THE REGENT THEATRE: MELBOURNE’S PALACE OF DREAMS by Frank Van Straten (Second Hand Book)

SECOND HAND BOOK

WELCOME TO THE REGENT

The history of Melbourne’s Regent and Plaza Theatres is a remarkable saga of determination to create – pitched against a series of seemingly insurmountable setbacks.

From its completion in 1929, this landmark building has seen as much drama in life as it ever saw on celluloid: war, depression, fire, street protests, bans, enquires and a quarter of century of controversy.

The closure of the Regent Theatre in 1970 was followed by calls from successive Lord Mayors for its demolition. The building survived only through the protection of union green bans and pressure from community groups. The stand-off resulted in over twenty years of civic inertia, during which prospects for a meaningful rebirth of this beloved ‘Palace of Dreams’ seemed increasingly unlikely.

It is therefore all the more remarkable that David Marriner has been able to achieve such a handsome restoration of these magnificent spaces. He did it by bringing together a number of disparate parties, all of whom became essential players in the financial and intellectual management of this enterprise: David and Elaine Marriner’s Princess Theatre group, The Construction and Building Union’s  Superannuation Fund, their joint venture company, Staged Developments Australia, the State government, the Melbourne City Council, and the Regent Management Group.

The project has included major expenditure on restoring the Regent Theatre to its former grandeur, reinstatement of the opulent Plaza Ballroom and construction of a modern fly tower and other state -of -the -art backstage facilities. This was necessary so that the building can provide a home for world class theatre and can offer premium convention, function and dining facilities all in the very heart of the city. The end product also reflects the skills and pride of workmanship of Australian building workers and technical staff.

The re-opening of the Regent Theatre and the Plaza Ballroom is not only a great achievement in financial, technical and aesthetic terms; it also has psychological significance for Melbourne. In this sense, the Australian premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard raises the curtain on a new and exciting era for Collins Street, and it returns to this city, at last, the Regent and the Plaza – two of its most splendid and best loved venues.

Specifications:

Condition: Fair,  slightly tears’ mark on the spine

Publisher: ELM Publishing

Year: 1996

Format: Softcover

Pages: 95

ISBN: 0958675007

$30.00

1 in stock