Music Hall Theatre Restaurant records, 1961-1980

MLMSS 11309

fonds

1961-1980

9663770

0.16 metres of textual material, 1 box

The Music Hall Theatre Restaurant was a popular entertainment venue located in a converted cinema, the Hoyts Southern Cross, at 156 Military Road, Neutral Bay, Sydney. It was opened by Melbourne impresario George Miller and his wife Lorna in 1961 and operated until 1980 when it was closed due to fire safety issues. The building was demolished and the site is now occupied by a low-rise shop and office complex. The Music Hall Theatre presented light-hearted melodramatic productions which recalled the days of Victorian music hall and vaudeville. Audience participation was a major feature, and the original poster for its debut production, East Lynne, encouraged patrons to: "Hiss the villain, Weep with the Heroine and All join in the choruses. Victorian melodramas generally followed a strict formula where characters were stereotypical and usually included an aristocratic villain, a wronged maiden and a noble hero. They enacted a plot that featured sensational incidents, before an ending in which virtue triumphed over vice.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Music_Hall_(Sydney_theatre)

The records cover the lifespan of the Music Hall Theatre, ca. 1961-1980, and include programs, menus, publicity brochures and posters. They represent most of the plays produced at the theatre. Includes six play scripts, one of which is annotated, presumably by the director.
Posters from this collection are catalogued separately and located at call number POSTERS/-/-

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