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St James Theatre in 1986 - Now Showing Delta Force, starring Chuck Norris. Rated R13 (McGIll, 1998) |
“Don’t let theatres be pulled down. The building of theatres
seems to be an art we have lost.”
-
Lord Laurence Olivier, October 1948 (as cited in
McGill, 1998)
The St James Theatre on Courtenay Place, downtown Wellington
is an iconic structure with a magnificent presence. Built in 1912 with the
architectural direction of Henry Eli White, The St James Theatre is considered
the Shakespeare’s Globe of New Zealand (McGill, 1998, p. 2). Clearly, the St James Theatre has Baroque and Rococo influences. White, being a frequent audience to the performed arts called
this ‘cheerfully theatrical Rococo’ style 'Louis Quinze' as this style was extremely
popular in 18th Century France (McGill, 1998, p. 12).
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fig.1 the St James Theatre Stage (McGill, 1998), fig.2 Borromini's Carlo alle Quatro Fontane, Rome (Millon, 1961) |
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fig.3 laurel-crowned theatrical masks above the royal boxes (McGill, 1998), fig.4 Kloster Oberzell bei Wurzburg (Popp, 1913) |
The façade of the building features many half-columns and pediments that frame the windows but do not serve a structural purpose. These are then decorated with plasterwork. The interior of the theatre is ornamented in this style but also with Greek comic and tragic masks, cupids and caryatids on columns which again, serve little structural function. The interior is beautifully painted and ‘gilded’ in gold with a large ceiling lamp that resembles a dome found in some of Borromini’s work in the Renaissance (Millon, 1961, p. 63). White also took into account the comfort of those not seated in the Royal Box, by using a shallow curve and minimal columns to maximise the visibility and audibility of the stage.
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St James Theatre in December 1997 nearing its complete refurbishment (McGill, 1998) |
Reference
McGill, D. (1998). Full
Circle: The History of the St James Theatre. Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand: Phantom House Books
Varriano,
J. (1986). Italian Baroque and Rococo
Architecture. New York, USA: Oxford University Press
Millon, H.
A. (1961). Baroque & Rococo
Architecture. New York, USA: George Brazillier Inc.
Popp, H.
(1913). Die Architektur der Barok – und Rokokozeit
in Deutschland und der SchweizI. Stuttgart, Germany: Julius Hoffman
Pugin, A. W. G. (1843). An
Apology for the Revival of Christian Architecture in England. London, UK: John Weale
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