Comedy Theatre, Melbourne

The Comedy Theatre is a 1003-seat theatre in Melbourne's East End Theatre District. It was built in 1928, and was designed in the Spanish style, with a Florentine-style exterior and wrought-iron balconies. It is located at 240 Exhibition Street, and diagonally opposite Her Majesty's Theatre.

Comedy Theatre
Address240 Exhibition Street
Melbourne
Australia
Coordinates37°48′37″S 144°58′13″E
OwnerMarriner Group
Capacity1003
Opened28 April 1928[1][2]
Website
www.marrinergroup.com.au

It typically hosts commercial seasons of plays and smaller-scale musicals, as well as comedy and other entertainment events.

History

The site at the corner of Lonsdale and Stephen streets was from June 1842 to October 1854 an entertainment venue, "Rowe's American Circus", where George Benjamin William Lewis gained his foothold in Australia. In December 1854 it was licensed as the "Royal Victoria Theatre",[3] then demolished, to be replaced by a prefabricated iron building imported from Manchester, England for George Coppin. Tentatively named "New Theatre",[4] it was christened on 11 June 1855 as "Coppin's Olympic Theatre",[5] and held its first theatrical performance on 30 July.[6] One of Melbourne's earliest play-houses, it was the venue of some of Gustavus Vaughan Brooke's greatest triumphs, but the "Iron Pot", as it came to be known,[7] was hot in summer and cold in winter[8] and was soon displaced by architecturally superior theatres, and was abandoned in 1894.

Opened on 28 April 1928,[1] the Comedy Theatre was built and operated for fifty years by J. C. Williamson's. Paul Dainty purchased the theatre in 1978 for $800,000.[9] Since 1996 the theatre has been owned and operated by Marriner Group.

Previous productions

Previous notable productions and performers at the Comedy Theatre include:[10]

  • Fresco
    Fresco
  • Fresco detail
    Fresco detail
  • Fresco detail
    Fresco detail
  • Windows
    Windows
  • Theatre in December 2012
    Theatre in December 2012

References
  1. "Comedy Theatre Opening". The Argus. Melbourne. 28 April 1928. p. 26. Retrieved 4 December 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "NEW MELBOURNE THEATRE". The Argus. Melbourne. 27 April 1928. p. 11. Retrieved 4 December 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "New Theatre". The Age. Vol. I, no. 39. Victoria, Australia. 1 December 1854. p. 5. Retrieved 22 August 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "New Theatre in Lonsdale Street". The Age. Vol. I, no. 156. Victoria, Australia. 19 April 1855. p. 5. Retrieved 22 August 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Advertising". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 2522. Victoria, Australia. 9 June 1855. p. 8. Retrieved 22 August 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Coppin's Olympic Theatre". The Argus. Melbourne. 27 July 1855. p. 4. Retrieved 4 December 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Melbourne's Oldest Theatres". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. 21 January 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 4 December 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "Byone Days". The Australasian. Vol. XLI, no. 1063. Victoria, Australia. 14 August 1886. p. 8. Retrieved 22 August 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Theatre bought". The Canberra Times. Vol. 52, no. 15, 584. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 23 May 1978. p. 18. Retrieved 28 April 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "AusStage - Comedy Theatre". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  11. "AusStage".
  12. "AusStage".
  13. "AusStage".
  14. "AusStage".
  15. "AusStage".
  16. "AusStage".
  17. "Yes, Prime Minister Cast Announced | Stage Whispers".
  18. "Madiba the Musical | Stage Whispers".
  19. "33 Variations (Comedy Theatre)". 12 March 2019.
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