Binkie Beaumont | |
|---|---|
 Beaumont, 1933 | |
| Born | Hughes Griffiths Morgan 27 March 1908 |
| Died | 22 March 1973 (aged 64) Lord North Street, Westminster, London |
| Education | Penarth Grammar School, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales |
| Occupation(s) | Theatre manager and producer |
| Parents |
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Hugh "Binkie" Beaumont (27 March 1908 - 22 March 1973) was a British theatre manager and producer, sometimes referred to as the "éminence grise" of the West End theatre. Though he shunned the spotlight so that his name was not known widely among the general public, he was one of the most successful and influential manager-producers in the West End during the middle of the 20th century.
Beaumont was brought up in Cardiff, where he joined the staff of a local theatre at the age of fifteen. From there he built a career in theatrical management. His company, H. M. Tennent, which he co-founded in 1936, was based at the old Globe Theatre (now the Gielgud Theatre) in Shaftesbury Avenue, London. His success was based on lavish productions, starry casts and plays calculated to appeal to a West End audience. Among those with whom he was closely associated were Noël Coward and John Gielgud. His successes included new plays, revivals of classics, and musicals.
With the rise of state-subsidised theatre and avant-garde plays from the mid-1950s onwards, Beaumont's genre of opulent productions of safe repertoire started to seem conventional. He recognised this by serving on the board of the new National Theatre during the last decade of his life.