Princess Theatre, in Melbourne, Victoria.
Princess Theatre is a large theatre sitting in the Victoria capital of Melbourne. Built in 1864 by actor Charles Coppin, it is often seen as Melbournes first theatre and is the first to have a retractable roof. The location is said to be haunted by British/Italian actor Frederick Baker, or “Frederici” which was his stage name. During a play in 1888, Frederici was to be lowered down through the stage through a trap door into a basement signifying his character Mephistopheles being sent into Hell. It is presumed he became overwhelmed by the play and suffered a fatal heart attack; he was dead before he made it to the basement. Strangely enough, he told his fellow cast mates “I will give a fine performance tonight, but it will kill me”. After the play, the director informed the cast what had happened but was met with confusion as they had all just seen Frederici on stage bowing to the audience with them. Since that day, he is often seen wearing several different outfits in Princess Theatre and appears more often when there is a show taking place, especially in the dressing rooms as if he was preparing to go on stage and perform. Frederici is a “friendly ghost” who will remain in sight for sometimes minutes and people believe that is he is spotted on the night of a premiere, its good luck and he is reserved a seat in the dress circle to this day. In 2014, it is still a functioning theatre.
