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Theatres· What's In A Name? by Elisabeth Kumm

Brennan's Ampitheatre/Nationai/Palace/New Palace/Apollo/St James/Metro/Palace/Revival Centre/Metro
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The theatre at 20 Bourke Street has probably had more name changes and offered a greater diversity of
entertainment than any other theatre in Melbourne. One need only read through the entertainment pages of
the newspapers over the last eighty years to appreciate the extent of the programs shown. Opening in April
1912 as a live theatre venue, featuring vaudeville and musical comedy routines, it began life as Brennan's
Amphitheatre. Only a week later it was rechristened The National Theatre. It was a modest establishment
with a rather plain and unadorned interior, white walls and a single equally plain balcony. The only colour was
provided by the seating which was blue with white trim.

The shows at the National were not drawing very big crowds and even the showing of 'biograph' pictures was
not enough to prevent its closure in 1916. The proprietors decided to start again with a new name and a
completely new interior. Architect Henry White was commissioned to design an elegant and cheerful theatre;
he was a theatre architect from New Zealand and went on to design many theatres and cinemas in Australia
and his native country.

Renamed the Palace, the theatre was designed with three levels of seating; Stalls, Dress Circle and Family (or
Upper) Circle. Each level had its own pair of semi-circular private boxes on either side of the proscenium. The
balconies were supported by single pillars which were considered a major architectural advancement, other
theatres possessing up to fourteen. It was decorated in the style of Louis XVI (a kind of Edwardian rococo) with
russet and gold as the dominant colours, and the seats were covered in a rich green upholstery.
The Palace operated for the next seven years, showing a varying program of vaudeville, stage plays and films.
In 1923 the theatre was remodelled and reopened as the New Palace. The new owner, Mr Hugh J. Ward, who
was also the lessee of the Princess Theatre, retained Henry White as the architect. Changes to the theatre
were made to the facade, the foyer spaces and the auditorium. The interior was partly redecorated in 'Adam'
style inspired by the widely admired interior White had just completed for The Princess. The boxes were
reduced to just a pair at the balcony levels as at the Princess.
The New Palace opened on March 31 with Sapper's highly successful drama Bulldog Drummond. When
'talkies' became the rage in December 1929 live theatre was replaced, but only for a year and a half. In 1934
the theatre was spruced up again and a new upper circle foyer was one of the major changes. The theatre
reopened on June 26 as The Apollo with The Merry Malones, a musical comedy direct from New York.

In December 1940 films returned and the name had changed to the St. James. In 1942 MGM had become the
sole lessee of the theatre and for the next thirty years the theatre screened classic MGM films. In 1951 , the
name became the Metro-Bourke Street (to distinguish it from MGM'S other Metro in Collins Street) and in
1952 H Vivian Taylor was commissioned to update the theatre, mainly by modernising the facade. The tradi-
tional interior design was retained with the introduction of plush red seats and curtains and a cream and gold
colour scheme for the existing decoration.

In 1954 the introduction of Cinemascope meant that the proscenium and the 1923 Adam style boxes and wing
walls had to be removed in order to accommodate a screen that was almost the full width of the theatre.
1971 saw the return of live theatre when it became known as the Palace for the second time, and Harry M.
Miller presented the long running rock musical Hair. This was followed by No Sex Please We're British and the
film of the Kirov Ballet's Swan Lake.

In 197 4 the theatre became a full time cinema for a short while but the decline in audiences forced its closure
in 1977. Three years later, having survived threats of demolition, it was purchased by the Melbourne Revival
Centre who occupied the building for seven years, presenting the long running Jonah and the Whale. In 1986
the Revivalists moved over to the Forum in Flinders Street and the theatre was purchased by the well known
nightclub operator George Frantzeskos, becoming the Metro Nightclub. The stalls area was levelled and the
stage pushed back behind the proscenium. The decor was contemporised with the introduction of dramatic
lighting machines over the dance floor, designed by noted early 80s architects, Biltmoderne. The surviving
decoration was patched up and repainted effectively restoring a 3-tiered Edwardian theatre (albeit without
boxes, proscenium, backstage or seats).

The Metro still provides Melburnians with entertainment in a venue that dates largely from 1916 and reflects
the great changes in entertainment through the 20th century.
Reprinted with the kind permission of the National Trust of Australia (Vic) • Trust News Dec. 1994

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