Facade of Her Majestys Theatre Brisbane circa 1898

Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane (1888–1983), (also known as ''His Majesty's Theatre'' between 1901–1952) opened as Her Imperial Majesty's Opera House in

Brisbane, Australia Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

on 2 April 1888. It was the largest theatre in Brisbane. It was located at 193 Queen Street, Brisbane. Its façade was in the Italian

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

and

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

style.

History of the property

The property was originally owned by Byrne Hart. It was leased to C.H. Homes and Harold Ashton. It was later sold to the

AMP Society AMP is a financial services company in Australia and New Zealand providing superannuation and investment products, financial advice, and banking products (through AMP Banking) including home loans and savings accounts. Its headquarters is in Sy ...

in 1973. With the closure of the Winter Garden Theatre, a nearby cinema in 1973, Her Majesty's seemed the next likely candidate for sale and redevelopment. The Queensland government began to plan in the 1970s for an arts precinct in Brisbane, which would ultimately become the

Queensland Cultural Centre The Queensland Cultural Centre is a heritage-listed cultural centre at Grey Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the South Bank precinct on the Brisbane River. It was built from 1976. The major compone ...

. Her Majesty's was the only Brisbane theatre with a stage large enough to accommodate the scenery and staging requirements of a number of touring productions. The need for a large stage to possibly replace this kind of theatre would lead to the development of the

Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Alber ...

Architect and interior design

The original theatre was designed by Italian born architect

Andrea Stombuco Andrea Giovanni Stombuco (1820-1907) was an Italian-born Australian sculptor and architect. Many of the buildings he designed are listed on the heritage registers in Australia. Early life Andrea Stombuco travelled widely and was involved in vari ...

and son. Stombuco designed a number of Brisbane's buildings in and around Brisbane. The chief builders were O'Keefe and Company and James Lang and Company were responsible for decorative features. In 1929, the theatre was modernised, rebuilt and reopened. Cedric Ballantyne and George McLeish were the architects of this project. The theatre was three storeys, and was 66 feet wide, 248 feet deep with a 60 by 63 foot stage. The earliest theatre included a hotel providing a public bar and tobacconist. The entry to the stalls and pit were via a fountain decorated with satyrs and other female figures. The auditorium ceiling was decorated with a number of cornices featuring egg and dart, chain and bead and other features. The cornices were decorated in rose, shamrock and thistle designs in green, salmon, blue and gold. Each side of the stage featured a pillar decorated in gold accents. Seats in the Dress Circle were in maroon velvet, as was the stage curtain. Stall seating was wooden chairs. Asbestos fire proof paint was used in the scenery, backstage and wings area to reduce the risk of fire. Ventilation was provided by air forced through earthenware pipes. The ceiling was designed to assist hot air to dissipate via a sliding section which was added to the theatre in 1901 by architect, William Pitt. The 1920 remodel of the theatre provided for additional seating, with the removal of the gallery and old dress circle. Another series of renovations occurred in 1941. Dressing rooms for performers were hot particularly in Brisbane summers.

Seating

The main auditorium could seat 1,911 people. This included dress circle, private boxes, stall and gallery seating.

Productions

The chief productions at the theatre were initially opera. In 1901 alone, 29 different opera productions were offered at Her Majesty's. Four theatre companies produced plays at the theatre. The theatre was the largest in Brisbane.

J.C. Williamson James Cassius Williamson (26 August 1845 – 6 July 1913) was an American actor and later Australia's foremost impresario, founding the J. C. Williamson's theatrical and production company. Born in Pennsylvania, Williamson moved with his fami ...

's company held the lease on the theatre for over 80 years. Films were also shown there.

Famous performers

* Dame

Clara Butt Dame Clara Ellen Butt, (1 February 1872 – 23 January 1936) was an English contralto and one of the most popular singers from the 1890s through to the 1920s. She had an exceptionally fine contralto voice and an agile singing technique, and imp ...

, a British contralto sang at a concert at His Majesty's in 1925 *

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20th ...

and her ballet company toured in the 1920s *

Ignacy Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versaill ...

, the polish pianist toured in 1928 *

Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century, ...

and

Gladys Moncrieff Gladys Moncrieff (13 April 1892 – 8 February 1976) was an Australian singer who was so successful in musical theatre and recordings that she became known as 'Australia's Queen of Song' and 'Our Glad'. Life and career Early years Moncrieff ...

* Sir

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

and

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...

performed at the theatre in 1948 *

Bob Dyer Robert Neal Dyer OBE (May 22, 1909 – January 9, 1984) was a Gold Logie-award-winning American-born vaudeville entertainer and singer, radio and television personality, and radio and television quiz show host who made his name in Australia. Dy ...

*Dame

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her ...

brought her company to perform there in 1932 The final performance at the theatre featured Australian and English performers, compered by

Bobby Limb Robert "Bobby" Limb AO, OBE (10 November 1924 – 11 September 1999) was an Australian-born entertainment pioneer, comedian, band leader and musician and legend of radio, television and theatre of the 1960s and 1970s, he also founded the film a ...

. Performers included Margaret Noonan, Brian Doyle,

Barry Crocker Barry Hugh Crocker (born 4 November 1935
Official Barry Crocker website) is an Australian character actor, televisio ...

Reg Varney Reginald Alfred Varney (11 July 1916 – 16 November 2008) was an English actor, entertainer and comedian. He is best remembered for having played the lead role of bus driver Stan Butler in the LWT sitcom ''On the Buses'' (1969–73) and its thr ...

and

Johnny Young Johnny Young (born Johnny Benjamin de Jong; 12 March 1947) is a Dutch Australian singer, composer, record producer, disc jockey, television producer and host. Originally from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, his family settled in Perth in the early ...

Demolition

With the redevelopment of Queen Street in Brisbane's Central Business District to become a closed pedestrian mall following the

1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the a ...

, Her Majesty's was earmarked for demolition by the Kern Corporation. Despite community protest, the theatre was demolished on 23 October 1983 to make way for the Hilton Hotel and Wintergarden shopping centre in Brisbane's Central Business District. A Union ban on site over the preservation of the façade of the theatre caused delays. Despite assurances that the façade would be incorporated into the new building, demolition work destroyed the entire complex.

Plans of the building

Plans of the theatre are held at

State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...

Selected programmes from productions performed at the theatre are held in the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Fryer Library.

References

{{coord, -27.4692, 153.0264, type:landmark_region:AU-QLD, display=title Former buildings and structures in Brisbane Theatres in Brisbane Queen Street, Brisbane Demolished buildings and structures in Brisbane Buildings and structures demolished in 1983