Decades of cultural heritage

The St James hosted a variety of entertainment, including A Simple Plan who shook up the fans in 2005. Photo / NZ Herald

When the St James Theatre opened and played its first movie with sound the Herald reported that "seldom has an Auckland audience been roused to the appreciation of such a galaxy of colour, music and movement".

That was 1929 and the Orpheus Overture was playing.

Since then countless audiences have been "roused" by entertainers including Sir Howard Morrison, Sir Lawrence Olivier ... and Motorhead.

Sir Harold Marshall, a specialist in concert hall design, was a 16-year-old King's College student when he went to St James Theatre with his 6th form English class in September 1948.

Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier performed Richard Sheridan's School for Scandal while touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Sir Harold, group consultant for Marshall Day Acoustics, recalled students queuing outside Her Majesty's Theatre (now a carpark) for tickets.

"The whole culture was so deprived of artistic experiences in those days.

"I should be really sad if it disappeared. Auckland really has needed that theatre. Her Majesty's Theatre has gone, The Mercury [theatre] is still there but has been closed for several years."

As well as acting royalty, the St James has hosted a variety of music including Sir Howard Morrison, the Finn brothers, Pearl Jam, Radiohead and legendary guitarist Johnny Marr.

British punk pioneers the Buzzcocks played in 2006 - more than 30 years since starting out - while that same year Brit rockers Arctic Monkeys played on their trajectory to success. Motorhead played in December 2005 for their 30th anniversary tour.

But for many the theatre will be forever remembered for the Queen's visit in 1981.

Former chief projectionist Doug Harley revealed the Queen's night could have been far more eventful.

Directly over her head, large stage lights hung from chains. "The royal people said we had to move them."

Actress Ginette McDonald performed that night as her infamous alter ego Lyn of Tawa - Ms McDonald's agent Kathryn Rawlings said the "gum-chewing, vowel-challenged" act was clearly satiric.

But St James Theatre producers seemed unaware. "They thought I was really an uncultured lass from Tawa," said Ms McDonald.

Converted for the "talkies" in 1929, St James was also the first cinema in New Zealand to show Gone With The Wind.

A Herald report after that first talking movie night said: "It was a splendid talking programme, and one which was produced entirely by the technicolour process."