The 1915 Brisbane production of In Sunny Japan is described in a Truth review as 'easily the best thing yet seen from the Dandies ... A miniature musical comedy... [in which] the talented artists proved their worth' (5 September 1915, p.2). By 1918, In Sunny Japan was being described as both a 'picturesque musical sketch... introducing song, chorus, duets, quartette, sextette and dance' and an 'Oriental scena' (Brisbane Courier 12 January 1918, p.2). The 1918 version was one of several scenas staged in Brisbane during the year.
The connection between the 1915 and 1918 versions of In Sunny Japan is likely to have been through the influence of Walter George, who had been, in 1915, a member of Edward Branscombe's Scarlet Dandies Company (Theatre Magazine January 1915, p.47). While there were undoubtedly a number of changes made to the latter production (notably in the songs, comedy, and dances), the same underlying narrative is believed to have been served as a foundation for both.
