Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, refers to three theatres of the same name none of which remain standing. They were located in central Sydney on either Pitt Street or Quay Street.

History

First theatre (1887–1933)

The original Her Majesty's had its origin in the partnership of

James Allison James Allison or Jim Allison may refer to: * James Allison (pirate) (fl. 1689–1691), pirate active near Cape Verde and the Bay of Campeche * James Allison Jr. (1772–1854), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania * James Wh ...

and

George Rignold George Richard Rignold, , (1839 – 16 December 1912) was an English-born actor, active in Britain and Australia. Early life Rignold was born in Birmingham, England. He was the son of William Rignall, an actor and theatre manager, and his wife P ...

, lessees of Adelaide's Theatre Royal and the Melbourne

Opera House An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

. They secured a long lease on a site in

Pitt Street, Sydney 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, New South Wales, Waterloo, although today's street ...

, and formed a company for the purpose of founding a theatre. The theatre was designed by architects Gustavus Alphonse Morell and John Edward Kemp. The foundation stone was laid by Sydney mayor Thomas Playfair in December 1884. The opening play was ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

'', and lessee Rignold was the lead player. The

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

Lord Carrington Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, Baron Carington of Upton (6 June 1919 – 9July 2018), was a British Conservative Party politician and hereditary peer who served as Defence Secretary from 1970 to 1974, Foreign Secreta ...

, attended the opening night, arriving with his wife in a carriage, with a military escort. Rignold held the lease for eight years, his final production was ''Cloncarty'' on 21 September 1895. For a short period, Alfred Woods leased the theatre, then J. C. Williamson 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 ac ...

took over in 1896. In early 1902, Sydney was undergoing sporadic outbreaks of the

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

, which threatened the theatre and surrounding businesses with closure. On Sunday 23 March 1902, after a performance of Ben Hur and after the theatre had been disinfected, a fire broke out at around 6am. The

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

safety curtain failed to operate and the interior of Her Majesty's, including the expensive props and costumes, was destroyed. The only victim of the fire was a woman inside a neighbouring bakery who died when the theatre's wall collapsed onto her. The theatre re-opened on 1 August 1903, replaced by a new four-storey building on the Market Street site and a new

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

style interior on the Pitt Street side behind the original facade designed by architect William Pitt. Financial pressures from a new amusement tax, competition from the new

talking movies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

and the economic climate led to the closure of the theatre on 10 June 1933. The last performance was ''

The Maid of the Mountains ''The Maid of the Mountains'', called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or "Edwardian" musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W. Tate, lyrics by Harry Graham a ...

'', starring

Gladys Moncrieff Gladys Lillian 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 M ...

. Bulldozers moved in the next day and demolished the theatre. A Woolworths retail store opened on the site 22 March 1934 and where

Westfield Sydney Westfield Sydney is a large, upmarket Shopping center, shopping centre in the Sydney central business district. It is located underneath Sydney Tower and is located on Pitt Street Mall, adjacent to MidCity and Glasshouse (Sydney), Glasshouse, a ...

stands today.Her Majesty's Theatre
at History of Australian Theatre

Second theatre (1927–1970)

The second theatre, originally named the Empire Theatre, was located in Quay Street, at the Bijou Lane corner. It opened with the show '' Sunny'' on 26 February 1927. When

J. C. Williamson's J. C. Williamson's, formerly Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove and Williamson and Musgrove, was an Australian theatrical management company and theatre owner. With its beginnings in the theatrical productions of J. C. Williamson and his p ...

wanted a long run for ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

'', they renamed it to Her Majesty's Thratre on 21 May 1960. The theatre barely survived the 1960s and was destroyed by fire on 31 July 1970.

Third theatre (1973–2001)

The third theatre was also located on Quay Street, Haymarket, at No. 107 (near

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

). It opened on 30 November 1973 and closed in 2001 but is no longer standing. Apartments have been built on the site.

Depictions

The $100 Australian banknote (in the background of the

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

portrait) features an image of the interior of the first theatre.$100 note
at Reserve Bank of Australia

References

External links

CC-By-SA A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work". A CC license is used when an author wants to give other people the right to share, use, and bui ...

] *

] * Facebook group "Remember 'Her Majesty's Theatre' Sydney" dedicated to remembering the 3rd theatre, contains lots of information and photos: https://www.facebook.com/rememberhermajestystheatre {{Theatres in Sydney Former theatres in Sydney 1887 establishments in Australia Demolished buildings and structures in Sydney Demolished theatres 1900s fires in Oceania 1902 fires 1902 disasters in Australia Buildings and structures demolished in 1933