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Overview
The Princess Theatre has a remarkable history, almost dating back to Melbourne’s foundation when it operated as an equestrian amphitheatre.
In 1857 it opened as The Princess Theatre and Opera House, with ownership changing on an almost annual basis. The most significant renovation occurred in 1886 when all but the shell was updated. With its marble stairs and grand foyer, the building remains one of the finest examples in Australia of exuberant ‘Second Empire’ architecture.
From 1942 to 1947 it ran exclusively as a cinema due to the scarcities of World War II, reverting back to live theatre in the golden age of Melbourne theatre in the 1950s and 60s.
In 1973, the Princess Theatre was listed by the National Trust, but by the 1980’s had once again slipped into disrepair. In 1986, David Marriner purchased the Princess Theatre and reinstated the 1922 design (most 1886 elements had disappeared through regular renovation). Since December 1989, the restored Princess Theatre has been established as the home of musical theatre in Australia and one of our most loved theatre venues.
After the 2024 Harry Potter season, when the walls were painted dark blue, ICS was commissioned to investigate the 1922 auditorium paint scheme to identify the colours and finishes applied at that time.
Year
2023
Client
Conservation Studio
Services
- Paint Investigation
Awards
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2024 Heritage Conservation
Condition
Methodology
- Conservators removed paint layers through solvent application and mechanical scraping to uncover and sight each application of paint down to, and including, the plaster render, or wood substrate.
- Samples were embedded in clear casting resin to document the stratigraphy.
- Conservators colour matched the 1922 paint scheme with visual reference to the Munsell Colour Chart, and also determined the feasibility of removing acrylic paint layers introduced after 1989.
Treatment
Findings
ICS analysed 252 locations in the Princess Theatre to understand the 1922 decorative scheme. The oldest remaining colour scheme in the theatre was applied in 1922, and no paint schemes from the 19th-century theatre were identified. The major 1922 renovation appears to have entirely removed earlier decorative schemes.
In some locations, a paint scheme believed to be a 1930s refresh of the 1922 scheme was found immediately above the 1922 layer. The 1954 paint scheme, consisting of a sage green base with silver and gold highlights, was also identified across most samples.
After this, numerous acrylic layers were observed, including multiple occurrences of a black paint scheme adopted for various stagings of "The Phantom of the Opera."
The stratigraphy culminates in the current layer of dark blue acrylic paint (Raven's Plume blue) with gold highlights, which was adopted for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
Outcome
The findings were used to verify and ultimately inform a reinstatement of the 1922 paint scheme to satisfy conditions of a Heritage Victoria Permit.
Undertaking paint scrapes in the Auditorium Box
Before treatment
Site of paint scrape
After treatment
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