Ritz Penzance - About Us

We're so excited about bringing one of Penzance's beloved venues back to life!

Watch this space for live drama, cabaret, stand-up comedy, touring and local bands, club nights and much more to the stage! We hope this will be a vibrant addition to the live entertainment scene in Cornwall!

Accessibility: You enter the building through the main entrance on Queen Street. The entrance and ground floor, including the auditorium, is fully accessible for wheelchair users. Some seating in the auditorium is on stepped terraces which step down from the main floor but wheelchair spaces are available on the top terrace at ground-floor level. The dance floor is not accessible to wheelchair users.  There is a first-floor seating area in the circle, which is only accessible via the main staircase and not accessible to wheelchair users. Please do contact our box office team for any further details or assistance - ritz@merlincinemas.co.uk 

 

If you require the assistance of a carer, some shows and promoters allow free carer tickets. These are available by request about a case by case basis, to enquire about this please email action@merlincinemas.co.uk and we will contact the show promoters on your behalf. Please note your carer may be asked to provide proof of their carer status when collecting the tickets.

 

When booking in person, by phone or online some tickets will have a Theatre Investment Fund amount added to the transaction. This fund is used to help maintain, and invest in, the Theatre's running costs and specialised equipment. 

 

 

The Ritz Cinema opened its doors on 27 July 1936. Designed by architect A. H. Jones with a striking Art Deco style, it featured an elegant decorative fin-sign and an auditorium parallel to the street, with a single-floor layout seating around 1,000 people.  

 

Inside, it housed a Compton 2 Manual Rank organ with an illuminated console that rose from the orchestra pit - a highlight that local organist Harold Ramsay inaugurated.

 

Ownership Shuffle & Early Changes

 

Initially intended by the independent operators of the Pavilion Cinema, the Ritz was acquired by Union Cinemas Ltd. before it even opened. By October 1937, Union had been absorbed by Associated British Cinemas (ABC). 

 

1965 – From Movies to Bingo

 

On 28 June 1965, Mecca Ltd. took over the building, and just a few weeks later on 17 July 1965 it closed as a cinema. It was transformed into a Mecca Bingo Club, later known simply as the Ritz Bingo Club.

 

2008 & Beyond – Changing Use & Community Efforts

 

The bingo hall closed in 2008, after which the venue served as a nightclub and hosted arts events before falling largely into disuse. 

 

In 2006, plans emerged to demolish the building for housing, but fortunately that never materialised. 

 

In June 2013, we purchased the building with the intention of reviving it as a multi-entertainment venue it just took us longer than we thought to get to this stage.

 

Re-opening in September 2025!

 

After 12 years the time is right! Merlin Cinemas who have experience in preserving historic and rural cinemas, transforming them into vibrant community venues, have been working on reviving The Ritz in the background for over a decade with plans delayed several times. The Ritz will be multi-entertainment space serving the West Cornwall commiunity.