In the heart of Melbourne city, sits the majestic and historic Princess Theatre. According to local lore, it is the eternal home of an actor named Frederick Baker, also known as Frederick Federici, who died onstage there in 1888. The story follows that on the 3rd of March 1888, Federici was performing the final scene of the opera ‘Faust’, wherein his character, Mephistopheles, descends back to Hell through a trapdoor on the stage. Tragically, as Federici was lowered, he suffered a heart attack and died almost instantly-upon reaching the surface below. The chilling aspect of this incident was that he had been in full view of the audience and the rest of the cast when the heart attack seized him, yet he performed his character’s descent so convincingly that nobody realised the truth until the curtain fell. Since his death, Federici’s ghost has reportedly been seen on several occasions at the Princess Theatre. The most common sighting is of a man in evening dress, observing performances from the dress circle. The theatre management even keeps a seat reserved for Federici to this day. The spirit of Federici is said to be benign, and his appearances are considered a good omen by the theatre personnel and performers. The legend of Federici’s ghost is a cherished part of Melbourne’s cultural heritage and a rich element of the Princess Theatre’s 166-year history. The story adds a touch of the supernatural and a sense of continuity with the past to the illustrious history of this iconic venue.