The Theatre Royal Sydney to 1913
The first Theatre Royal in Sydney was built by Barnett Levey. Levey was the brother of a convict and thought that the citizens of Sydney deserved their own entertainment venue. It was located where Dymocks bookshop now stands at 428 George Street.
It was 1827 and Sydney was
primarily a town of convicts, emancipists, soldiers, and some free settlers.
Governor Darling, a conservative man was in charge of the colony. Darling did
not approve of theatricals and after Levey built his theatre, refused
permission for performances.
Levey had built the theatre
behind his hotel, the Royal Hotel, and in order to circumvent the prohibition
presented concerts and one man acts in the space.
Darling left Sydney in 1831 and
a new Governor, Bourke, took his place. Bourke was more lenient than his
predecessor and gave permission for theatre performances. In 1832 Levey hired
several actors and the first officially sanctioned professional plays took
place in Sydney.
Levey, by all accounts was
somewhat of a drunkard and a terrible organiser. It was inevitable that the
demands of theatre management were beyond him. He leased the theatre to a
consortium headed by a man named Wyatt. Wyatt ran the theatre until 1837 when
his lease expired. Wyatt was however still interested in management and built a
new theatre in Pitt Street Sydney. Most of the actors from the Royal moved
there. The new theatre, called the Royal Victoria, opened in 1838. It was here
that George Coppin, the ‘father of Australian theatre’ first appeared in
Australia.
Barnett Levey died in 1837 in
mysterious circumstances and his theatre, the Royal, burnt to the ground in
1840. The name ‘Theatre Royal’ fell into disuse for some decades after 1840. It
wasn’t until 1875 that the name was once again used in Sydney
Wyatt ran the Royal Victoria for many years. In 1855 he had to sell, He opened a new theatre on unfashionable Castlereagh Street. It was called the Prince of Wales and located on the site of the current Theatre Royal.
At the Prince of Wales, Wyatt
attempted to produce Opera to compete with the more profitable Royal Victoria.
Disaster struck in 1860 when Wyatt’s theatre was burnt to the ground. A common
occurrence for theatres at that time. Their wooden structure and reliance on
candlelight made them prime candidates for such disasters.
By 1861 the theatre had been
rebuilt and rechristened. It was now the Prince of Wales Opera House and leased
to William Saurin Lyster. Lyster is generally held to be responsible for the
first quality opera productions in Australia.
Just over ten years later fire
again struck the theatre and the Prince of Wales was no more. A new theatre was
built and given the name Theatre Royal. A theatre of that name has stood on
that spot in Sydney ever since.
The first night of the Royal
was December 11th 1875. It opened under the management of
Samuel Lazer. It had red velvet chairs and was decorated in white, gold, and
grey with a large glass chandelier as a centrepiece.
In this guise the theatre
presented such famous names as Mrs Scott Siddons , George Rignold and the
Soldene Opera company. The latter was well known for it’s beautiful and
scantily clad girls. Perhaps the most significant event at this time was the
arrival of the man who was to become one of Australia’s foremost theatrical
entrepreneurs. James Cassius Williamson.
Williamson and his wife Maggie
Moore, arrived in Sydney in 1874. They presented the play, Struck Oil. Both
were American. Williamson had started his career in New York at Wallacks
Theatre. He had subsequently moved to San Francisco where he had met Maggie.
The two, like many before them decided to try their luck in Sydney. It was to
be the start of a lifelong relationship between Williamson and the city.
In 1878, the Williamson and
Moore pairing returned to Australia. Williamson had secured the rights to HMS
Pinafore from Gilbert. This was the beginning of a profitable relationship for
both men. In 1879 he produced the authorised HMS Pinafore at the Theatre Royal
in Sydney.
Williamson’s vigorous defence
of his rights and Gilbert and Sullivan’s rights, led to him being given the
rights to all Gilbert and Sullivan productions in Australia. It was this stroke
of good fortune which led to Williamson’s management career. He found that good
and popular material such as Gilbert and Sullivan productions did not need the
presence of himself or Maggie to attract audiences. This lead to him producing
one show and performing in others at the same time.
In 1882 Williamson formed a
partnership, known as the firm or the triumvirate, with two other men ,George
Musgrove and Arthur Garner. Musgrove had the advantage of being in a
relationship with the popular Australian musical comedy star, Nellie Stewart.
The three men soon controlled the Theatre Royal in Melbourne, the Royal in
Adelaide and the Theatre Royal in Sydney.
During the 1880s under the
auspices of these three men several important international artists appeared in
Australia. The firm believed strongly in using imported acts to attract local
audiences. Amongst the acts in the 1880s were, American actress, Genevieve
Ward, Irish actor/playwright Dion Boucicault, and Fred Leslie, English actor.
Amongst the local artists was Johann Krause, Australian violinist. In 1885, the
Royal also saw the first appearance of Mrs Armstrong, who was later better
known, as Nellie Melba.
The depression of the 1890s
effected the theatre industry just as it did other Australian industries. The
firm however held a trump card. In 1891 the world’s most famous actress, Sarah
Bernhardt performed at The Royal . Bernhardt performed in French. The audience
followed the performance by using printed booklets in English. The reaction
from the public was overwhelming.
By this time Musgrove and
Williamson were having business differences and this eventually lead to the
dissolution of the partnership between the two in 1901.
In the early 20th century,
control of the Theatre Royal fluctuated between the two men. Musgrove presented
Nellie Stewart in the very successful Sweet Nell of Ol Drury. Williamson on the
other hand continued to present a variety of imported acts. For example in 1905
Williamson presented Scottish actor, Julius Knight, with Maud Jeffries in a
season of plays. Maud , an American, eventually settled in Australia and
retired from the stage.
Williamson was looking to
reduce his responsibilities. He sold shares in the company to business manager
George Tallis and Gustave Ramaciotti. Ramaciotti was the firms financial
manager. In 1908, Ramaciotti bought the freehold title of the Theatre Royal in
Sydney and it remained in his family’s hands until they sold it in 1970.
Williamson had been offered the freehold but believed that management and
ownership did not mix.
In 1911, Dame Nellie Melba
played a season at the royal and was supported by young Irish Tenor John McCormack.
In 1912 Australian born Oscar Asche and his wife Lily Brayton played. Later
that year English born Hilda Spong graced the stage. Hilda liked Australia so
much that she stayed for 14 years.
Williamson was ailing. He made
his last Australian stage appearance at a benefit performance in Sydney in
1913. On 6th July that year he died in France. He was buried in
his home country, the United States.
Williamson the man may have
passed, but his legacy and name dominated the Australian legitimate theatre
scene for decades afterwards
No comments:
Post a Comment