Sydney hospitality braces for trade slump as Lyric, Capitol theatres go dark
Sydney restaurants and bars in the city's theatre precincts are bracing for a sustained hit to trade after the cancellation of two major productions left the Lyric and Capitol theatres without shows for months at a stretch.
Beetlejuice and Waitress have both been pulled from their planned Sydney seasons, meaning the Lyric Theatre at The Star will go dark once Anastacia finishes its run this weekend, with the venue not expected to host another production until November. The Capitol Theatre in Haymarket faces an even longer gap, sitting empty from November through to March.
For operators in Pyrmont and around The Star precinct, the timing compounds an already difficult trading environment. Hurricane Grill Pyrmont owner Andrew Antonio, who has run the venue for three years and operated in the precinct for more than a decade, said theatre-goers reliably brought forward the start of the evening rush.
"Usually, our main busy period starts from about 6.30pm," he told The Daily Telegraph. "But when there's a show on, we start getting busy from five o'clock. It's great because it fills the tables before we get really busy."
Antonio said the gap in programming was "less than ideal" given households were already pulling back on discretionary spending. "With the cost of living at the moment, everyone's watching what they spend," he said.
The impact is expected to be more pronounced for food and beverage operators inside The Star itself, where trading is already sitting at historic lows according to the group's half-year results. One operator told the Daily Telegraph that takings at venues near the Lyric could fall sharply once the theatre goes dark.
"Trade can dip by up to 50 per cent when there's no show at the Lyric," the operator said. "There would not be, in my opinion, a profitable food and beverage business in there when the theatre is empty, but most of them are run by The Star so they will just take the hit."
Venues near the Capitol Theatre are somewhat better placed, given their proximity to other city-centre foot traffic and evening activity, though operators there still expect to feel the loss of pre- and post-show custom. Samuel Woods, director of French diner Ennui, said theatre patrons currently give the restaurant an early sitting ahead of its main dinner service.
"It's good for us because we have a standard dinner service that will start getting full around 6.30 to 7pm, and the people going to the theatre give us a mini service at the start of the night," he said.
"They all leave to go to the show and we keep going."
Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou has called for government support across all levels to shore up the night-time economy as production cancellations ripple beyond the performing arts sector.
"These are challenging times not only for the performing arts but for many sectors of the economy as households continue to face cost-of-living pressures," he said. "The cancellation of productions has a ripple effect well beyond the theatre, impacting restaurants, bars, hotels, retailers and the many small businesses that rely on audiences coming into the city.
"Now is the time for the federal and state governments to work alongside the industry to ensure live performance continues to thrive, because a strong arts sector is essential to Sydney's visitor economy, night-time economy and global reputation as a vibrant cultural city."
Jonathan Jackson, 20th July 2026
