Theatre Royal Sydney

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.

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. This was the third theatre fire on the site.

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

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.

Theatre Royal Sydney (TRS) 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).

The theatre closed in March 2016 amid development of the MLC Centre and calls for a new larger lyric theatre to be built.

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. The theatre was acquired by Trafalgar Entertainment, the company of British theatre impresarios Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire, and reopened in 2021.

In November 2021, Theatre Royal Sydney opened with its first production, Jagged Little Pill the Musical.

References

References

1. ''Sydney Harbour Bridge Official Souvenir Book'' Sydney, 1932, p.123-4.
2. (17 June 1892). "Fire at the Theatre Royal". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
3. (7 January 1893). "Stage, Song, and Show". [[The Australian Star]].
4. "Theatre Royal".
5. (June 2023). "Box office assistant". Theatre Royal Sydney.
6. "Theatre Royal". cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.
7. "Theatre Royal". theatreroyal.net.au.
8. "Theatre Royal". goaustralia.about.com.
9. (29 March 2018). "Producers push for new lyric theatre in Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald.
10. (18 March 2019). "The Show Goes On for Sydney's Theatre Royal".
11. (7 May 2020). "Sydney's Theatre Royal Will Reopen in 2021 with a Globally Renowned Company at Its Helm".