The Civic Theatre

I was awed by this beautiful building when I first saw it in 1978.

It is a heritage building so I can't bring you in there as I am not allowed to take photos inside the building. Click the link and you will be transformed into the nights of the Arabian, including the occasional comet. In the foyer, you see ornate statutes of elephants and richly decorated in motifs and styles from romantic images of the East.

The first time I entered this building was to watch Star Wars. I didn't like Star Wars, but I was mesmerised by the theatre. I am stilled awed by it, thirty years later when I watched "My Fair Lady" last night. It seems so incredible that so much attention was place in details.

I worked for Kerridge Odeon Corporation which own many cinemas in New Zealand. This company was the opposition of the company that owned Civic theatre. Kerridge Odeon owned a similar magnificent building St James Theatre. Unfortunately it was built, and it cost too much to rebuilt it. What a waste, and I lament its loss.

The Mighty Civic Theatre stands at the corner of Queen Street and Wellesley Street, Auckland, New Zealand. It is owned by the people of Auckland.
Once the pride of the country's movie palaces, it is now part of an entertainment complex. It re-opened on the seventieth anniversary of its first performance, on December 20, 1999.