Enjoy our next Haunted Historical Brisbane podcasts today!
Historical Facts
Opened in 1888, this Italian Renaissance and Corinthian architectural designed building (State Library of Queensland 2010) had a
seating capacity of 1387 people. Throughout its 95 year life, Her Majesty's Theatre hosted most of the professional touring
companies' productions, its run ending in 1973 when the theatre was sold to the A.M.P. Society. It was later demolished to make way
for the Hilton Hotel and the Wintergarden Shopping Centre. The foyer and entrance facade and area were saved and today are the
home of the Brisbane Information Centre. The lift well at the rear of the property is the original location of the haunted bar and
entrance to the original main theatre.
Haunting Folklore
Most theatres boast of a backstage ghost or a gallery apparition, however, Her Majesty's Theatre (previously Her Majesty's Opera House) is home to three well-known and frequently sighted spirits.
Backstage Dressing Room Ghost
The first being that of a dead Lead Actor who was murdered by his understudy due to his acting ambitions. The murderer placed the Lead Actor's dead body in the ceiling cavity of a little used backstage dressing room. The story goes that his body was found over a week later after exterminators had been called in to locate the foul odour, most believed to be a dead possum. Since that time, that same dressing room has reportedly smelt of decaying flesh intermittently.
Dress Circle Apparition
Deceased stage performer Jon English once spoke of watching a transparent figure walk across the dress circle during a performance at Her Majesty's Theatre in Brisbane, always the professional and even though spooked, he didn't miss his next cue.
Theatre Bar Trickster Ghost
The original bar area that was situated outside of the main theatre was also a hub of paranormal activity, in particular, a trickster ghost who liked to move glasses and bottles of alcohol to new locations to annoy the live bar staff.
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