THE KING'S Theatre is celebrating its 110th birthday today.

The venue, dubbed the Grand Old Lady of Bath Street, first opened its doors to Glasgow audiences on September 12, 1904.

And while some of the jokes of the period can still occasionally be heard in panto, the theatre has remained fresh and lively, continuing to be one of Scotland's leading live entertainment venues.

King's Theatre General Manager James Haworth said: "I feel privileged to be working at a theatre steeped in rich history and held in high regard by so many theatre lovers.

"Every year without fail the King's continues to attract top class productions with star-studded line-ups."

The King's was designed by the prolific theatre architect Frank Matcham.Building owners Glasgow City Council bought the theatre from original proprietors Howard & Wyndham Ltd in 1967 and in 2002 the Ambassador Theatre Group took on management of the venue.

The first production to grace the King's stage was a play called The Cardinal by Lois N. Parker, starring the then distinguished actor E. S. Willard.

In 1933, the legendary Half Past Eight variety shows were launched in the A-listed building and were hugely successful.

Comedian Dave Willis's record run of 31 weeks remains unbroken in variety history.

Comedy continued to thrive in the late 1950s when Rikki Fulton and Jack Milroy performed their Francie and Josie show, and many Scottish greats have headlined the annual Christmas panto including Stanley Baxter, Jimmy Logan, Gerard Kelly, Elaine C. Smith and Karen Dunbar.

This year Greg McHugh joins panto regulars Gavin Mitchell and Des Clarke to dish out the traditional family fun and games in a new title for the King's, Peter Pan.

But many Hollywood legends have also trodden the King's boards including Katharine Hepburn, Sir Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Tyrone Power and Sir Michael Caine and Joan Collins.

In 1977 the King's featured the Jackson Five and Dolly Parton in honour of the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Recent years have seen the King's present a range of box office smashes including Spamalot (2010), Dirty Dancing (2011 - and back again this week), Fame during this summer and earlier this year Wicked broke box office records with a sold-out four-week run, becoming the highest grossing production in the King's history.

And there's more to come. A King's spokesman said: "The Bodyguard The Musical is set to take the King's by storm in March 2015."

"In a year where we've smashed box office records and will soon be celebrating the golden anniversary of our famous panto, I would like to thank our audiences for their continued support."

James Haworth added: "The theatre continues to present top class drama as well as dance, comedy, children's entertainment, music tributes and smash hit musicals direct from the West End."