Mister Brisbane: That's showbiz!
Does a modern city need a "theatre district"? Plus: return of the toads!
This story about British impresario Sir Howard Panter caught my eye. Apparently he’s eyeing off properties in Sydney to convert into theatre and rehearsal spaces. Sir Howard and his wife Dame Rosemary Squire have already spent big bucks on restoring Sydney’s Theatre Royal, and it’s about to reopen to the public after five years.
Here in Brisbane, we are lucky to be getting a new theatre, too. But it will be added on to what a friend of mine used to refer to as the “culture bunker” at QPAC. I’m sure it makes perfect economic sense to put all our major theatre together in one bundle. However, while QPAC has served its purpose well over the decades, it’s never been an especially inspiring or romantic building. The Brutalist architecture may appeal to some, but I prefer my theatres to ooze of an era somewhat earlier than the 1970s.
In Sydney, the idea is to develop a theatre district to rival the West End and Broadway. Believe it or not, Brisbane used to have such a thing, along Queen and Albert Streets. Slowly but surely they’ve disappeared until now only the facade and foyer of the Regent Theatre remain. We were, of course, told that that site would host a huge commercial office tower. The space where the theatre once was had already been vacant for the best part of a decade before COVID put paid to the idea that there’d be a revival in demand for inner-city office space.
I suppose the Regent site will one day become an apartment building or hotels. But is it too much to dream that Sir Howard or some like-minded theatre lover may decide to restore it to its former glory?
TOAD HALL
It was very early in the morning, and I had to act quickly, so I apologise for the poor quality of the photograph. But, on Saturday, I spotted my first cane toad of the season, just outside my residence. Is it too early to solicit thoughts on how (or even whether) to rid ourselves of these pests?
THOUGHT BUBBLE
I am NOT suggesting we need them now, but I was puzzled by a quote from somebody important (who lives in a country that was slow to respond to COVID and has had far too many deaths) that “lockdowns don't work” in the fight against the pandemic. If protecting people’s lives, as we have in Australia, is not “working”, then what is? As much as I want to be free to travel and go freely about my business — and I’m all vaxxed up and ready to go — it appears that I believe in the value of human life much more than a lot of very noisy people: including many politicians who have campaigned on that very issue.
PS: A friend had to close his Facebook account when he found himself getting into arguments with “friends” who were anti-vaxxers. I said it a long time ago, and I’m happy to say it again here and now: if you don’t believe in the science, if you think your “own research” is better than that of qualified specialists, if you’re medically able to get vaxxed but don’t care enough about your own health or that of your friends and family to do that one simple thing, then just don’t engage with me. If you unfollow me on social media, we’ll both be happy.
©2021 Brett Debritz. If I’ve inadvertently used copyrighted material, failed to give credit where it’s due, written or said something you disagree with, or otherwise upset or unexpectedly delighted you, please email brett@misterbrisbane.com, or connect with me at @debritz or @misterbrisbane on Twitter or the Mister Brisbane group on Facebook. Image: Collection Reference: 9982 Palmos Family Photograph. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland; Brett Debritz