Theatre Royal, Sydney

Theatre Royal Sydney is a theatre in Sydney, Australia built in 1976 and has offered a broad range of entertainment since the 1990s. The theatre reopened in December 2021 under parent company Trafalgar Entertainment with patrons now able to book tickets directly from the venue itself with its Box Office operating 7 days a week.^[1]

Theatre Royal

Opening night, "Hollywood Hotel Revue", Theatre Royal, Sydney, 23 September 1938, by Sam Hood.
Address	25 Martin Place 108 King Street
Location	New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33°52′05″S 151°12′32″E / 33.868°S 151.2088°E / -33.868; 151.2088
Owner	Dexus, NSW Government^[1]
Operator	Trafalgar Entertainment^[1]
Type	Performing Arts Venue
Capacity	1,200
Construction
Opened	1875
Renovated	2021^[1]
Demolished	1971
Rebuilt	1976
Years active	1875-1971, 1976-2016, 2021-
Architect	Barnett Levey (original building) Harry Seidler (1976 reopening)
Website
www.theatreroyalsydney.com

Earlier theatres also called the Theatre Royal, on the same site, date back to 1833.^[2]

Earlier theatres

First Theatre Royal

The name Theatre Royal had originally been used for a theatre upon which building work commenced in 1827 behind the Royal Hotel by Barnett Levey. This new playhouse was opened on 5 October 1833. It was closed in March 1838 and a few days later the Royal Victoria Theatre, a much larger building, was opened, with an entrance on Pitt Street, by Joseph Wyatt. Levey's Theatre Royal burned to the ground in 1840 with the "Vic" (Royal Victoria), which abutted the rear, having a narrow escape. However, the Royal Victoria was still destined to be consumed by fire – on 22 July 1880 it was totally destroyed.^[3]

Second Theatre Royal

The Prince of Wales Theatre, was built in 1855 and destroyed by fire in 1860, rebuilt and burned down again in 1872. The Prince of Wales Theatre was rebuilt as the next Theatre Royal, which opened in 1875. The Theatre Royal was built in 1875 for producer and manager Samuel Lazar in Castlereagh Street between King and Rowe Street, the other side of which would in 1890 be built the famous Australia Hotel. The theatre was leased by J. C. Williamson's from 1882 to 1978. On 17 June 1892 the auditorium was largely destroyed by fire.^[4] This was the third theatre fire on the site.

It reopened on 7 January 1893 with a much improved electric lighting system.^[5] Its interior was substantially remodelled in 1921 by architect Henry Eli White.^[6]

Current theatre

In 1971–72 the theatre, along with the Hotel Australia, and much of the block on which it was situated, was demolished to construct the MLC Centre. Public agitation and action by construction unions once it was closed to save it resulted in the developer Lendlease incorporating a replacement 1,180-seat theatre into the design. Designed by Harry Seidler in a plain modernist style, along with the rest of the complex, the current Theatre Royal opened in 1976, with entry from King Street, between Pitt Street and Castlereagh Street.

The theatre has hosted a mix of entertainment from dramas, comedies and musicals, with notable productions such as The King and I, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, War Horse, Cats (1985-1987), Les Misérables (1987-1988), and Phantom of the Opera (1993-1996).

The theatre closed in March 2016 amid development of the MLC Centre and calls for a new larger lyric theatre to be built.^{[7][8][9][10]}

In March 2019, the NSW Government announced it had taken on a 55-year lease of the theatre from the MLC Centre developers, with the intention to re-open the venue with a private operator.^[11]

It was announced that the theatre will reopen in late 2021, after it was acquired by Trafalgar Entertainment, the company of British theatre impresarios Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire.^[1]

In November 2021, Theatre Royal Sydney opened with its first production, Jagged Little Pill the musical commencing the same week with it proceeded by Girl From The North Country and An American In Paris.

References

1. "Sydney's Theatre Royal Will Reopen in 2021 with a Globally Renowned Company at Its Helm". 7 May 2020.
2. Sydney Harbour Bridge Official Souvenir Book Sydney, 1932, p.123.
3. Sydney Harbour Bridge Official Souvenir Book Sydney, 1932, p.123-4.
4. "Fire at the Theatre Royal". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 16, 923. New South Wales, Australia. 17 June 1892. p. 5. Retrieved 8 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Stage, Song, and Show". The Australian Star. No. 1590. New South Wales, Australia. 7 January 1893. p. 11. Retrieved 8 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Theatre Royal". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
7. . cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
8. . theatreroyal.net.au. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
9. "Theatre Royal". goaustralia.about.com. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
10. "Producers push for new lyric theatre in Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
11. "The Show Goes On for Sydney's Theatre Royal". The Urban Developer. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.

"Reopening of Theatre Royal Sydney marks a ‘new era’ for Australian entertainment". Australasian Leisure Management. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2022. 

External links

• "Official website". Theatre Royal Sydney. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
• at sydney-theatre.com
• Ailsa McPherson (2010). "Theatre Royal". Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
• Ailsa McPherson (2010). "Barnett Levey's Theatre Royal". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 2 October 2015. [CC BY-SA]