Sydney Town Hall - Centennial Hall

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.