstered seats.

The transformation inside has been startling, according to Mr Cotterill. Stagnant water once filled a pit where the stage used to be and birds nested in the roof.

Guests had to duck as they entered to avoid old woodwork which hung precariously from the rafters.

The Playhouse is the latest resurgence in a resurging town.

Regarded as a national property hotspot, the 1066 town has welcomed the £8 million reopening of the iconic Grade I listed De La Warr Pavilion.

With house prices in places such as Brighton and Hove putting home ownership beyond the reach of young people, many are heading east to places such as Bexhill where prices are comparatively low.

Mr Cotterill is hoping to capture this market and take advantage of this exciting period by offering a venue that attracts the young and the young at heart.

He said: "It's a beautiful setting and with all the changes that have been made, we hope we are bringing a bit of Brighton, London and Paris to Bexhill.

"When I first came to Bexhill, people here didn't know what a cappuccino was. Yet I've noticed the population of the town is getting younger and people want more choice."

But what can the Redstack Playhouse offer that film-goers cannot get already from the nearby multiplexes in Hastings and Eastbourne?

Mr Cotterill said: "We are offering variety. We've got a choice of films every week, plus jazz, comedy, opera and hopefully bingo in future as well."

Project manager Nikki Gedney said: "It's a multi-functional venue that is at the hub of the local community."

From 1910 to the Sixties, Bexhill had five cinemas. But over the years, they folded one by one.

Bexhill Museum curator Julian Porter said that in 1929, the Playhouse was the first cinema between Brighton and Folkestone to screen a film with sound.

The key question now is whether Bexhill will support this new venture. Lack of public interest in the old Curzon Cinema partly led to its demise.

But Mr Cotterill and Ms Gedney reckon they have the right variety on offer to appeal to all sections of the Bexhill community. In the coming weeks, the cinema will host Madness tribute band Complete Madness, comedians Bobby Davro and Bernard Manning, Tabby from ITV's X Factor and Mozart By Candlelight.

Ms Gedney said: "If we can get the right mix of acts and cinema, plus the fine attention to detail and service that we have always offered, then I think it will be a success.

"We are asking the community to let us know what they think.

We acknowledge we are going to make mistakes along the way but as long as people tell us what they think, we will be fine."

For further details, visit www.redstack.org
Friday, January 27, 2006