OUR Night Out at the New Mediterranean picture spread recently sparked memories of other popular venues from the heyday of Jersey’s cabaret scene in the 1970s.
One of these was Caesar’s Palace at Grève de Lecq. In 1973, the Modern Hotel Group acquired the lease of the then Grève de Lecq Pavilion and were quick to see the potential if their management experience was coupled with the talents of a leading show producer.
Enter impresario Dick Ray (who later bought the Jersey Opera House). He created shows for the venue which played to packed houses of visitors and Islanders, eager for an entertaining night out. So much so that advance booking became essential. Coachloads of holidaymakers and locals would flock to the nightspot throughout the season.
The Famous Caesar’s Palace Show featured stars such as singer Stuart Gillies, who had made his name following a long winning streak on the TV show Opportunity Knocks, comedians Bernie Clifton and Pat Mooney and “arguably Britain’s best impressionist” (according to the JEP, at least) Aiden J Harvey.
No cabaret cast would be complete without dancers and Caesar’s Palace had its own spectacular team to add glamour to the shows.
Disaster befell the venue in December 1977 when a devastating fire ripped through the building. The damage was such that there was no show in 1978, but Caesar’s Palace rose from the ashes the following year. After a refurbishment costing more than £250,000 (about £1.3m today) which included flying in four huge marble lions from Italy and statues from Rome – fit for Caesar himself – the venue was soon back at the pinnacle of the Jersey cabaret scene.
“A sumptuous production with superb lighting effects and extraordinary attention to detail are just some of the reasons why the Modern Hotels Group’s famous Caesar’s Palace shows have achieved pre-eminence among Jersey summer season cabarets,” the JEP wrote in May 1979 as the new season opened.
