1. The foyer of the Theatre Royal, Sydney
    Photograph: Nigel Kippers/Time out
  2. Theatre Royal auditorium
    Photograph: Pierre Toussaint
  3. Theatre Royal stage
    Photograph: Pierre Toussaint

Theatre Royal Sydney

One of Sydney's modernist masterpieces has had a top-to-bottom glow-up after a five-year hiatus
  • Theatre
  • Sydney
Maxim Boon
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Time Out says

To date, four Theatre Royals have raised a curtain on this site in the CBD, dating back almost as long as Sydney has existed. The current incarnation, a Harry Seidler-designed architectural treasure, was opened in 1976 within the MLC Centre, replacing the 1875 Theatre Royal, and for decades, it reigned as one of Sydney's most hallowed Broadway-style venues, hosting the Australian premieres of both Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, the latter running for a whopping three years and seen by more than a million thetregoers.

However, in 2016, long overdue for a glow-up, the theatre closed its doors. But not for good. Plans were afoot to make significant upgrades and extensions to the MLC Centre that would revitalise the heart of the CBD as a vibrant entertainment, retail and nightlife hub.

Five years later, and the Theatre Royal has undergone a top-to-bottom upgrade of both its front-of-house and backstage facilities. Reopened to the public on November 29, it's now the crowning jewel in the ambitious multibillion-dollar 25 Martin Place development.

The venue is under the management of Trafalgar Entertainment, one of London's most experienced theatre operators.

Details

Address
25 Martin Place
108 King St
Sydney
2000
Opening hours:
Box office: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.

What’s on

Cats

4 out of 5 stars
In musical theatre circles, Cats is the show that everyone loves to hate, dismissing it as “weird” and “uncool”. So let me begin this review by stating that I love Cats. I listened to the cast recording over and over as a child, I met my best friend on a Cats mailing list (remember those?) when I was sixteen, and there's probably still some old Cats fanfiction floating around out there that I wrote in my teens. This much maligned show doesn't deserve the hate it gets.  When Cats was first performed in the early 1980s, it was hailed as groundbreaking, bridging the gap between concept musicals and mega musicals in a way no show had done before. It won both Olivier and Tony awards for best musical, and ran for decades on the West End and Broadway. These days, it’s viewed more as a “guilty pleasure” – the show you secretly enjoy but are supposed to pretend you don’t, lest you be seen as uncultured. But why? Concept musicals based around a theme rather than a traditional narrative have existed since the 1950s, with notable examples including Cabaret, Hair and Company. Dance-heavy musicals are also not a unique concept. Cats isn't even the only show to combine these two elements. But while shows like A Chorus Line and Pippin are hailed as iconic, Cats – which is essentially A Chorus Line with tails – is not shown the same love.  Cats may not be too heavy on the plot, but it’s a show for people who love the little details Much of the criticism surrounding Cats comes from wanting...
  • Musicals
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