Page 17 - CinemaRecord #10R.pdf

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Brisbane Re-Visited Diary By Brian Miller

In August, I had to make an unexpected weekend visit to Brisbane, a city I hadn't see~ since holidays in the
Fifties and Sixties. With almost twenty-four hours to spare before the return flight, I wondered what was left of
the theatres and old parts of this sub:tropical metr~polis with the once prominent colonial architecture.

At 6.20pm on Saturday 12th, I phoned the Queensland Performing Arts Centre- yes- one last seat available
for "The Secret Garden". Show starts at 7.30pm, your credit card number, please. The wonders of modern
technology! A five minute taxi ride, ticket ready and waiting as promised.

The Lyric Theatre is very similar in size and scope to our Arts Centre State, but a more restrained decor. As the
building appears rectangular, foyers are spacious and allow for good crowd movement compared to our curved
European-style areas. Again, furnishings are fairly simple but large windows overlooking the Brisbane River
and city skyline provide a dramatic background by day and night.

The Concert Hall and Cremorne theatre were both in use and could not be inspected. There are plans to
construct a fourth 850-900 seat auditorium for smaller musicals and plays. Drawings and models are displayed
in the main foyer. At the end of the performance, it was interesting to note the number of people walking over
Victoria Bridge and into the Casino to complete their evening's entertainment.

On Sunday 13th, I set out from Roma Street at 11.00am and into George Street. Past the former George/
Lyceum with it's distinctly Greater Union foyer, now the Dendy Twin Art Cinema. A location always a bit off-
centre from the city main-stream.

Around to King George Square, much enlarged since the demolition of a row of buildings, including G.U.'s
Tivoli with it's Henry White Princess/Palace/Athenaeum- type auditorium and the unique Roof garden upstairs.
A wartime bomber was on display outside Brisbane City Hall to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of VP day. In
size, little more than a light aircraft by today's standards.

Brisbane City Hall remains unaltered as far as I could discern, an imposing example of a classic 1930 civic
building. Church architecture is probably the fore-runner of all hall and auditorium design and across the
square stands the beautiful red-brick Victorian Gothic Albert Street Uniting (formerly Wesley) Church. Built in
1889 and splendidly maintained, the interior with it's pipe organ and pillared balcony is a must see for anyone
interest.

Proceeding along Adelaide Street and past Anzac Square, I noticed another large brown-brick church building
in Federation style on the corner of Ann and Creek Streets. Looking in the front door revealed a modest
Sunday school-type hall only, belieing it's plain but imposing exterior. Using the magic words "I'm a visitor
from Melbourne" a second time, I was immediately ushered upstairs and into St. Andrews (ex Presbyterian)
Uniting Church, opened in 1905.

As sweeping and modeme in style as the other was ornate and intricate, it is interest to note .. only sixteen years
separate the two buildings in design. Magnificent stained glass windows ~nd C! pipe organ dominate the interior
and a recent roof replacement costing $300,000 has left the maintenance fund depleted. The steep corner site
allowed the hall to be built in the basement, thus pre-dating our Regent/Plaza multiple auditorium combination
by almost twenty-five years.

Around into Queen Street, now a pedestrian mall, Birch, Carroll and Coyle/G.U's very 1920's Wintergarden,
the Odean/Majestic and J.C. Williamson/Hoyts Theatres Her Majesty's all swept away in a tide of redevelopment.
Happily, the Wintergarden name has been retained on the new centre. Nearby, the Hoyts sign remains on the
relatively narrow frontage to Queen Street of the Regent. The original Gothic entrance foyer is intact apart
from slight flaking of the chivalry scenes on the painted ceiling.

This mighty Regent opened on 8th November, 1929 and I saw a long-forgotten Loretta Young film "Half Angel"
here in 1952. On the right hand side of the main staircase are photographs of the theatre in it's glory days and
reproductions of newspaper articles of the opening night. Not to be missed by theatre buffs! A very young
usher kindly allowed me a brief inspection of two of the now four auditoriums. Cinema one is an art house
decorated in modified nostalgic "Regent" style. The other three and the upstairs foyer have been completely
remodelled in 1980's decor. If I remember correctly, the original theatre was second only in size to the Melbourne
Regent.