The Garrick Theatre was a theatre and music hall at 79–83 Castlereagh Street in Sydney from 1890 to 1929. The theatre was renamed the Tivoli Theatre in 1893 and operated as a popular vaudeville venue. It was destroyed by fire in 1899 and rebuilt. The theatre closed in 1929.
The location of the Garrick Theatre on Castlereagh Street in Sydney had a history of use for entertainment venues including a circus (Olympic Circus 1851–1852), a theatre (including the Royal Marionette Theatre of Australia, and the Royal Albert Theatre, 1852–1854), a dance hall (Scandinavian Hall)[1] a variety house (Victoria Hall 1880s) and finally as the Academy of Music.[2] In 1887 the Colonial Architect forced the closure of the venue[2][3] and three years later in 1890 it was demolished to make way for the Garrick Theatre.[2]
The Garrick Theatre was designed by the architect E. Weitzel,[4][5] built by Messrs. Brown and Tapson[5] and the principal decorators were Messrs. H. H. Groth, Jun., and Co. and the ceiling murals were painted by Lorenzini.[5] The building was in the Federation Free Classical architectural style.[6]
The auditorium of the theatre was 45 ft x 55 ft and could seat approximately 1,000 people in the stalls, orchestra chairs, dress circle, family circle, and private boxes.[5]
The Garrick Theatre opened on 22 December 1890.[7]
Tivoli Theatre
In February 1893 Harry Rickards, the vaudeville showman, took over the lease of the Garrick Theatre renaming it the Tivoli Theatre.[7][8][9][10] He made some changes to the building, raising the orchestra pit and installing another sliding roof and opened on 18 February 1893.[2]
The building was destroyed by fire in 1899.[11][12] It was rebuilt after the fire with a new building behind the remaining facade of the former theatre[8] and reopened on 12 April 1900.[13] The new building was larger and could seat 1,200 people.[8] A collection of the Tivoli Theatre programs from 1893 to 1912 is held in the collections of the State Library of New South Wales.[14]
Following Rickards death the Tivoli Theatre continued to operate until J. C. Williamson's closed it down in 1929.[15][16]
