Theatre Royal Sydney

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	33.868°S 151.2088°E / -33.868; 151.2088
Owner	Dexus, NSW Government
Operator	Trafalgar Entertainment
Type	Performing Arts Venue
Capacity	1,200
Construction
Opened	1875
Renovated	2021
Demolished	1971
Rebuilt	1976
Years active	1875-1971, 1976-2016, 2021-
Architect	Barnett Levey (original building) Harry Seidler (1976 reopening)
Website
www.theatreroyalsydney.com

Theatre Royal Sydney (TRS) is a theatre in Sydney, Australia. Earlier theatres also called the Theatre Royal, on the same site, date back to 1833. The current building, designed by modernist architect Harry Seidler, was built in 1976 and has offered a broad range of entertainment since the 1990s. After being closed in 2016, the theatre reopened in December 2021 under parent company Trafalgar Entertainment.

Earlier theatres

First Theatre Royal

Construction by Barnett Levey of the first Theatre Royal commenced in 1827 and was opened on 5 October 1833. It closed in March 1838 and a few days later Joseph Wyatt's Royal Victoria Theatre, a much larger building, was opened, with an entrance on Pitt Street. 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 "Vic" was itself totally destroyed by fire on 22 July 1880.^[1]

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. It was rebuilt by Samuel Lazar and, as the "Theatre Royal", opened in 1875 between King and Rowe streets on Castlereagh Street, on 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.^[2] This was the third theatre fire on the site.

It reopened on 7 January 1893 with a much improved electric lighting system.^[3] Its interior was substantially remodelled in 1921 by architect Henry Eli White.^[4]

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.^{[citation needed]}

Designed by Harry Seidler in a plain modernist style, along with the rest of the complex,^{[citation needed]} the current Theatre Royal opened in 1976,^[5] with entry from King Street, between Pitt Street and Castlereagh Street.^{[citation needed]}

Theatre Royal Sydney (TRS)^[5] has hosted a mix of entertainment, 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).^{[citation needed]}

The theatre closed in March 2016 amid development of the MLC Centre and calls for a new larger lyric theatre to be built.^[6][7][8][9]

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 reopen the venue with a private operator.^[10] The theatre was acquired by Trafalgar Entertainment, the company of British theatre impresarios Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire, and reopened in 2021.^[5][11]

In November 2021, Theatre Royal Sydney opened with its first production, Jagged Little Pill the Musical.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. Sydney Harbour Bridge Official Souvenir Book Sydney, 1932, p.123-4.
2. "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.
3. "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.
4. "Theatre Royal". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
5. "Box office assistant" (PDF). Theatre Royal Sydney. June 2023.
6. "Theatre Royal". cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
7. "Theatre Royal". theatreroyal.net.au. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
8. "Theatre Royal". goaustralia.about.com. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
9. "Producers push for new lyric theatre in Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
10. "The Show Goes On for Sydney's Theatre Royal". The Urban Developer. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
11. "Sydney's Theatre Royal Will Reopen in 2021 with a Globally Renowned Company at Its Helm". 7 May 2020.

External links

• "Official website". Theatre Royal Sydney. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
• Theatre Royal 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]