The Prince of Wales Theatre, with its successor, the Royal Lyceum, was a short-lived performance venue in Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Australia.
Melbourne's Prince of Wales Theatre was built on the site of the Tattersall's hotel's stables, which had been converted to the "Hippodrome", a circus arena, but failed to return a profit, and became the "Rat Pit", a place of dog fighting and snake charmers.
[2] True to its provenance, the first entertainments consisted largely of equestrian feats, clowns and tightrope walkers, but also a few promenade concerts and political meetings.
In February 1862 the American impresario Robert G. Marsh took over the lease of the hotel and the theatre, which he reopened on 4 March as the Royal Lyceum.
)[4] and made it a place of family entertainment, opening with the pantomime Aladdin performed by his "Marsh Children" troupe of juveniles,[5] starring Louisa Arnot.