Theatre Royal

Opening night, "Hollywood Hotel Revue", Theatre Royal, Sydney, 23 September 1938, by Sam Hood.
Address	25 Martin Place 108 King Street
Location	New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33°52′05″S 151°12′32″E / 33.868°S 151.2088°E / -33.868; 151.2088
Owner	Dexus, NSW Government[1]
Operator	Trafalgar Entertainment[1]
Type	Performing Arts Venue
Capacity	1,200
Construction
Opened	1875
Renovated	2021[1]
Demolished	1971
Rebuilt	1976
Years active	1875-1971, 1976-2016, 2021-
Architect	Barnett Levey (original building) Harry Seidler (1976 reopening)
Website
www.theatreroyalsydney.com

Theatre Royal Sydney is a theatre in Sydney, Australia built in 1976 and has offered a broad range of entertainment since the 1990s. The theatre reopened in December 2021 under parent company Trafalgar Entertainment with patrons now able to book tickets directly from the venue itself with its Box Office operating 7 days a week.^[1]

Earlier theatres also called the Theatre Royal, on the same site, date back to 1833.^[2]

Earlier theatres

First Theatre Royal

Construction by Barnett Levey of the first Theatre Royal commenced in 1827 and was opened on 5 October 1833. It closed in March 1838 and a few days later Joseph Wyatt's Royal Victoria Theatre, a much larger building, was opened, with an entrance on Pitt Street. Levey's Theatre Royal burned to the ground in 1840 with the "Vic" (Royal Victoria), which abutted the rear, having a narrow escape. However, the "Vic" was itself totally destroyed by fire on 22 July 1880.^[3]

Second Theatre Royal

The Prince of Wales Theatre was built in 1855 and destroyed by fire in 1860, rebuilt and burned down again in 1872. It was rebuilt by Samuel Lazar and, as the "Theatre Royal", opened in 1875 between King and Rowe streets on Castlereagh Street, on the other side of which would in 1890 be built the famous Australia Hotel. The theatre was leased by J. C. Williamson's from 1882 to 1978. On 17 June 1892 the auditorium was largely destroyed by fire.^[4] This was the third theatre fire on the site.

It reopened on 7 January 1893 with a much improved electric lighting system.^[5] Its interior was substantially remodelled in 1921 by architect Henry Eli White.^[6]

Current theatre

In 1971–72 the theatre, along with the Hotel Australia, and much of the block on which it was situated, was demolished to construct the MLC Centre. Public agitation and action by construction unions once it was closed to save it resulted in the developer Lendlease incorporating a replacement 1,180-seat theatre into the design. Designed by Harry Seidler in a plain modernist style, along with the rest of the complex, the current Theatre Royal opened in 1976, with entry from King Street, between Pitt Street and Castlereagh Street.

The theatre has hosted a mix of entertainment from dramas, comedies and musicals, with notable productions such as The King and I, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, War Horse, Cats (1985-1987), Les Misérables (1987-1988), and Phantom of the Opera (1993-1996).

The theatre closed in March 2016 amid development of the MLC Centre and calls for a new larger lyric theatre to be built.^{[7][8][9][10]}

In March 2019, the NSW Government announced it had taken on a 55-year lease of the theatre from the MLC Centre developers, with the intention to re-open the venue with a private operator.^[11]

It was announced that the theatre will reopen in late 2021, after it was acquired by Trafalgar Entertainment, the company of British theatre impresarios Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire.^[1]

In November 2021, Theatre Royal Sydney opened with its first production, Jagged Little Pill the musical commencing the same week with it proceeded by Girl From The North Country and An American In Paris.