Princess Theatre (Melbourne) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Princess Theatre

Spring Street facade
Address	163 Spring Street Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Owner	Marriner Group
Designation	Victorian Heritage Register
Capacity	1,452
Construction
Opened	1854
Rebuilt	1886
Architect	William Pitt
Website
www.marrinergroup.com.au

The Princess Theatre is a famous theatre in Melbourne, Victoria. It has 1,452 seats. It first opened in 1854 and was rebuilt in 1886. This makes it the oldest place for entertainment still standing on mainland Australia.

The theatre was designed in a fancy style called Second Empire. It showed off how rich and grand Melbourne was during its "Marvellous Melbourne" boom time. It had cool new features like modern electric stage lights. It also had the world's first sliding ceiling! This roof could open on warm nights, making it feel like an outdoor theatre.

You can find the Princess Theatre on Spring Street in Melbourne's East End Theatre District. It is a very important building, listed by the National Trust of Australia and on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Early Days: Astley's Amphitheatre

Astley's Amphitheatre, around the 1850s

The story of entertainment at this spot began in 1854. This was during the exciting gold rush time. An Irish-American businessman named Tom Mooney built a simple building called Astley's Amphitheatre.

It had a central ring for horse shows and a stage for plays. Its name was like a famous theatre in London. The first person to run it was George Lewis. He put on "grand concerts" starting in September 1854. Later, a well-known actor and manager named George Coppin took over. He was very important in Melbourne's theatre history.

The Princess's Theatre Opens

The Inside of the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, 1865

In 1857, the amphitheatre got a big makeover. It reopened on April 16 as the Princess's Theatre and Opera House. Its first manager was John Melton Black.

In 1877, the theatre was updated again and reopened as the New Princess Theatre.

The Grand New Princess Theatre

Princess Theatre Melbourne, around 1894

By 1885, three important theatre leaders, known as "The Triumvirate," took charge. They were J. C. Williamson, George Musgrove, and Arthur Garner. The old theatre was getting worn out, so they decided to build a brand new one.

The new theatre was designed by the famous architect William Pitt. It cost a lot of money, about £50,000! It was finished in 1886. The design was very grand, in the Second Empire style. It fit right in with the beautiful Victorian buildings on Spring Street.

The theatre reopened on December 18, 1886. This time, it was simply called the Princess Theatre. The first show was a famous opera called The Mikado.

Amazing Features of the New Theatre

When it was new, the Princess Theatre had the best electric stage lighting. It also had Australia's first sliding roof and ceiling. This special roof could open to let fresh air into the audience area. The grand marble staircase and fancy foyers were said to be as good as the most famous opera houses in Europe.

The theatre at dusk, July 2010

Over the years, the theatre had different owners. In 1922, architects renovated the inside and added a large copper awning. The theatre reopened with a show called The O'Brien Girl.

In 1933, Francis William Thring, a theatre and film boss, bought the theatre. He put on many musicals there. He also started his radio station, 3XY, from the theatre in 1935.

Later, Sir Ben Fuller and Garnet Carroll took over. They brought many famous shows to the Princess Theatre. These included opera, ballet, and musicals. In 1954, they even hosted a special show for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Stained glass window on the Princess Theatre exterior.

After Garnet Carroll passed away in 1964, his son John took over. But over time, the theatre was used less and less. It started to fall apart.

Modern Era: Reopening and New Shows

In 1986, David Marriner bought the theatre. He started a huge project to fix it up and make it look like it did in 1922. He also improved its technical equipment. The newly restored theatre reopened on December 9, 1989. The first show was the musical Les Misérables. After that came The Phantom of the Opera. This show ran for a very long time, setting a new record in Victoria.

Today, the Marriner Group still owns and runs the Princess Theatre. It hosts many big musical theatre shows. Some of these include Beauty and the Beast, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, and The Book of Mormon.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The Australian show of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child started at the Princess Theatre in early 2019. It was only the third place in the world to host this show, after London and New York. The theatre was fully renovated inside and out in 2018 for this big production.

In its first year, the Harry Potter show was the most successful in Australian theatre history. Over 326,000 people came to see it! However, it had to close for 49 weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When it reopened in February 2021, it was the first Harry Potter and the Cursed Child show to start again anywhere in the world.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child finished its run on July 9, 2023. It became the longest-running play in Australian history. After the show closed, the theatre's inside was carefully restored to its 1922 look.

Ghost Stories at the Theatre

Frederick Federici, around 1888

Some people say the Princess Theatre has a ghost!

On March 3, 1888, a singer named Frederick Baker, also known as "Frederick Federici," was performing. He was playing the devil character, Mephistopheles, in the opera Faust. At the end of the show, his character was supposed to sink through a trapdoor on the stage. As Federici was lowered down, he had a heart attack and died.

He never came back on stage to take his bows. But when the other actors were told what happened, they said he *had* been on stage with them for the bows! Since then, many people have claimed to see a ghostly figure in fancy evening clothes at the theatre. For many years, a seat in the third row of the dress circle was left empty to honor him.

Past Shows at the Princess Theatre

Here are some of the famous shows that have been performed at the Princess Theatre:

The theatre has also been a venue for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.