Rhos-on-Sea Harlequin Puppet Theatre was directors' world

Christopher Somerville, best known as Chris, who ran the Harlequin Puppet Theatre in Rhos on Sea, Britain's first permanent puppet theatre, was described as an "enigma" by long-term friend Michael Dixon. Michael also said the theatre was Chris's "world". 

Built in 1958, the theatre was opened by the late Eric Bramall, who died in 1996, and is has been run by Chris Somerville (pictured), ever since. (Image: File pic)

Chris had been a puppeteer and integral part of the Harlequin since its opening by Eric Bramall in 1958. Throughout that time he performed countless shows, both at the theatre and on TV, worked independently as a cabaret performer with puppets and magic and entertained thousands of children with his Punch and Judy as Mr BimBamBoozle.

When Eric died in 1996, he took over the theatre and worked "tirelessly" to ensure it continued. He performed all shows and carried out every element of theatre life on his own. 

Michael, who was with Chris at hospital on the eve before he died, said: "He was sharp as a pin, even then. 

Harlequin Puppet Theatre. (Image: File picture)

"He fell ill before Christmas. He had done a show at a school and I always do his Facebook page and he rang me on the December 18 to say he wasn't feeling well and... he was having to cancel his Christmas season. I said 'well, we will be back in February'. I even put a post on his website. Ever the optomist he called me. 

"After Christmas he just went downhill sadly quite quickly but he was working right up until the end, he really was." 

Puppets Scaramouche, The Grand Turk and Mr Delerium T are all more than one hundred years old. (Image: File picture)

Michael said the theatre was everything to Chris. 

"He did Punch and Judy and magic for children's parties and fetes and although he loved that, a lot of the time that was just to support the theatre," Michael said. 

"The theatre was his real passion, it was what Eric started and he carried it on. It is so unique."

When it came to the Harlequin, Michael said Chris found it funny that he was now getting grandparents bringing their grandchildren and those grandparents had come to the theatre when they were children.

Puppet theatre, Rhos on Sea, 1977. Eric and Chris. (Image: File picture.)

Michael, an archivist for the British Puppet Guild, and Chris carried out shows outside the Rhos-on-Sea theatre. 

Michael and Chris staged many old shows such as Peter and the Wolf; the Circus and Underwater Ballet.

Michael said: "I've known Chris since I was a teenager. 

"He was immensely talented, especially in terms of marionette manipulation. He was working in string puppets basically. He was probably one of the country's leading marionettes without question. He was just phenomenal. 

"He was fiercely independent. He'd give you a ticket and then it would be straight to your seat. He would do a show and then would rush back up in the interval and sell the ice creams. He'd go back down to do the other half of the show and then he would be there to see people at the end and to thank them for coming. He do it all on his own. 

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"He prided himself in saying the theatre had never been publicly funded. They took no grants or subsidies and it was funded through box office receipts.

"He was brilliant with children. He just loved entertaining children. He had a child within him really. He's always said he was playing with toys as a kid and he wasn't doing much different really.

"He'd always tell you what he thought and he wasn't afraid to give you his opinion on things. He was quite private as well."

Chris was a former art teacher at a Colwyn Bay school. 

Michael added: "He was extremely intelligent chap and he had a lot of knowledge on a lot of things. Art in particular he was very knowledgeable on. Eric was about 20 years his senior but they went all around the world on cruise ships entertaining.

"In the 70s and 80s Chris started off on his own. Eric couldn't afford to employ him the whole time at the theatre in the early days. Chris got himself a cabaret act doing magic and puppets and did all the the the nightclubs and bars in Manchester and Liverpool.

"He changed his name to Tony Dexter; he had a stage name of Tony Dexter because he didn't want, if he if he failed, he didn't wanted it associated with the Harlequin.

"Eric and Chris did a lot of TV. As that sort of waned off, Chris got himself a cabaret act on a cruise ship going around the Greek islands. He convinced them that cabaret would actually be better with two people, so he got Eric involved as well. They had cruise after cruise entertaining. They had a very good life."

In October 2020, the Pioneer reported the Harlequin theatre, which was hit by an arson attack in 2017, was facing "permanent closure" following the pandemic. This was due to no money coming in.

Michael said: "It was awful and Chris had to close for a whole year during the pandemic. It was a very concerning time."

A crowdfunder was set up to help keep the theate going.

"He didn't want the crowdfunder but he was very grateful," Michael said. 

"He was really overwhelmed by the support everyone gave him. He insisted that people got stuff back and so he found some little programmes that I photographed and we sent those out to people as a thank you. He didn't want something for nothing, he was very proud.

"When he was able to open, even with the social distancing, he was just delighted. He loved to have audiences, he was a true entertainer."

Chris let very few people do puppetry with him. 

"The fact I was on the stage with Chris, I had to take that as a compliment in itself," Michael said. 

"He didn't give compliments but he didn't criticise and that was a compliment. His standards were very high. 

"The Harlequin opened when theatres were closing. It was novelty that first attracted audiences and then the quality of the shows. The quality was always key. 

"Marionettes aren't done so much anymore, they are very difficult to do and less and less people do them. Chris's knowledge was superb. 

"The Harlequin is almost like going back in time but Chris was always looking to the future and looking at new technologies.

"He was a bit of an enigma in that sense."