Her Majesty's Theatre Sydney 1887-1933

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Theatre in Pitt Street, opened 10 September 1887, seating 1650 on four levels. Architects: Morell and Kemp. Interior burnt out 23 March 1902. Rebuilt on three levels and reopened 1 August 1903. Architect: William Pitt. Closed 10 June 1933. Converted to variety store and offices 1934. Finally closed 2 March 1970 and demolished to make way for Centrepoint.

The most elaborate and best-equipped theatre in Sydney before the Sydney Opera House was Her Majesty's Theatre. It was the first theatre built in strict conformity with regulations that resulted from the NSW Royal Commission on Theatres in the early 1880s. Fire-resistant iron doors protected connections between the auditorium and the public spaces of the theatre, which were in a hotel in front. A thick brick firewall, a 'fireproof’ asbestos drop curtain at the proscenium opening and iron doors in other openings all separated the auditorium from the stage. Every effort was made to use fire-resistant materials, and any inflammable materials were coated with fire-retardant liquids. The auditorium and stage were lit by both electricity and gas. Scene-changing was by the continental European system of flat wings moved along slots in the stage floor on wheeled carriages at the mezzanine level of the stage basement. The Builder and Contractor's News of 22 October 1887 gave the width of the stage as 25.6 metres and the depth as 15.2 metres, but published dimensions varied. The proscenium opening was 11.6 metres square. Iron trusses spanned the width of the stage, supporting a grid for flying scenery, 33.2 metres above the basement. The building was 31 metres in front, 38 metres wide at the rear, and 51 metres deep. The facade was elaborately modelled in a baroque-Renaissance style with applied Corinthian columns, surmounted by a carved pediment and a roof pavilion in French Renaissance style. The building was designed for the Grand Opera Company, which leased the site from the William McQuade estate. The theatre was near completion when financial difficulties saw the site owner take it over. George Rignold then leased the theatre until 21 September 1895 and opened it, some four months late, playing Henry V in his famous production. He interspersed spectacular Shakespeare productions with comedies. 

Her Majesty's housed many productions that offered spectacle or famous overseas performers, including Sarah Bernhardt in 1891. Williamson and Musgrove presented Julius Knight in Wilson Barrett's The Sign of the Cross, Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda and W.G. Wills's A Royal Divorce. Pattie Browne’s return in J.M. Barrie's The Little Minister was the feature of 1898. The comedian Harry Conor appeared with his American company in Charles H. Hoyt's A Trip to Chinatown in 1899. J.C. Williamson’s production of Florodora, with George Lauri, Carrie Moore, Grace Palotta and Hugh J. Ward, ran for 96 performances in 1901. Next year Williamson staged W. Young's dramatization of General Lew Wallace's novel Ben Hur, with live horses and chariots racing on electric treadmills in front of moving backdrops. On a Sunday during the season, fire broke out at the rear or the stage. The asbestos fire curtain did not drop automatically and the theatre was destroyed.

The owner, Cecily McQuade, had William Pitt design a new auditorium in Edwardian style. It had two tiers - supported by posts - above the stalls instead of three. The public spaces and stairways were improved in size and finish. Williamson leased the new theatre and opened it as his Sydney flagship. It housed his most notable attractions, including H. B. Irving as Hamlet in 1911. J.C. Williamson’s bought the building in 1922 but sold it during the Great Depression, after complaining of council taxes on the site and entertainments tax on gross receipts.

Resource Text: Article
Title Her Majesty's Theatre Sydney 1887-1933
Creator Contributors
Related Venues
Source Philip Parsons, Victoria Chance, Companion To Theatre In Australia, Currency Press with Cambridge University Press, Sydney, NSW, 1995
Page 269-270
Date Issued 1995
Language English
Citation Ross Thorne, Her Majesty's Theatre Sydney 1887-1933, Companion To Theatre In Australia, 1995, 269-270
Data Set AusStage
Resource Identifier 64900