Today marks a milestone for one of the Isle of Man’s most treasured cultural gems – the Gaiety Theatre, which celebrates its 125th anniversary.

The much-loved venue on Douglas Promenade first opened its doors on July 16, 1900, with a performance of The Telephone Girl, a West End comedy starring Miss Ada Blanche.

A century and a quarter later, the grand old theatre still stands proudly, entertaining audiences and enchanting visitors with its Edwardian elegance.

But had it not been for the efforts of people like Mervin Russell Stokes MBE, who spent more than four decades preserving and championing the theatre, the Gaiety might not be here at all.

Mervin, former General Manager of the theatre, was instrumental in launching the Gaiety’s 10-year restoration project in the 1970s alongside the Department of Tourism and the Friends of the Gaiety.

Speaking to Media Isle of Man’s Tom Curphey from the mezzanine of the Gaiety Theatre on its 125th birthday, Mervin reflected on his decades of involvement: ‘You can say yes, I was involved with the Gaiety Theatre for 43 years and oversaw the major restoration...’

But his first impression of the place was far from glowing.

‘I remember sitting on the front row with my parents… and thinking, gosh, this place isn't long before it's pulled down because it was cold, it was miserable.

‘The carpets were worn out, the seats were worn out, the lights went on and off, and it really was, well, dismal,’ he said.

Despite this less-than-glamorous introduction, fate had other ideas.

What began as an accidental career path became a lifelong passion – and a legacy of preservation.

Built originally in 1893 as the Marina, the theatre had a bumpy start, a bankruptcy, a few name changes, and multiple failing entertainment companies, before renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham was brought in to transform the space.

What he created in 1900 is still widely considered one of the finest examples of Victorian theatre design in the British Isles.

‘Not many theatres reach 125 years old,’ Mervin said.

‘The big ones like Covent Garden do, but normal little provincial theatres – they don’t. It really is wonderful.

‘The Gaiety has retained all its original working stock... the act drop, overstage machinery, side stage, understage, the Corsican trap… and according to the Theatres Trust, it has the finest theatre ceiling in Great Britain.

‘It’s fantastic, and we are very lucky to have it.’

He says preserving its Victorian character must always come before convenience: ‘It must be treated as a Victorian auditorium, and if that puts constraints on modern productions now and again – well, tough. So be it. Go somewhere else.’

As for the next 125 years? Mervin’s hopeful.

‘I think so [that it will survive] – providing it is loved, cared for and kept up to muster in its restoration work,’ he said.

‘Work will have to be continuously carried out, by the Isle of Man Government and, of course, the Friends of the Gaiety, who are equally as passionate and as dotty as I am.

‘We have something very special here, and we must guard it with great zeal’

Happy birthday, Gaiety Theatre. Here’s to another century and a quarter of curtain calls.