image of person or book cover 188529391903079997.jpg
Source: National Library of Australia
Amy Rochelle Amy Rochelle i(A108114 works by)
Born: Established: 26 Jan 1898 Sydney, New South Wales, ; Died: Ceased: 30 Jun 1978 Sydney, New South Wales,
Gender: Female
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BiographyHistory

Australian variety performer, pantomime principal boy, pianist, soprano, songwriter, child impersonator.

After training at the New South Wales Conservatorium, Amy Rochelle made her first appearance on the stage in 1912, aged fourteen. Two years later, she was contracted to appear on Harry Clay's Sydney suburban variety circuit. She undertook two Queensland tours for Clay (in 1915 and 1916) and eventually became one of his most popular female performers of the war years, notably through her association with Clay's No 1 Musical Comedy Company. When Rochelle was selected for the finals of the 1916 Melba scholarship, she was forced to decide between pursuing a career in serious music or continuing to perform as a variety artist. Her decision to remain in the variety industry was likely due to the increasing opportunities for local artists that came about as a result of war-time travel restrictions on foreign performers.

After a brief engagement on Hugh D. McIntosh's Tivoli circuit in 1918, and on top of a recommendation from Harry Clay, Rochelle joined the Fullers' organisation. One of her first major appearances with that firm was as the principal boy in their 1918-1919 pantomime Babes in the Woods, taking over from Queenie Paul. Shortly after the pantomime season closed, Rochelle joined Nat Phillips' Stiffy and Mo Company, remaining with the company for close to a year.

Regarded as one of the country's most popular pantomime stars and variety sopranos, Rochelle maintained an almost exclusive association with the Fullers up until the late 1920s. Her pantomime appearances included In the Court of Father Xmas (1916) for Harry Clay and the Fullers' productions Cinderella (1919-1920), Mother Goose (1922), and Little Red Riding Hood (1928). During the 1920s, she also expanded her vaudeville repertoire by presenting child impersonations and performing as a pianist. In 1927, Rochelle was invited to join Nat Phillips's and Roy Rene's reunited Stiffy and Mo Company. Following its demise in late 1928, she briefly toured with the Fullers' Novelettes troupe (under the direction of Walter George), before forming her own revue troupe in partnership with Stan Foley. In the early 1930s, she established herself for a brief period at Harry Clay's old headquarters, the Bridge Theatre in Newtown.

Amy Rochelle continued performing well into the 1940s. Her last known stage appearance found to date was a season under Bruce Carroll's management at the Tivoli Theatre, Perth. She continued her association with radio in the 1950s, however. THis included being a cast member of the comedy series My Friend Irma, whcih was broadcast on relay from around February 1951 (AA: 10 Feb. 1951, 12).

Rochelle was married to Australian Variety editor Harry R. Kitching. After their divorce she married character actor Sydney Wheeler (who appeared in many J.C. Williamson's musical comedies). The couple had two sons.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • SONGS FEATURED BY AMY ROCHELLE:

    • 'Bert Hinkler' (1928) by Nat Phillips.
    • 'Leave Me with a Smile' (ca. 1922) by Earl Burnett and Charles Koehler.
    • 'You've Set Me Dreaming' (ca. 1919) by Archibald Benwell and Doris Michael [from the Cinderella pantomime, 1919-1921]
  • PHOTOGRAPHS:

    The following list comprises bibliographic details of published and unpublished photographs, caricatures, and drawings of Amy Rochelle.

    • Australian Variety: April 1915, n.pag. ; 29 December 1915, n. pag. ; 17 January 1917, n. pag. ; 23 May 1917, p.1 [Harry Clay's No 1 Musical Comedy Co] 13 June 1917, n. pag. [Rochelle and Harry Kitching] ; 1 January 1920, p.3 [in Cinderella] ; 1 October 1920, front cover ; 12 November 1920, front cover.

    • Brisbane Courier: 11 November 1922, p.2 [Tivoli advertisement].

    • Everyone's: 24 September 1924, p.18 [arrival at Brisbane].

    • Fuller News: 28 January 1922, p.13 [in Dick Whittington].

    • Just It: 21 October 1926, p.32.

    • National Library of Australia: Music collection. Portrait photographs of Amy Rochelle are included on the covers of a number of published scores. See, for example, 'You've Set Me Dreaming' (Benwell/Michael) and 'Leave Me with a Smile' (Burnett and Koehler).

    • Nat Phillips Collection - Fryer Library, University of Queensland: [UQFL9 ; Box 8, Folder 1] See Tivoli Theatre (Perth) programs, ca. 1947, for Why Be Serious and Out of the Box.

    • Table Talk: 1 January 1921, p.15 [4 photographs from Cinderella].

    • Tait, Viola. Dames, Principal Boys... and All That, pp.208, 213.

    • Theatre Magazine: July 1919, p.12 [in Stiffy and Mo company] ; March 1920, p.15 [in Cinderella] ; December 1920, p.23 [in Cinderella] ; February 1921, p.44 [in Cinderella] ; March 1924, p.19 [in Mother Goose].

    • Toowoomba Chronicle: 14 October 1924, p.7.

  • Entries connected with this record have been sourced from historical research into Australian-written music theatre and film conducted by Dr Clay Djubal.
Last amended 19 Aug 2021 11:33:00
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