Not to be confused with the grittier Palace Theatre, the Palais Theatre in St Kilda is a common venue for live music. It’s the largest seated theatre in Australia, with a capacity of almost three thousand people, and the building itself looks suitably imposing. If you’re into popular bands – think international acts from a few decades ago - you're bound to get tickets to a show here sooner or later.
Upstairs seats are cheaper, naturally, but since the Palais Theatre is so large it’s hard to make out what’s happening on the stage. This is a matter of personal preference: if you’re there for the music, then it shouldn’t be a problem; likewise, if the band you’re seeing do flashy, spectacular shows, then being far back enough to appreciate the grand scale might actually be a good thing. Above the large part of upstairs seats – called the lounge – is the ‘dress circle’. Only get seats here if you have to, since even the Palais Theatre website admits that these are pretty far away from the stage. Whether you’re upstairs or downstairs, the seats are comfortable and there’s plenty of room underneath for your backpack or handbag.
There's plenty of room everywhere, come to think of it.
There are four fully licensed bars in the lounge area, which are about as expensive as you’d think. Tea and coffee is available for non-drinkers. Don’t expect anything fancy; this is standard theatre fare. You can also buy chocolates and lollies, but try not to be that person who loudly unwraps them during the show. Here’s a hint: if you’re desperate for your sugar fix, wait for the loud bits, and do it as quickly as possible.
The Palais Theatre offers more than just bands – in the seventies it played host to internationally renowned ballets, including the Bolshoi, Kirov and the Stars of World Ballet. The Australian Ballet premiered their first commissioned Nutcracker there in the early eighties. While the focus has shifted somewhat since then, there’s still the occasional ballet going on. The Festival of Russian Ballet will return to the Palais Theatre in early October to present Don Quixote and Bolero.
If ballet isn’t your thing, don’t worry – the Palais Theatre is also a popular comedy venue. Dylan Moran, the star and creator of the TV show ‘Black Books’ is performing his new stand up show on the 10th of September, for instance. If you haven’t seen Dylan Moran’s stand up comedy, you should. (Try searching for it on Youtube for a little taste.) You can keep track of upcoming shows and concerts on the Palais Theatre’s website, or sign up to the newsletter for news and exclusive offers.
The Palais Theatre is next door to Luna Park – in fact, both were designed by the same person – and both offer a great time. If you’re visiting Melbourne, especially with kids, there are few better ways to spend a day than at Luna Park and the Palais Theatre.
