Look to your left for the imposing cream-colored facade, defined by its classic Edwardian columns and the large arched window crowning the entrance.
This is the Mercury Theatre, the oldest surviving theatre in Auckland. It was built in 1910 by an architect named Edward Bartley. Bartley was absolutely obsessed with fire safety, which sounds responsible until you hear his solution. He lined the walls with asbestos sheets and installed a massive asbestos drop curtain. At the time, it was considered a cutting-edge safety innovation; for future owners, it was an expensive health hazard and a renovation nightmare.
For over twenty years, this was the home of the Mercury Theatre Company, led by the formidable Raymond Hawthorne. He was a titan of the New Zealand stage, known for his incredibly high standards. But while the art was high, the working conditions were... rustic. Actors constantly battled shocking acoustics and a persistent rat infestation. During one performance, a particularly bold rat scurried right across the stage, becoming an impromptu part of the scene.
The building has other residents, too. It developed a reputation for being haunted. Actors often reported seeing an elderly caretaker patrolling the wings. The backstage lore is tragic; they say the caretaker was beaten to death by intruders who broke in one night, and his spirit never left his post.
But the most dramatic event here wasn't a play or a ghost story. It was the night the theatre died. On March 11, 1992, the company was running two shows. On the main stage, they were performing Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo. In the upstairs studio, they were staging a new New Zealand play titled, with bitter irony, Glorious Ruins.
As the actors were applying their makeup for the evening show, a group of men in suits marched into the dressing rooms. They were receivers-officials appointed to seize control of a bankrupt business. They ordered everyone to grab their personal belongings and get out immediately. The locks were changed, and the cast and crew were left standing on the pavement, stunned and unemployed.
The scene on the street was surreal. The cast of The Rose Tattoo had been evicted along with their props, which included livestock. There were actors standing on the sidewalk next to a live goat and a parrot. Actor Simon Prast later summed up the absurdity with a grim joke: A goat and a parrot walked into a theatre, then it closed.
That night was devastating, but it sparked a rebellion. Simon Prast and his colleagues refused to let professional theatre die here. They rallied from the ashes to form the Auckland Theatre Company, which opened its first season exactly one year later.
Today, the building is owned by the Equippers Church. They caused a massive controversy a few years back with a billboard campaign claiming "Jesus Heals Cancer," which sparked a media firestorm. However, despite the theological arguments, they have been stable custodians. They are currently managing a twenty-four million dollar renovation to restore the building's lost glory, including a spectacular stained-glass "Dome Room" that had been hidden for decades.
This brings us to the end of our walk through Auckland. It has been a pleasure exploring the city with you.
