The Royal Victoria Theatre was a theatre in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia, the first large theatre in the city. It opened in 1838; operas, plays, pantomimes and other events were held, and leading entertainers performed at the theatre. It was destroyed by fire in 1880.

Background and opening

The theatre was built by Joseph Wyatt; formerly a haberdasher, he had been a lessee of the first theatre in Sydney, the Theatre Royal, since 1835, and the sole lessee since 1836. In that year he planned another larger theatre. The building was designed by Henry Robertson; the foundation stone was laid on 7 September 1836.Royal Victoria Theatre (Sydney)
Australian Variety Theatre Archive. Retrieved 26 February 2018. The new 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 ...

, opened on 26 March 1838, with a performance of Shakespeare's ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

''. The theatre had a three-storey façade of

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Hano ...

, and the front section included a hotel. The interior was of

Regency style Regency architecture encompasses classical buildings built in the United Kingdom during the Regency era The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer perio ...

. There were 1,900 seats. 1,000 were in a large pit extending below the

dress circle An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

– the first theatre in Australia to have this arrangement – with upper circle and gallery above. Entry to the dress and upper circle was through the main entrance, and other patrons used a side entrance. ''

The Sydney Monitor ''The Monitor'' was a biweekly English language newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales and founded in 1826. It is one of the earlier newspapers in the colony commencing publication twenty three years after the ''Sydney Gazette'', the fir ...

'' reported that the building was "truly elegant. ... From the pit you would suppose that you were in a large provincial theatre in England." In 1841 the theatre was fitted with gas lighting.

Following years

Actors associated with the Theatre Royal moved to the Victoria Theatre, including

John Lazar John Lazar (1 December 1801 − 8 June 1879) was an actor and theatre manager in Australia. He was Mayor of Adelaide from 1855 to 1858. History Lazar was born in Edinburgh, a son of Abraham Lazar, stockbroker, and his wife Rachel née Lazarus ...

, who was manager of the theatre until the early 1840s. The population of Sydney was small in relation to the size of the theatre, so that a proper repertoire could not be built up: there were frequent changes of programme, leading to poorly rehearsed performances. In March 1841 Wyatt sailed for England to recruit actors, returning in January 1843. While he was away the theatre was managed by William Knight, a hotel owner. The new actors engaged faced opposition from the Sydney actors, and the ''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

'' commented on 25 January 1843: "Of the twelve brought out by him from England there is not one equal in ability to the leading members, male or female, of the old company". Wyatt eventually sacked some of his actors. Operas, dramas, burlesques, pantomimes and other amusements were held.

George Coppin George Selth Coppin (8 April 1819 – 14 March 1906) was a comic actor, a theatrical entrepreneur, a politician and a philanthropist, active in Australia.Sally O'Neill,Coppin, George Selth (1819–1906), '' Australian Dictionary of Biography'', ...

made his Australian debut in the theatre in 1843. Other performers seen during the theatre's history included

Lola Montez Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig ...

Gustavus Vaughan Brooke Gustavus Vaughan Brooke (25 April 1818 – 11 January 1866), commonly referred to as G. V. Brooke, was an Irish stage actor who enjoyed success in Ireland, England and Australia. Early life Brooke was born in Dublin, Ireland, the eldest son of ...

Anna Bishop Anna Bishop (9 January 181018 March 1884) was an English operatic soprano. She sang in many countries on every continent, and was the most widely travelled singer of the 19th century.George Darrell George Frederick Price Darrell (1851–1921) was an Australian playwright best known for '' The Sunny South'' (1883), which was made into a film '' The Sunny South or The Whirlwind of Fate''. Darrell began his professional career with Simonsen's ...

and William Creswick. The first opera written, composed and produced in Australia, ''

Don John of Austria John of Austria ( es, Juan, link=no, german: Johann; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the natural son born to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V late in life when he was a widower. Charles V met his son only once, recognizing him in a secret ...

'', premiered there in May 1847. In 1854 the theatre was purchased by a consortium including

Joshua Josephson Joshua Frey Josephson (1815 – 26 January 1892) was a judge and politician in colonial New South Wales, Solicitor-General of New South Wales 1868 to 1869. Josephson was born in Hamburg, Germany, the son of Jacob Josephson and his wife Emma Wil ...

, and leased by a succession of managers, including Wilson and Habbe 1870–71, when

Mary Gladestane Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

had a season, first as Frou-Frou, then in October as Queen Elizabeth, when

Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 184430 July 1900) was the sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1893 to 1900. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was known as the Duke of Edinburgh from 1 ...

attended. On 22 July 1880, the uninsured theatre burned to the ground, also Hardie and Mitchell's steam mill behind the theatre. Three men were killed — buried under the rubble when a wall collapsed. The site, at 199 Pitt Street, was taken over for Harris & Ackman's new auction rooms. In May 1915 the Strand picture theatre opened on the same site. By 1933 the site had been taken by McCathie's, Ltd.

References

{{Coord missing, New South Wales Former theatres in Sydney Theatres completed in 1838 1880 disestablishments in Australia