The Princess Theatre
163 Spring Street Melbourne Victoria, Australia
Website: www. marrinertheatres. com.au
The present-day Princess Theatre was constructed in 1886, replacing an earlier theater building on the site dating back to 1854. Highly valued as Melbourne’s oldest theater, the building’s facade is beautifully designed with an incredibly lavish interior fitted during extensive renovations undertaken in 1922. However, the theater’s most distinctive feature is a purpose-built sliding roof, which opens to the sky and provides ventilation to the theater below. The Princess Theatre has hosted a number of renowned performers and stage shows, including The Phantom of the Opera. But this theater is also home to a phantom of a different kind, one who has chosen to stay on long after his final act.
On the night of the March 3, 1888, during the final act of the well-known opera Faust, the famous baritone Frederick Baker fell victim to an unfortunate turn of events. Playing the part of Mephistopheles, Baker was required to descend through a trapdoor in the stage while portraying his character’s plunge into hell. However, during his descent, Baker suffered a massive heart attack and vanished beneath the stage. Unbeknown to the audience, Baker was rushed into the theater boardroom in the hope that he would be stabilized. Unfortunately, there was little anyone could do, and Baker died shortly after. From this moment on, Frederick Baker’s ghost took up residency within the theater.
Many present and former staff of the Princess Theatre talk of their own personal hair-raising experiences with the ghost of Frederick Baker, or “Federici,” as he was aptly nicknamed during his career. The most common ghostly occurrences within the theater range from unexplainable balls of fluorescent light that hover about the stage and dress circle, mysterious noises within the wings and corridors, and an ever-growing list of bizarre accidents and equipment malfunctions during performances. Many performers who have undertaken shows at the theater even claim that Federici’s ghost has passed them within the halls of the building. However, a great many performers and regular visitors to the theater have witnessed the apparition of Federici in all his glory.
The most regular area of the theater within which Federici’s ghost is seen is the dress circle. Dressed in evening attire complete with cloak and top-hat, Federici’s spirit has been observed on numerous occasions sitting or standing within the dress circle staring at the stage as if scrutinizing a performance. At times, the apparition lingers within its seat for an extended period, allowing astonished spectators the opportunity to study the ghostly figure in detail. Federici’s ghost has become such a welcome visitor to the theater that his appearance on the opening night of a new performance is regarded as good fortune. Consequently, the theater staff always ensure a vacant seat within the dress circle on such an occasion!
