The Kings Theatre was built over 100 years ago by businessman John Walter Boughton and architect Frank Matcham. The theatre opened on the 30th of September 1907 with a production of Charles 1 followed by 2 further of Sir Henry Irving's Works. The theatre stayed in the control of its original owners, The Portsmouth Theatre Company, until 1964 when it was purchased by Commander Reggie & Mrs Joan Cooper. In 1990 it was sold again to Hampshire County council. After a threat of closure the theatre was purchased by Portsmouth City Council and leased to the Kings Theatre Trust Ltd who undertook the restoration of the building. The present day theatre has a seating capacity of 1600 and a computerised booking system. Much of the backstage area is still fully manual, allowing it to retain the tag of a traditional hemp house, though powered flying bars have now been installed to allow large scale productions. Many stars of stage and screen have performed at the Kings, including Sarah Bernhardt, Noel Coward, Sean Connery, Rex Harrison, Spike Milligan, Ivor Novello and Sybil Thorndike, to name but a few of the great names of the last 100 years. One of the theatre's most famous ghost stories is that John Walter Boughton can be seen wandering the aisles dressed all in brown.