The Royal Lyceum was a small theatre in

York Street, Sydney York Street is a street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. York Street runs in a north to south direction only and is used predominantly by buses from the northern districts of Sydney. Route From its northe ...

founded in 1854, which was redeveloped and renamed many times, finally as the Queen's Theatre, by which name it closed in 1882.

History

In the late 1840s Malcom's Royal Australian Circus (later Amphitheatre) opened on the west side of

between

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and

Market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: * Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand * Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, a ...

streets, one door from the latter. The venue specialised in equestrian displays and trick riding, tightrope dancing and "Olympic games". John Malcom was the proprietor. It was refurbished and reopened in October 1854 as the Royal Lyceum Theatre, perhaps named after the theatre in Edinburgh, and frequently referred to as "the Lyceum". Its first lessees were the American C. R. Thorne company, who were previously at the Victoria Theatre. Not two years later, the theatre was taken over by

W. H. Stephens W. may refer to: * SoHo (Australian TV channel) (previously W.), an Australian pay television channel * W. (film), ''W.'' (film), a 2008 American biographical drama film based on the life of George W. Bush * "W.", the fifth track from Codeine's 199 ...

and

H. T. Craven Henry Thornton Craven (born Henry Thornton; 26 February 1818 – 13 April 1905) was an English actor and dramatist. Early life and career Craven was born in London in 1818, son of Robert Thornton, a schoolmaster in Holborn. Starting life as a publ ...

, who refurbished its interior and in July 1856 renamed it and the hotel adjacent as "Our Lyceum". Improvements included a

clerestory roof In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...

for better ventilation,

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

es that gave a better view of the stage, and an enlarged

orchestra pit An orchestra pit is the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music (such as opera and ballet) or in cases when incide ...

. There was however a slump in stage productions and the theatre was mostly used for public meetings. Stephens was forced to declare insolvency. In 1866 the Lyceum, or "New Lyceum" with another renovation and new lessee Frank Towers, was reckoned one of three or four good theatres in Sydney (along with the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

Castlereagh Street Castlereagh Street is a major street located in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs in a north-to-south, in a one way direction only. Description Castlereagh Street's northern terminus is at the ...

, the Victoria Theatre in

Pitt Street Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sec ...

and, intermittently, the

Opera House An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

) but was "seldom open". In 1867 it became the Alexandra Hall, an assembly hall or ''salon de danse''. In 1869 the partnership of

Harding Harding may refer to: People *Harding (surname) *Maureen Harding Clark (born 1946), Irish jurist Places Australia * Harding River Iran * Harding, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province South Africa * Harding, KwaZulu-Natal United Sta ...

, Wilson and Habbe took over management, renovating and decorating the interior, renaming it the Theatre Royal Adelphi. Queen's Theatre, Sydney

In 1873 it was renovated and renamed the Queen's Theatre under management of W. B. Gill, after which it became a ''

café chantant A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

'', to ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

s chagrin. then refurbished by

Samuel Lazar Samuel Lazar (1838 – 14 November 1883) was an Australian theatre manager, producer of pantomimes and operas, and occasional actor. History Lazar was a son of theatre manager John Lazar, and as a child frequently appeared on stage in his father' ...

and reopened in March 1875, to Mr Punch's evident approval.

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 ...

and

Maggie Moore Maggie Moore (April 10, 1851 – March 15, 1926) was an American-Australian actress born as Margaret Virginia Sullivan. She met and married producer J. C. Williamson in the U.S. and became popular as an actress in their production of '' Struc ...

played ''

Struck Oil ''Struck Oil'' is an 1874 play set during the American Civil War and a 1919 Australian silent film, now considered lost. The play, which introduced Maggie Moore to Australian theatre-goers, was popular with the Australian public and the basis of ...

'' at "The Queen's" in March, 1875. In July 1877 C. Wheatleigh, took over management of the Queen's Theatre and scored several successes in ''Around the World in 80 days'' and ''The Shaughran''.

L. M. Bayless Mary Gladstane (born 1830) was an Irish-American actress of the 19th-century who had a considerable career in Australia, along with her husband and manager, L. M. Bayless. History According to one researcher, Gladstane was born Mary Jane Carson, ...

followed as manager a few months later, with the Simonsen company and the opera ''

Giroflé-Girofla ''Giroflé-Girofla'' is an opéra bouffe in three acts with music by Charles Lecocq. The French libretto was by Albert Vanloo and Eugène Leterrier. The story, set in 13th century Spain, concerns twin brides, one of whom is abducted by pirates. ...

''. Licensee of the Queen's Hotel adjacent was the boxer Larry Foley. In July 1882 the Queen's Theatre was closed by Government order, as being unsafe. It was used by a commercial interest for some years, then demolished sometime before 1905.

The new Lyceum

On 26 December 1892 a new theatre opened between

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

and

streets on

, which was named "Lyceum", sometimes referred to as the New Lyceum, and marked the reunion of the

and

George Musgrove George Musgrove (21 January 1854 – 21 January 1916) was an English-born Australian theatre producer. Early life Musgrove was born at Surbiton, England, the son of Thomas John Watson Musgrove, an accountant, and his wife, Fanny Hodson, an act ...

interests, in presenting the pantomime ''Little Red Riding Hood''. It became a cinema, "Spencer's Pictures" in 1908.

Notes

References

External links

A Short History of the Royal Lyceum Theatre, York St Sydney
includes drawings and maps {{coord missing, New South Wales Former theatres in Sydney Theatres completed in 1854 1854 establishments in Australia 1882 disestablishments in Australia