Masonic Hall (1840-1890)

Long after there was a known and obvious demand for such buildings, Sydney lagged far behind smaller cities in other parts of the world in the size and number of its play-houses and concert rooms. How much this was the case may be realised by the fact that four or five years ago the Opera House was second in importance only to the Theatre Royal, whilst amateurs of music regarded the Old Masonic-hall as a place of fashionable resort. The opening of the Criterion Theatre, Christmas 1886, and of Her Majesty's the following September, put a different face upon affairs, whilst the erection of the Y.M.C.A.-hall was another important step in the right direction. Still it was felt that Sydney was woefully behind in providing accommodation for the leading choral societies. The completion of the New Masonic-hall did little to improve the situation, not only from its out-of-the-way position, but because its proportions were too nearly the same as the Protestant and other existing halls. For gatherings of 2000 people and upwards the Exhibition Building came into vogue, its glaring inconveniences serving as a standing protest against wearisome delay in the completion of the Town-hall. Quite lately the Halle concerts have opened the eyes of those most interested to the fact that for two years past they have had lying idle a fine property in the Wesleyan Centenary-hall, which supplies the need of a chamber for extraordinary concert purposes as it is larger than its rivals and yet not so vast as the hall to be opened this afternoon. To-day's ceremony will give a great stimulus to musical enterprise, and will place Sydney in its proper relative position in the matter of concert-room accommodation.

What has been done for musical amateurs will shortly be done for playgoers. Mr. J. F. Scholer, the proprietor, and Mr. F E. Hiscocks, the lessee, announce that they will open their new house in Castlereagh-street at the end of the year. At first rumor had it that they had named their house " The Princess's," but better counsels prevailed and everyone will approve of " The Imperial Theatre." It will be opened about the same time as the Imperial Arcade, and both places will act and re-act upon each other in locating in the public mind these additions to the city. In the meantime Messrs. Backhouse and Laidley are preparing plans for a theatre in Pitt-street to be called the " Bijou." The choice of title, if indeed it be chosen, shows a strange lack of originality and independence of thought. Surely, with a score of time-honored names available, the mistake of slavishly following Melbourne, and of borrowing a French word in order to do so, may be avoided. The title should be one that will be peculiar to Sydney as against the other Australian capitals. Suppose that instead of reduplicating the names of Melbourne theatres — Theatre Royal, Opera House, Princess's and Bijou Theatres— the new play-house be named the Globe, the Shakespeare, the Garrick, the Nugget, the Folly or the Carrington? The names are legion which would be preferable to the appellation at present suggested.

With the newly-opened Palace Theatre there are now nine playhouses in Sydney, of which number only two will remain closed this evening. The curious feature in the local record is that all the chief theatres have been erected during the past 10 years. The exceptions are the Gaiety Theatre, which is also known as the Guild Hall, and the Opera House, which, unfortunately for its prospenty, stands in the quarter now entirely devoted to the wholesale warehouses. The Opera House was vastly improved under Messrs Majeroni and Wilson's management in the middle of 1884, when the flat ceiling was replaced by a cupola, and the theatre was then reopened with considerable éclat (30th June) with a revival of "Marie Antoinette," by Signor and Signora Majeroni. The present Theatre Royal occupies the oldest theatrical site in the city. The Prince of Wales Theatre stood there in 1854, was utterly destroyed by fire in 1860, was again demolished in 1872, and being rebuilt as the Theatre Royal was burnt a third time on 17th June, 1892. Mrs Bernard Beere had been playing " London Assurance" only a few hours previously. Only a portion of the outer walls were left standing, and the present building has only been in existence since Miss Clara Merivale's appearance in "Falka" at Christmas, 1892. The Criterion Theatre was opened with Miss Emilie Melville in " Falka," which was not played again for six years, at Christmas, I886. However, in anticipation of the Brough-Boucicault revival of "Much Ado About Nothing" (Christmas, 1892), a new face was put upon the interior, and at a cost of £8000 the present lofty dome was raised, the size of the stage was nearly doubled, and other structural improvements were made. The next new theatre was Her Majesty's, opened by Mr George Rignold with
"Henry V" in September, 1887. This splendid theatre has suffered less damage than any other in the city. Early in 1890 the little Academy of Music was pulled down, and at Christmas of that year the Garrick Theatre was completed on the same site, and was opened by Miss Olga Nethersole and Mr Charles Cartwright with "Moths". Mr Harry Rickards acquired this property, and re-named it the Tivoli on 18th February, 1893.

The opening of the Lyceum Theatre, With Miss Alice Leamar and Mr Robert Courtneidge in "Little Red Riding Hood," took place at Christmas, 1892 — a somewhat memorable date in local theatrical records. The Royal Standard Theatre was almost new when Mr Alfred Dampier was lessee in 1886 ; but no other actor-manager has flourished there, and of late years the house, like its neighbour the Gaiety, has become popular chiefly for amateur entertainments. If we glance at the history of musical enterprise in the city, we find that during much the same period the old concert halls have been displaced in favour of more central buildings. The last important occasion on which the once popular Old Masonic Hall (York-street) was used, was at the Victor Hugo Celebration Concert in 1885. The New Masonic Hall, opened in Castlereagh-street the following year, was placed a little too far away from the city, and, after the Metropolitan Liedertafel ceased to give concerts there, now some years ago, the hall fell into comparative disuse. But the eclipse of these halls and of the Protestant Hall, a once fashionable salon, where Mme Melba gave her farewell concert, was due to the erection of the elegant and central building of the Y.M.C.A. — now recognised as the favourite hall for all but the great musical functions. The inconvenient Exhibition Building almost faded out of existence when the completed Town Hall was opened on the 27th November, 1889. Mr Charles Santley was the first solo singer to appear there — the occasion being his farewell concert on the 30th November of that year. Just a year earlier, the completion of the York-street Centenary Hall furnished concert-goers with another rendezvous, which has continued to be frequently used up to the present time. In June, 1892, the Oddfellows' Temple was opened, and just two years ago the list of concert rooms was increased by the erection of the Manchester Unity Hall. Thus we see that not only all the present theatres of the city, but also all the concert halls have been erected during the past 10 or 12 years, which fact, all things considered, forms a decidedly curious feature in the theatrical and musical history of Sydney.