Her Majesty's Theatre

Her Majesty's Theatre

This gorgeous Art Deco venue has a history dating back to the early 19th century
  • Theatre
  • Melbourne
Adena Maier
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Time Out says

In 1839, a gentleman named George Porter purchased a plot of land in Melbourne for £100, or the modern-day equivalent of more than 20,000 Australian dollars. It remained virtually untouched until the 1850s, at which point it became occupied by offices and shopfronts, and it wasn't until 1880 that it became home to some of our city's earliest cultural events. 

After operating as the Hippodrome for a few years, a property developer caught wind of its popularity and decided to turn it into what was at the time the largest theatre in the Southern Hemisphere. It was named the Alexandra Theatre in honour of the then-Princess of Wales, and thanks to the help of several playwrights, theatrical producers and architects, it prospered. 

The theatre was renamed His Majesty's Theatre in 1924, in honour of King George V, and then in 1953, it became Her Majesty's in honour of Elizabeth II. In recent history, it's been home to productions including Hamilton and Disney's Frozen.

Want to snag the best seats in the house? Consult our guide on where to sit in Melbourne's theatres.

Details

Address
219 Exhibition St
Melbourne
3000
Transport:
Nearby stations: Flinders Street; Parliament; Melbourne Central

What’s on

MJ the Musical

3 out of 5 stars
It's been seen by more than a million people on Broadway and many more on the West End, and now the Tony Award-winning MJ the Musical is heading to Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. Centred around the making of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour, MJ the Musical features more than 25 of Michael Jackon’s biggest pop hits set to show-stopping dance numbers, including ‘Beat It’, ‘Smooth Criminal’, ‘Man In The Mirror’ and ‘Thriller’. MJ the Musical is showing at Her Majesty's Theatre from September 9 until December 14. For more information and to book tickets, head to the website. *** Time Out Sydney reviewed MJ the Musical when it played at Sydney's Lyric Theatre in March. Read on for that three-star review:   If you’re of a certain age, you have history (HIStory, perhaps?) with Michael Jackson. I remember getting ‘Thriller’ on cassette as a kid. Dangerous was one of the first CDs I ever owned. I remember seeing the extended music video for ‘Thriller’ on VHS, which came packaged with a behind-the-scenes documentary. One woman, cornered for a quick vox pop at one of the filming locations, asserted that she loved Jackson because he was “down to earth”, which is darkly hilarious in hindsight.  Down to earth? The press called him “wacko Jacko” – we all did. He slept in a hyperbaric chamber. He owned the Elephant Man’s skeleton. His skin kept getting paler, his nose thinner. What a weird guy! Was any of it true? Hard to say. Even today, when a careless tweet is like a drop of blood...
  • Musicals
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