Melbourne’s Princess Theatre is famously associated with the ghost of opera singer Frederick “Federici”, who died of a heart attack on 3 March 1888 while playing Mephistopheles in Gounod’s Faust—collapsing as he descended through a trapdoor in the final “into hell” moment. For decades, cast and crew have reported sightings of a man in evening dress in the dress circle, and theatre tradition holds that a seat is left empty for Federici on opening nights—seen as a sign of good luck if “he” is present.