FORGE Mill Museum has opened an exhibition chronicling the colourful life and times of the Palace Theatre.

The "Palace Pandemonium" exhibition, which was launched on Thursday, will also see the launch of a CD by Redditch singer and actress Millicent Phillips, who shot to fame in her teens after appearing at the Palace in the late 1930s.

The Palace was designed by Bertie Crew and opened in 1913. The exhibition details the early architecture and design of the theatre with archive images and adverts from the 1910s.

Also featured are articles on some of the most memorable performances and some of the famous names who have appeared, such as Julie Andrews, Pam Ayres and Felicity Kendal.

The theatre is closed until next year while undergoing a project to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory.

Featured at the exhibition are artist's impressions of how the auditorium will look after the refurbishment.

The exhibition will also include guest speakers.

This Sunday, at 3pm, Millicent Phillips, accompanied by Redditch entertainer Colin Wheeler, will talk about Millicent's life in show business in the museum's education centre.

Millicent was 14 when she started her career at the Palace.

Within 12 months of appearing she was snapped up to appear at the London Palladium alongside comedian Arthur Askey in a show called Band Wagon.

She also had a recording contract with Parlophone Records and her own weekly radio programmes on Radio Luxembourg and Radio Normandy. She was often referred to as England's Deanna Durbin.

Millicent will launch a CD of her wartime recordings, From the Palace to the Palladium, which costs £5.

There will also be a youngsters' colouring competition based on the Palace's 2006 pantomime Peter Pan, with family tickets up for grabs.