Regent Theatre, Melbourne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Regent Theatre

The Regent Theatre in 2023
Address	191 Collins St Melbourne, Victoria Australia
Coordinates	37°48′56″S 144°58′03″E / 37.8155°S 144.9675°E / -37.8155; 144.9675
Owner	Marriner Group
Designation	National Trust of Australia, Victorian Heritage Register
Capacity	1,573 (Intimate) 1,751 (Musical) 2,262 (Concert)
Current use	musicals, opera, pop concerts, etc.
Construction
Opened	15 March 1929
Reopened	17 August 1996
Architect	Ernest Vogel - Original Interior

The Regent Theatre is a famous old theatre in Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia. It first opened in 1929 as a grand picture palace for movies. After closing in 1970, it was beautifully restored and reopened in 1996. Today, it is a popular place for live shows, like musicals and concerts.

The theatre is known for its amazing design. It has a Gothic-style lobby and an auditorium (the main seating area) that looks like a fancy French palace. Downstairs, there's a ballroom called The Plaza, designed in a Spanish style. The Regent Theatre is so special that it's listed by the National Trust of Australia and on the Victorian Heritage Register. It's also one of six important theatres in Melbourne's East End Theatre District.

The Regent Theatre's Grand Opening

The Regent Theatre opened its doors on March 15, 1929. It was a very big event for Melbourne. The Lord Mayor, Cr Luxton, was there and said the theatre was "an architectural asset to the city."

The theatre was designed by Cedric Ballantyne. He got ideas from grand movie palaces in the United States. The Regent was one of the biggest and most luxurious cinemas in Victoria at the time. It had 3,250 seats!

Inside, there was a special Wurlitzer organ. There was also an orchestra pit and a live orchestra. They played music to go along with the silent films. The first night included live performances and the movie The Two Lovers.

The Plaza: A Second Theatre Below

What made the Regent Theatre even more unique was The Plaza. This was a second theatre located right below the main one. It was originally planned to be a cabaret. However, due to licensing rules, it became another cinema.

The Plaza opened on May 10, 1929. It was ready for movies with sound. Its first film was Alias Jimmy Valentine.

Rebuilding After a Fire

On April 29, 1945, a big fire sadly damaged the Regent Theatre. The main seating area, the organ, and the roof were destroyed. Luckily, the entrance areas and The Plaza theatre were mostly saved.

After the war, the Regent was rebuilt almost exactly as it was before. It reopened on December 19, 1947. This made it one of the last grand picture palaces ever built in this style. Some small changes were made, like the stage arch becoming square instead of curved. A beautiful crystal chandelier from Czechoslovakia was also added.

New Movie Technologies

In 1953, the Regent's screen was made bigger for a new movie format called Cinemascope. The first film shown this way was the epic The Robe.

Later, in 1958, The Plaza theatre was changed to fit a Cinerama screen. This was another new movie technology. The famous movie How the West Was Won played there for two years!

By the 1960s, very large movie theatres like the Regent were becoming less popular. People started going to smaller, multi-screen cinemas instead.

Saving the Regent Theatre

On July 1, 1970, the Regent Theatre closed its doors. Many people were sad to see it go. Soon after, a group called "Save the Regent" was formed. They wanted to protect the building from being torn down.

The Melbourne City Council bought the theatre. They wanted to use the land for a new project called the City Square. At first, the Council wanted to demolish the Regent. They even had a report saying it wasn't important enough to save.

However, the "Save the Regent" group kept fighting. They gathered 2,000 signatures on a petition. A powerful union leader, Norm Gallagher, also put a "green ban" on the building. This meant workers would not help demolish it.

In 1975, the Victorian Premier, Rupert Hamer, held a public meeting. After hearing from everyone, it was decided that the Regent should be saved. It would become a theatre and concert venue connected to the City Square. The government even offered money to help restore it, but nothing happened right away.

In 1979, the National Trust changed its mind and officially listed the theatre as important. It took until 1988 for the Regent to be added to the Victorian Heritage Register.

For 26 years, the Regent Theatre sat empty. Many ideas for its future came and went, but none worked out.

Bringing the Regent Back to Life

In 1992, the city council voted on a plan to knock down the Regent. They wanted to build a shopping area there. But the council members voted against it, and the theatre was saved again.

Finally, a businessman named David Marriner stepped in. He had already helped restore another historic theatre in Melbourne. He made a plan with the Melbourne City Council and the State Government. The plan was to restore the Regent Theatre for musicals. In return, a large hotel would be built on part of the City Square.

The restoration project cost $25 million. It took three years, starting in September 1993. The theatre was completely fixed up. New stage equipment was added. All the beautiful decorations and furniture were recreated using old photos. Even the ticket booth outside was rebuilt!

The Plaza Theatre downstairs was also fully restored to its original ballroom look. This amazing work was overseen by heritage architects Lovell Chen.

The Regent Theatre had a grand reopening event on August 17, 1996. On October 26, the famous musical Sunset Boulevard had its first show there.

Modern Updates in 2019

In April 2019, the Marriner Group worked with the Victorian State Government and the Melbourne City Council again. They started a big update of the Regent Theatre.

They made cosmetic improvements, like new carpets with old designs and paint repairs. A major change was extending the Dress Circle balcony. It was moved four meters closer to the stage. This helps the audience feel more connected to the show. They also changed the seating layout to give everyone better views of the stage.

This project took eight months and cost about $19.4 million. The Regent Theatre reopened on January 11, 2020. The first show was War Horse, which was the first play ever performed at the theatre in its 90-year history!

Past Shows at the Regent Theatre

The Regent Theatre is mostly used for big musicals. Many famous shows have been performed there over the years: