The Theatre Royal on

Hindley Street, Adelaide Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street and West Terrace. The street was named after Charles Hindley, a British parliamentarian and so ...

was a significant venue in the history of the stage and

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. After a small predecessor of the same name in

Franklin Street, Adelaide Franklin Street is a main street in the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. Extent Franklin Street terminates at its western end at West Terrace. The eastern end merges into the northern edge of Victoria Square and continues across King Wil ...

(built 1838), the Theatre Royal in Hindley Street was built in 1868. It hosted both stage performances and

movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, passing through several changes of ownership before it was eventually demolished to make way for a multi-storey car park in 1962.

History

19th century

The first "Theatre Royal" in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

was a small venue above the Adelaide Tavern in Franklin Street, managed by a Mr. Bonnar, and was opened in May 1838. The first production staged there was ''Mountaineers, or, Love and Madness'' (

Colman Colmán or Colman is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Medieval Irish people * Colmán Bec (died ''c''. 585), Irish dynast * Colmán mac Cobthaig (died ''c''. 622), Irish king * Colmán mac Lénéni (died ''c'' ...

). Bonnar was succeeded as manager by Sampson Marshall. This was eclipsed in 1841 by the opening of the Queen's Theatre on Gilles Arcade, off

Currie Street Currie Street is a main street in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia.Map
of the

Royal Victoria Theatre (later Queen's) opened, also on Gilles Arcade, with Coppin and

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' ...

joint managers. In December 1865 a prospectus was issued in Adelaide for a Theatre Royal company to take over White's Assembly Rooms and the adjacent Clarence Hotel, alternatively to purchase a vacant site and erect a new building. By December 1867 plans had been prepared for a new structure to be added to the rear of Peter Cummings & Son's drapery store at 21 Hindley Street, Leonard Voullaire's at 23 (then was the financially troubled Paull & Meredith's wine bar 1868–1870), and Mrs Bament's at 27. Paull & Meredith had a wine bar. T. English was chosen as supervising architect and W. Lines the builder. The proprietors were Lazar, John Temple Sagar, and J. M. Wendt. The foundation stone was laid by owner of the property H. R. Fuller on 8 January 1868, and the first performance held on 13 April 1868 (Easter Monday) was ''All that Glitters is not Gold'' by J. M. Morton. Edgar Chapman became owner of the property shortly after; it remained in his family for some time. The first lessee and director was

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'', ...

of Coppin, Harwood and Hennings, with stage manager J. R. Greville (1834–1894), a noted comedian. Lazar was lessee and manager from 1870, for a time in partnership with one Reuben Mills, suspended while his liquidity was being sorted out, then sole lessee from 1871. James Allison joined him as partner in 1873, became sole lessee around 1876. In October 1876 Edgar Chapman purchased the Theatre Royal, its hotel and the adjoining shops for £11,000, and lost no time in appointing George R. Johnson architect for a complete rebuild of the theatre. The rebuilt house was opened on 25 March 1878 with an address written by

Ebenezer Ward Ebenezer Ward (4 September 1837 – 8 October 1917) was an Australian politician and journalist. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1870 to 1880 and from 1881 to 1890, representing Gumeracha (1870–1880), Burra (18 ...

, followed by 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. ...

'' with

Emily Soldene Emily Soldene (30 September 1838 – 8 April 1912) was an English singer, actress, director, theatre manager, novelist and journalist of the late Victorian era and the Edwardian period. She was one of the most famous singers of comic opera in t ...

, Minna Fischer and Clara Vesey. These first few years were the heyday of musical theatre. In 1883 external fire stairs were erected in response to demands from the City Council. In January 1885 Arthur Chapman, a brother of the owner, joined George Rignold and James Allison as co-lessees; Chapman being the local representative. In December Rignold and Allison withdrew from the partnership, leaving Chapman as sole trustee, as well as acting as managing the property for the ailing Edgar Chapman, and then for his estate. He continued in both roles April 1886, when Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove took over the lease, and on 1887 appointed

Wybert Reeve Wybert Reeve (c. 1831 – 21 November 1906) was an English actor and impresario, important in the history of the theatre in South Australia. History Reeve was born in London, the only child of well-to-do parents who died when he was around five ...

as manager. Around 1889 Reeve became sole lessee of the theatre. On 19 October 1896 he hosted the first public demonstration in South Australia of moving pictures, the projector being a ''

cinématographe Lumière Cinematograph or kinematograph is an early term for several types of motion picture film mechanisms. The name was used for movie cameras as well as film projectors, or for complete systems that also provided means to print films (such as the Cin ...

''. A number of short films, around a minute in length and featuring dancers and American folk heroes, were shown.

20th century

Wybert Reeve retired from management in 1900, and sold the lease to F. H. Pollock, who managed the theatre capably until forced by illness to take on Herbert Percy Myers (1879–1927), his wife's nephew, as manager. Pollock died in November 1908, and his wife continued to run it in partnership with Myers. The theatre was further enlarged and updated in 1914. In 1918 the theatre hosted the premiere of ''

The Woman Suffers ''The Woman Suffers'' is a 1918 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford. It is a melodrama starring Lottie Lyell. Two-thirds of the movie still survives.Merv Wasson, "The Woman Suffers: Why Ever Was She Banned?", ''Cinema Papers'', Ju ...

'', an Australian

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

directed by

Raymond Longford Raymond Longford (born John Walter Hollis Longford, 23 September 18782 April 1959) was a prolific Australian film director, writer, producer and actor during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the silent film era of the Australian ...

. Myers purchased the lease in December 1921, and in 1920 purchased the property from the Chapman estate. Myers, before his death in 1927, sold a half-share in the theatre to Sir George Tallis of Melbourne, who later sold a quarter interest of his share to the Tait family business. (Theatre entrepreneur

Frank Tait Frank Samuel Tait (12 November 1883 – 23 August 1965) was an Australian theatre entrepreneur, managing director of J. C. Williamson's. He was the youngest of five Tait brothers, well known in Australia as show-business entrepreneurs and manager ...

had worked for J. C. Williamson's from 1900 until 1916, when he joined J. & N. Tait 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 ...

.) In March 1934, a "

physical culture Physical culture, also known as Body culture, is a health and strength training movement that originated during the 19th century in Germany, the UK and the US. Origins The physical culture movement in the United States during the 19th century ...

demonstration" was performed at the theatre by Weber, Shorthose & Rice. Before or around November 1934, the Waterman family created

S.A. Theatres Ltd Ozone Theatres Ltd, formerly Ozone Amusements, was a cinema chain based in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1911 until 1951, when it sold its theatres to Hoyts. It was founded by Hugh Waterman and was jointly run by him and seven sons, including ...

, a subsidiary of their company

Ozone Theatres Ozone Theatres Ltd, formerly Ozone Amusements, was a cinema chain based in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1911 until 1951, when it sold its theatres to Hoyts. It was founded by Hugh Waterman and was jointly run by him and seven sons, including ...

, for the purpose of taking on the lease of the Theatre Royal, and for creating the Chinese Gardens open-air theatre at the Exhibition Grounds on North Terrace Both theatres would show the same

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

films at both venues. Includes photos of Hugh Waterman and all of his sons. During the war years, the Theatre Royal ran an orchestra, in which the mother of QC Ted Mullighan played violin. Tallis died in 1947. Myers' half share was inherited by his widow, Dora Myers, who was still alive when in January 1954 the Tallis estate sold its interest to J. C. Williamson's, which had been leasing the theatre, with the lease expiring in that month. The department store Miller Anderson & Co. took over the properties between the Theatre Royal and Gresham Street, and erected a five-storey building. They demolished the theatre in 1962 to build an "exceptionally ugly" multi-level car park.

References

{{coord, 34.922889, S, 138.598306, E, format=dms, display=inline,title History of Adelaide Former theatres in South Australia Theatres in Adelaide Demolished buildings and structures in South Australia Buildings and structures demolished in 1962 Cinemas in Adelaide 1838 establishments in Australia

History

19th century

20th century

See also

References