Mercury Theatre (Auckland)
Encyclopedia
The Mercury Theatre is a theatre
in Auckland
, New Zealand
, located on Mercury Lane, off Karangahape Road
. It was built in 1910, by the architect Edward Bartley
and is the oldest surviving theatre in Auckland. Built in the English Baroque
style, it was initially known as the Kings Theatre. However, in 1926, on being converted into a cinema, a new entrance on Karangahape Road was built. This is now the Norman Ng building.
From 1968 to 1991 it was the premises of the Mercury Theatre Company. In 1966 the Auckland Theatre Trust was established by Professor John C Reid
. It raised finance to open the building as a professional theatre in 1968. The first production initiated by the theatre was The Admirable Crichton
by J.M. Barrie. At least 12 productions were put on annually after this period ranging from children's pantomimes to serious tragedy-dramas including those by Shakespeare and Chekhov
. Notable actors who performed at the theatre during their careers include Pam Ferris
, Lee Grant, Roy Billing
, George Henare
, Michael Hurst
and Ian Mune
. Raymond Hawthorne joined the theatre in 1971 and worked as an actor, director and a tutor and became artistic director of the theatre in 1985 until its closure in 1992.
Although the theatre steadily attracted visitors, the extravagance of the theatre productions and running costs forced the Mercury Theatre as it was to close in 1992.
In November 2009 the Equippers Church, who have been using and currently own the theatre, put the building up for sale for 'upwards of' two million dollars.
The Admirable Crichton,
Dark of the Moon,
Alfie,
Fings Ain't What They Used To Be,
The Merchant of Venice,
A Flea in her Ear,
Wait Until Dark,
Caucasian Chalk Circle,
There's a Girl in my Soup,
Lock Up Your Daughters,
Winnie the Pooh
An Evening of Mime with Francis Batten,
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,
Under Milk Wood,
Toad of Toad Hall,
The Crucible,
Teahouse of the August Moon,
Lysistrata,
Hamlet,
A Farewell Performance by Francis Batten,
Semi-Detached,
Marat/Sade,
Virtue in Danger,
Irma la Douce,
The Sun Rises in the West
Hadrian,
Earth and Sky,
Alice in Wonderland,
The Price,
I Do! I Do!,
Dames at Sea,
The Ruling Class,
The Birthday Party,
Othello,
Henry IV,
Zorba,
The National Health,
Narrow Road to the Deep North
The Hostage,
The Lark,
Prospect from the Park,
The Magistrate,
Tiki and Things That Go Bump in the Night,
Peer Gynt,
Oh What a Lovely War,
As You Like It,
Forget-Me-Not Lane,
Sergeant Musgrave's Dance,
The Country Wife,
Canterbury Tales
MacRune's Guevara,
Conduct Unbecoming,
Charley's Aunt,
Kean,
A Man for All Seasons,
The Skin of our Teeth,
Love's Laour's Lost,
Threepenny Opera,
Tom-Tom and the Happy Army,
You Never Can Tell,
There's a Leek in Your Hat,
Lulu,
Guys and Dolls
Jumpers,
Hay Fever,
The Lady's Not For Burning,
The Rocking Cave,
The Owl and the Pussy Cat,
Mister King Hongi,
Butley,
The Misanthrope,
Macbeth,
Lear,
Annie Get Your Gun
You Can't Take It with You,
Macbett,
A Little Night Music,
Saturday, Sunday, Monday,
Heroes and Butterflies,
Three Sisters,
Jacques Brel,
Absurd Person Singular,
The Wizard of Oz,
King Lear,
Equus,
Ground Level,
The Sea Horse,
Cabaret,
An Evening with Katherine Mansfield
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,
Elephant,
London Assurance,
Pinocchio's Travelling Circus,
The Taming of the Shrew,
A Marvellous Party,
Travesties,
The Mouse Man,
Kiss Me Kate,
Marieken
Tarantara! Tarantara!,
Happy Arcadia,
Savages,
Agincourt,
Toad of Toad Hall,
A Little Night Music,
Otherwise Engaged,
From Berlin to Broadway,
The Duchess of Malfi,
Chermin de fer,
More Canterbury Tales
Trumpets and Drums,
Well Hung,
The Last of the Knucklmen,
Diary of a Madman,
Cupid in Transit,
Man of La Mancha,
A Stretch of the Imagination,
Blithe Spirit,
Super Peg,
Hello and Goodbye,
Lost in the Stars,
Mrs Kiwi Arthur,
Glide Time,
Julius Caesar,
When You Comin' Back Red Ryder,
The World of Good,
Arsenic and Old Lace,
Alpha Beta,
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Royal Hunt of the Sun,
Mrs Kiwi Arthur Present,
The White Cliffs,
Rattle of a Simple Man,
Cole,
Bullshot Crummond,
The Cat and the Canary,
The Merchant of Venice,
Dirty Linen,
New Found Land,
Middle Age Spread,
The Rivals,
Ashes,
Habeas Corpus,
State of Revolution,
Private Lives,
The Good Doctor,
Tomorrow will be a Lovely Day
Cinderella,
Something's Afoot,
Henry IV Part I,
Same Time Next Year,
State of the Play,
Old Kind Cole,
Just Between Ourselves,
Man Friday,
The Naval Officer,
Abigal's Party,
The Club,
Don Juan Comes Back from the War,
Privates on Parade,
Spider's Web,
Writer's Cramp,
The School for Scandal,
Staircase,
Home
The Adventures of Robin Hood,
Mime over Matter,
Bedroom Farce,
P and O - 1930,
Uncle Vanya,
Prisoners of Mother England,
Mothers and Fathers,
Godspell,
A Midsummer Night's Dream,
Comedians,
Once a Catholic,
Gershwin,
A Life in the Theatre,
Whose Life is it Anyway?,
Just One Last Dance,
The Boy Friend
You're a Good Man Charlie Brown,
Moby Dick Rehearsed,
The Importance of Being Earnest,
Stage Struck,
Father's Day,
50/50,
Bremen Coffee,
Too Darn Hot,
Brecht Songs,
The Puny Little Life Show,
The Taming of the Shrew,
Potiphar's Wife,
Between Night and Morning,
Hancock's Last Half Hour,
Flight of the Godwit,
An Enemy of the People,
Barbarians,
Prisoners of Mother England,
Middle Age Spread,
Hosanna,
Sauce for the Gander,
The Immortalist,
Glide Time,
Bodies,
Oliver
Aladdin,
The Great Kiwi Concert Party,
Noel and Cole,
Blood of the Lamb,
The Silver Screen Blues,
Sooty,
She Stoops to Conquer,
St Mark's Gospel,
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant,
Once on Chunuk Bair,
The Matchmaker,
Einstein,
Dracula,
Secrets,
Tomfoolery,
Hot Water,
Fresh Recovering Pleasures,
Amadeus,
Setting the Table,
Foreskin's Lament,
Cloud Nine,
Snoopy,
Jesus Christ Superstar,
Ladies, Love and Life
Armageddon Revisited,
A Victorian Music Hall,
Pygmallion,
Demolition Job,
The King and I,
Pass the Butler,
Objection Overruled,
Madama Butterfly,
Virginia,
King of Hearts,
L'elisir d'amore,
On Our Selection,
What's Entertainment,
The Morning Tiger,
Chicago,
Tooth and Claw,
Not About Heroes,
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You,
On the Razzle,
Engaged,
L'Italiana in Algeri,
Fallen Angels
Steaming,
Insignificance,
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,
'night Mother,
The Real Thing,
Summer,
Rigoletto,
Multiple Choice,
Summit Conference,
Masterpieces,
Manon Lescaut,
Footrot Flats,
Noises Off,
Pack of Women,
Sweet Charity,
Down an Alley Filled with Cats
The Pirates of Penzance,
Loving Women,
Ballad of Jonas Bones
Hay Fever,
A Stretch of the Imagination,
Death of a Salesman,
When the Wind Blows,
The Rink,
Ordinary Nights in Ward 10,
Carmen,
Out to Lunch,
Agnes of God,
Caravan,
The Gospel according to Taane,
Wild Honey,
Coaltown Blues,
Sweeney Todd,
The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd,
Change of Heart,
Tosca,
Side by Side,
Camille,
Say Thank-you to the Lady
Major Barbara,
Stepping Out
The Normal Heart,
La Traviata,
Bert and Maisie
Dream of Sussex Downs,
The Song is You,
West Side Story,
Siamese Twins,
School for Clowns,
Tales of Hoffman,
The Winslow Boy,
Conversations with a Fainthearted Feminist,
Peter Pan: The Musical
A Streetcar named Desire,
Romeo and Juliet,
Breaking the Code,
The Mikado,
The Sound of Music,
Squatter,
I'm Not Rappoport,
Les liaisons dangereuses,
Gershwin by George,
Oedipus Rex,
Ladies Night,
Gypsy,
The Kiss of the Spider Woman
The Share Club,
The Rivers of China,
Bloodknot,
Twelfth Night,
Lucia di Lammermoor,
The Homecoming,
South Pacific,
Burn This,
Beauty and the Beast,
Brighton Beach Memoirs,
The Irving Berlin Show,
Madam Butterfly,
Nana,
Rodgers and Hart,
Frankie and Johnnie in the Clair de Lune,
The Three Musketeers,
Yerma,
Ladies Night
A View from the Bridge,
The Cherry Orchard,
Judy,
Faust,
Fiddler on the Roof,
Courting Blackbird,
A Doll's House,
Mrs Klein,
Our Country's Good,
Don Giovanni,
The Secret Rapture,
The Rover,
After the Crash,
A Marvellous Party,
La serva padrona and The impresario
Hamlet,
Oracles and Miracles,
Shirley Valentine,
The Sex Fiend,
Turnadot,
Carousel,
This Joint is Jumpin',
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
Slice of Saturday Night,
Single Spies,
Ladies Night
Amadeus,
Beckett
Conjugal Rights,
The Crucible,
The Curse of the Wedgecombes,
Jekyll and Hyde,
M. Butterfly,
The Merchant of Venice,
A Pack of Girls,
Porgy and Bess,
Let's Do It,
Private Lives,
Rick's Bar in Casablanca,
The Sex Fiend,
Weed,
Shadowlands,
Via Satellite
The Rose Tattoo,
Glorious Ruins
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, located on Mercury Lane, off Karangahape Road
Karangahape Road
Karangahape Road is one of the main streets in the central business district of Auckland, New Zealand. The massive expansion of motorways through the nearby inner city area - and subsequent flight of residents and retail into the suburbs - turned it from one of Auckland's premier shopping streets...
. It was built in 1910, by the architect Edward Bartley
Edward Bartley
Edward Bartley was an architect from New Zealand. He was born in Saint Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. He arrived in New Zealand 1854...
and is the oldest surviving theatre in Auckland. Built in the English Baroque
English Baroque
English Baroque is a term sometimes used to refer to the developments in English architecture that were parallel to the evolution of Baroque architecture in continental Europe between the Great Fire of London and the Treaty of Utrecht ....
style, it was initially known as the Kings Theatre. However, in 1926, on being converted into a cinema, a new entrance on Karangahape Road was built. This is now the Norman Ng building.
From 1968 to 1991 it was the premises of the Mercury Theatre Company. In 1966 the Auckland Theatre Trust was established by Professor John C Reid
John Reid (professor of English)
Professor John Cowie Reid was a New Zealand professor of English and founding chairman of the Mercury Theatre.-Biography:...
. It raised finance to open the building as a professional theatre in 1968. The first production initiated by the theatre was The Admirable Crichton
The Admirable Crichton
The Admirable Crichton is a comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie. It was produced by Charles Frohman and opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in London on 4 November 1902, running for an extremely successful 828 performances. It starred H. B. Irving and Irene Vanbrugh...
by J.M. Barrie. At least 12 productions were put on annually after this period ranging from children's pantomimes to serious tragedy-dramas including those by Shakespeare and Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
. Notable actors who performed at the theatre during their careers include Pam Ferris
Pam Ferris
Pamela Ann "Pam" Ferris is a German-born Welsh actress. She is best known for her starring roles on television as Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, as Laura Thyme in Rosemary & Thyme, and for playing Miss Trunchbull in the movie Matilda...
, Lee Grant, Roy Billing
Roy Billing
Roy Billing is a New Zealand television actor, now based in Sydney, Australia.-Career:Billing has starred in many television shows and had main roles on Bad Cop, Bad Cop, Dossa and Joe and Hell Has Harbour Views...
, George Henare
George Henare
George Winiata Henare, CNZM, OBE is an acclaimed New Zealand actor with a distinguished career spanning more than three decades.-Biography:In 1988, he was awarded an OBE for Services to Theatre...
, Michael Hurst
Michael Hurst
Michael Eric Hurst, ONZM is a New Zealand actor, director and writer, mostly on stage and television. He is probably best known internationally for playing Iolaus in the television programs Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and companion series Xena: Warrior Princess...
and Ian Mune
Ian Mune
Ian Barry Mune, OBE is a New Zealand character actor and director. He co-wrote and starred in Roger Donaldson's first film, Sleeping Dogs. He also directed Came a Hot Friday, which featured comedian Billy T. James as the Tainui Kid, and What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, the sequel to Once Were...
. Raymond Hawthorne joined the theatre in 1971 and worked as an actor, director and a tutor and became artistic director of the theatre in 1985 until its closure in 1992.
Although the theatre steadily attracted visitors, the extravagance of the theatre productions and running costs forced the Mercury Theatre as it was to close in 1992.
In November 2009 the Equippers Church, who have been using and currently own the theatre, put the building up for sale for 'upwards of' two million dollars.
Production history
- 1968
The Admirable Crichton,
Dark of the Moon,
Alfie,
Fings Ain't What They Used To Be,
The Merchant of Venice,
A Flea in her Ear,
Wait Until Dark,
Caucasian Chalk Circle,
There's a Girl in my Soup,
Lock Up Your Daughters,
Winnie the Pooh
- 1969
An Evening of Mime with Francis Batten,
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,
Under Milk Wood,
Toad of Toad Hall,
The Crucible,
Teahouse of the August Moon,
Lysistrata,
Hamlet,
A Farewell Performance by Francis Batten,
Semi-Detached,
Marat/Sade,
Virtue in Danger,
Irma la Douce,
The Sun Rises in the West
- 1970
Hadrian,
Earth and Sky,
Alice in Wonderland,
The Price,
I Do! I Do!,
Dames at Sea,
The Ruling Class,
The Birthday Party,
Othello,
Henry IV,
Zorba,
The National Health,
Narrow Road to the Deep North
- 1971
The Hostage,
The Lark,
Prospect from the Park,
The Magistrate,
Tiki and Things That Go Bump in the Night,
Peer Gynt,
Oh What a Lovely War,
As You Like It,
Forget-Me-Not Lane,
Sergeant Musgrave's Dance,
The Country Wife,
Canterbury Tales
- 1972
MacRune's Guevara,
Conduct Unbecoming,
Charley's Aunt,
Kean,
A Man for All Seasons,
The Skin of our Teeth,
Love's Laour's Lost,
Threepenny Opera,
Tom-Tom and the Happy Army,
You Never Can Tell,
There's a Leek in Your Hat,
Lulu,
Guys and Dolls
- 1973
Jumpers,
Hay Fever,
The Lady's Not For Burning,
The Rocking Cave,
The Owl and the Pussy Cat,
Mister King Hongi,
Butley,
The Misanthrope,
Macbeth,
Lear,
Annie Get Your Gun
- 1974
You Can't Take It with You,
Macbett,
A Little Night Music,
Saturday, Sunday, Monday,
Heroes and Butterflies,
Three Sisters,
Jacques Brel,
Absurd Person Singular,
The Wizard of Oz,
King Lear,
Equus,
Ground Level,
The Sea Horse,
Cabaret,
An Evening with Katherine Mansfield
- 1975
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,
Elephant,
London Assurance,
Pinocchio's Travelling Circus,
The Taming of the Shrew,
A Marvellous Party,
Travesties,
The Mouse Man,
Kiss Me Kate,
Marieken
- 1976
Tarantara! Tarantara!,
Happy Arcadia,
Savages,
Agincourt,
Toad of Toad Hall,
A Little Night Music,
Otherwise Engaged,
From Berlin to Broadway,
The Duchess of Malfi,
Chermin de fer,
More Canterbury Tales
- 1977
Trumpets and Drums,
Well Hung,
The Last of the Knucklmen,
Diary of a Madman,
Cupid in Transit,
Man of La Mancha,
A Stretch of the Imagination,
Blithe Spirit,
Super Peg,
Hello and Goodbye,
Lost in the Stars,
Mrs Kiwi Arthur,
Glide Time,
Julius Caesar,
When You Comin' Back Red Ryder,
The World of Good,
Arsenic and Old Lace,
Alpha Beta,
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
- 1978
Royal Hunt of the Sun,
Mrs Kiwi Arthur Present,
The White Cliffs,
Rattle of a Simple Man,
Cole,
Bullshot Crummond,
The Cat and the Canary,
The Merchant of Venice,
Dirty Linen,
New Found Land,
Middle Age Spread,
The Rivals,
Ashes,
Habeas Corpus,
State of Revolution,
Private Lives,
The Good Doctor,
Tomorrow will be a Lovely Day
- 1979
Cinderella,
Something's Afoot,
Henry IV Part I,
Same Time Next Year,
State of the Play,
Old Kind Cole,
Just Between Ourselves,
Man Friday,
The Naval Officer,
Abigal's Party,
The Club,
Don Juan Comes Back from the War,
Privates on Parade,
Spider's Web,
Writer's Cramp,
The School for Scandal,
Staircase,
Home
- 1980
The Adventures of Robin Hood,
Mime over Matter,
Bedroom Farce,
P and O - 1930,
Uncle Vanya,
Prisoners of Mother England,
Mothers and Fathers,
Godspell,
A Midsummer Night's Dream,
Comedians,
Once a Catholic,
Gershwin,
A Life in the Theatre,
Whose Life is it Anyway?,
Just One Last Dance,
The Boy Friend
- 1981
You're a Good Man Charlie Brown,
Moby Dick Rehearsed,
The Importance of Being Earnest,
Stage Struck,
Father's Day,
50/50,
Bremen Coffee,
Too Darn Hot,
Brecht Songs,
The Puny Little Life Show,
The Taming of the Shrew,
Potiphar's Wife,
Between Night and Morning,
Hancock's Last Half Hour,
Flight of the Godwit,
An Enemy of the People,
Barbarians,
Prisoners of Mother England,
Middle Age Spread,
Hosanna,
Sauce for the Gander,
The Immortalist,
Glide Time,
Bodies,
Oliver
- 1982
Aladdin,
The Great Kiwi Concert Party,
Noel and Cole,
Blood of the Lamb,
The Silver Screen Blues,
Sooty,
She Stoops to Conquer,
St Mark's Gospel,
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant,
Once on Chunuk Bair,
The Matchmaker,
Einstein,
Dracula,
Secrets,
Tomfoolery,
Hot Water,
Fresh Recovering Pleasures,
Amadeus,
Setting the Table,
Foreskin's Lament,
Cloud Nine,
Snoopy,
Jesus Christ Superstar,
Ladies, Love and Life
- 1983
Armageddon Revisited,
A Victorian Music Hall,
Pygmallion,
Demolition Job,
The King and I,
Pass the Butler,
Objection Overruled,
Madama Butterfly,
Virginia,
King of Hearts,
L'elisir d'amore,
On Our Selection,
What's Entertainment,
The Morning Tiger,
Chicago,
Tooth and Claw,
Not About Heroes,
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You,
On the Razzle,
Engaged,
L'Italiana in Algeri,
Fallen Angels
- 1984
Steaming,
Insignificance,
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,
'night Mother,
The Real Thing,
Summer,
Rigoletto,
Multiple Choice,
Summit Conference,
Masterpieces,
Manon Lescaut,
Footrot Flats,
Noises Off,
Pack of Women,
Sweet Charity,
Down an Alley Filled with Cats
The Pirates of Penzance,
Loving Women,
Ballad of Jonas Bones
- 1985
Hay Fever,
A Stretch of the Imagination,
Death of a Salesman,
When the Wind Blows,
The Rink,
Ordinary Nights in Ward 10,
Carmen,
Out to Lunch,
Agnes of God,
Caravan,
The Gospel according to Taane,
Wild Honey,
Coaltown Blues,
Sweeney Todd,
The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd,
Change of Heart,
Tosca,
Side by Side,
Camille,
Say Thank-you to the Lady
- 1986
Major Barbara,
Stepping Out
The Normal Heart,
La Traviata,
Bert and Maisie
Dream of Sussex Downs,
The Song is You,
West Side Story,
Siamese Twins,
School for Clowns,
Tales of Hoffman,
The Winslow Boy,
Conversations with a Fainthearted Feminist,
Peter Pan: The Musical
- 1987
A Streetcar named Desire,
Romeo and Juliet,
Breaking the Code,
The Mikado,
The Sound of Music,
Squatter,
I'm Not Rappoport,
Les liaisons dangereuses,
Gershwin by George,
Oedipus Rex,
Ladies Night,
Gypsy,
The Kiss of the Spider Woman
- 1988
The Share Club,
The Rivers of China,
Bloodknot,
Twelfth Night,
Lucia di Lammermoor,
The Homecoming,
South Pacific,
Burn This,
Beauty and the Beast,
Brighton Beach Memoirs,
The Irving Berlin Show,
Madam Butterfly,
Nana,
Rodgers and Hart,
Frankie and Johnnie in the Clair de Lune,
The Three Musketeers,
Yerma,
Ladies Night
- 1989
A View from the Bridge,
The Cherry Orchard,
Judy,
Faust,
Fiddler on the Roof,
Courting Blackbird,
A Doll's House,
Mrs Klein,
Our Country's Good,
Don Giovanni,
The Secret Rapture,
The Rover,
After the Crash,
A Marvellous Party,
La serva padrona and The impresario
- 1990
Hamlet,
Oracles and Miracles,
Shirley Valentine,
The Sex Fiend,
Turnadot,
Carousel,
This Joint is Jumpin',
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
Slice of Saturday Night,
Single Spies,
Ladies Night
- 1991
Amadeus,
Beckett
Conjugal Rights,
The Crucible,
The Curse of the Wedgecombes,
Jekyll and Hyde,
M. Butterfly,
The Merchant of Venice,
A Pack of Girls,
Porgy and Bess,
Let's Do It,
Private Lives,
Rick's Bar in Casablanca,
The Sex Fiend,
Weed,
Shadowlands,
Via Satellite
- 1992
The Rose Tattoo,
Glorious Ruins
See also
- Mercury Theatre (disambiguation)Mercury Theatre (disambiguation)The Mercury Theatre was the Welles and Houseman New York stage & radio theater company of 1937-1946.Mercury Theatre may also refer to:* Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate, London, 1933-1987* Mercury Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand, 1910-1992...