The National Amphitheatre was a boxing stadium and entertainment venue at 73–75
Castlereagh Street, Sydney
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 ...
, New South Wales. Rebuilt as a theatre for
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
productions by the Fuller brothers, it was refurbished and renamed several times.
History
Jim Brennan's National Sporting Club hall on Castlereagh Street, near
King Street, was reopened on 20 November 1906 as "Brennan's National Amphitheatre" for a fight between
Mike Williams of South Africa and
Billy McCall.
In 1912 Brennan and
Ben and John Fuller merged their interests, and the venue became Brennan and Fuller's National Amphitheatre, specialising in lower-class
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
acts, in competition with the more expensive offerings of
Harry Rickards
Harry Rickards (4 December 1843 – 13 October 1911),
born Henry Benjamin Leete, was an English-born baritone, comedian and theatre owner, most active in vaudeville and stage, first in his native England and then Australia after emigrating in 1 ...
' Tivoli circuit. In 1915 the Fuller brothers bought out Brennan's interest.
In 1917 it was closed for renovation and reopened for Fuller as Vaudeville Theatre or National Theatre. By 1922 it had been renamed Fullers' New Theatre.
It reopened as Fuller's Roxy Theatre on 28 February 1930, then renamed the Mayfair Theatre in March 1932. and became "Hoyts Mayfair" in 1942.
The Mayfair Theatre closed in 1979 and the building was demolished in 1984.
References
{{coord missing, New South Wales
Former theatres in Sydney
Demolished buildings and structures in Sydney
Buildings and structures demolished in 1984