The Edinburgh Playhouse has had a colourful history. Designed by Glasgow architect John Fairweather as a variety theatre, it was largely modelled on the Roxy Theatre in New York. However, caught up in the new craze sweeping the country, it opened as a cinema on 12 August 1929 with the ‘talkie’ The Doctor’s Secret. Owned by the MacGuire family, it remained a cinema for 40 years until it fell victim to the cinema slump in 1973. Tenders for demolition were invited by advertisement, and a ‘Save the Playhouse’ group was set up, which collected 15,000 signatures against the closure. In 1974 the Playhouse was given listed building status. Then in 1975 the ‘Edinburgh Playhouse Society’ was formed and a second petition brought a further 13,500 signatures, helping to save the building that stands here today. Over the next 12 years the theatre changed hands five times, until Apollo Leisure took over ownership in December 1985. In 1993 a major refurbishment was undertaken, and the Edinburgh Playhouse was returned to its former glory, subsequently becoming one of the most successful theatres in Britain. Ownership of the theatre recently shifted to Live Nation.