Forum Theatre shows off new look after lengthy renovation

THE jewel in Melbourne’s crown — the ornate Forum Theatre — has seen many facelifts since 1928. But the much-loved venue’s recent upgrade may be the most dramatic yet. PICTURES, VIDEO

THE new-look Forum Theatre has been a long time in the making.

Ageing statues have been refitted with new appendages and the old foyer carpet kicked back to reveal 20,000 mosaic tiles and polished marble stairs from the original 1920s plan.

The multimillion-dollar facelift has taken more than two years to complete, but co-owner Kayely Marriner said the revamp hasn’t changed the integrity of the place.

“Melbourne people love the Forum, people love the space so we didn’t want to change the feel. “But the building was pretty much falling apart,” she said.

About 500 new seats have been added to the auditorium — pushing its capacity to 2000 — plus three new bars, booths and a full-production on-site kitchen.

Ms Marriner said all the plaster mouldings inside the theatre had been fixed.

“A lot of (the statues) weren’t treated with the most care. About 35 have been restored,” she said.

The spectacular mosaic floor was for years hidden underneath a red Greater Union carpet during the theatre’s cinema period.

“We’re hoping by restoring the theatre to its 1928 form, it would survive another 50 to 100 years,” she said.

“We really do hope people embrace it. It’s a beautiful venue and we want to get people in here and enjoy it.”

The refurbishment took more than two years. Picture: Craig Hughes

The cool new bar. Picture: Craig Hughes

The spectacular backdrop for the bar. Picture: Craig Hughes.

The venue’s famous lighting backdrops remain. Picture: Craig Hughes.

Thirty-five of the statues were restored. Picture: Craig Hughes

It’s hoped the restoration will survive 50 to 100 years. Picture: Craig Hughes

A STEP BACK IN TIME

THE FOYER

BEFORE: The Forum Theatre before the facelift. Picture: Supplied

AFTER: The spectacular 200,000 squares of mosaic tiles underneath the carpet. Picture: Craig Hughes.

SEATING

BEFORE: The original booths were uncomfortable and didn’t have a great line of sight to the stage. Picture: Craig Hughes

AFTER: The new sleek design. Picture: Craig Hughes

LOWER LEVEL

BEFORE: The back bench rows in the lower level theatre are no more. Picture: Supplied

AFTER: The back benches have been replaced with hydraulic adjustable height flooring. Picture: Craig Hughes.

A PIECE OF HISTORY

The site of the Forum was sold in the first Melbourne land auction in 1837.
The Flinders St and Russell St block was originally used as a private residence but was repurposed over the years.

The space was an iron store, coal yard, offices and a bond store before being occupied by the Herald and Standard Newspaper Company.

Stuart Doyle, Managing Director of Union Theatres, bought the premises with the hope of opening the State Theatre Picture Palace.

The Forum Theatre opened its doors in 1929. Picture: Craig Hughes.

The building’s landmark dome. Picture: Craig Hughes.

While visiting America in the 1920s, he met John Eberson who had designed a chain of atmospheric theatres including the famed Riviera in Chicago.

Eberson’s theatres gave the illusion of sitting under a night sky.

Doyle commissioned Eberson to design three theatres in Australia — the State, the Capitol in Sydney and the Ambassador in Perth.

Work on the State in Melbourne began in 1927 and the design was mirrored on the Capitol in Sydney.

The Forum Theatre lit up as part of White Night celebrations. Picture: Nathan Dyer.

Union Theatres competed with Hoyts’ Regent Theatre in Collins Street to be the first to open a picture palace.

The State won the race after seven months’ construction time and opened on 23 February 1929 — three weeks ahead of the Regent.

The State was one of only a few atmospheric theatres built outside North America.

Opening night presented silent films The Fleets In starring Miss Clara Bow and The Cameraman starring Buster Keaton.

The first speaking film was The Doctor’s Secret on April 6, 1929.

The theatre gives attendees the illusion of being under the night sky. Picture: Craig Hughes.

By 1938 longer theatre hours allowed a feature movie, with an orchestral presentation and a Tivoli stage act.

The State Theatre’s copper-domed clock tower, which rose 49 metres from the street, became iconic in Melbourne.

At one stage The Forum had 3371 seats — making it the theatre with the largest seating capacity in the southern hemisphere.

But when television became popular in the 1960s, dropping interest in theatre, Greater Union converted the State into two smaller theatres — the downstairs Forum and the upstairs Rapallo.

The Forum opened in 1962 and the Rapallo in 1963.

In 1978 the building was added to the Historic Buildings Register. It also came under protection from the National Trust.

In 1981 both theatres were refurbished and renamed Forum I and Forum II.

The Melbourne Revival Centre bought the Forum in 1986 and used it for its meeting place for the next decade.

In 1996, David Marriner bought the complex and transformed the venue into one of the city’s iconic live music and cabaret venues. Comedians, musicians, dancers and live bands used the space.

The Forum II is used for theatre-style auditorium for smaller scale performances.

@Kara_Irving