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From the western end a gallery
overlooked and accommodated the
orchestra, an approximation of the old
minstrel’s gallery of Elizabethan times.
Room was also available for guests
who wanted an elevated view of below.
The walls were a roughcast of bright
but gentle biscuit buff tone and
handsome ultra-modern electroliers (of
metal-framed dulled glass). Standing in
front of the gallery, halfway between
the balustrade and the floor, was a
modern 13ft high soda fountain. At the
rear of this structure was the kitchen,
bakehouse and servery, with the most
modern appliances available including a
dishwashing and drying machine. Huge
gas jets supplied the baking ovens. The
tea-rooms (later the ‘Cabaret’) just
described, could be entered from two
levels - off the main entrance in Willis
Street or from Boulcott Street.
Construction was by Hansford and Sixty feet back from the street, the
The auditorium consisted of a stalls
Mills from plans by architect W.J. entrance opened into a spacious lounge
floor and dress circle, orchestral well
Prouse of Fuller-Haywards. The Willis or foyer, convenient for people
and a stage of impressive dimensions.
Street frontage - the old façade, which attending the theatre. On either side a
The auditorium was 162ft in depth and
was 60ft in width - was entirely stairway led up to the theatre and a
110ft in breadth - at the time the largest
remodelled along modern lines: a plain large well equipped cloakroom for both
in New Zealand. Perhaps the most
dignified façade of graceful lines, men and women.
crowning feature of the main ceiling
displacing the old front, whilst a high Straight ahead from the foyer, lofty was a magnificent rose-like dome some
suspended veranda gave ample shelter glass doors admitted people to the tea 56ft in diameter (half the breadth of the
to the broad sidewalk below. The actual rooms and supper lounge (70ft x 12ft) dome of St Paul’s London), the apex of
entrance to the theatre (30ft in width) capable of accommodating some 500
was laid down in mosale, the cleanest people at a sitting, without obtruding
and neatest of design. As one passed upon the central electrically illuminated
between the mosale pillars, stepping dancing floor (27ft x 21ft), a feature
across the mottled door you moved into (then new to New Zealand) of Parisian
a vast hallway covered with smooth origin. Within this magnificent room
rubber flooring. This entrance was were great inglenooks supported by
flanked with oak showcases illuminated pine beams of Elizabethan dimensions
by artistic standard lamps, which shed a containing vast fireplaces (9ft in width)
soft, nicely defused light creating just built of bronzed bricks, canopied by
the right atmosphere. copper coloured cowls which swept up
to the ceiling. which was 66ft from the stalls floor and
was made to the architect’s design by
the Carrara Ceiling Company of
Wellington. In addition there were
lights (7ft in length) of squared gilt-
metal and glass, hanging gracefully
from the ceiling of each side of the
dome, along with lights of the same
design.
On each side of the stage sat two
large black panthers whose eyes
glowed a bright red. These would fade
out exactly as the last house light did,
in perfect synchronisation.

Photos: Top- Still an imposing building in
1980. Photographer Robert Hatten/
D. Lascelles collection.
Above & Left: From the centre page of the
Opening Program.

CINEMARECORD 2010 23