Vaudeville managers and producers.
OVERVIEW
In early 1916, Jack Kearns and Harry Sadler joined forces to form a revusical troupe, which they debuted at the Princess Theatre, Sydney. The theatre was then being run by Fullers' Theatres Ltd. The pair later managed the theatre for the Fullers as independent producers. Although Sadler's and Kearns's partnership lasted less than a year, the pair nevertheless played a significant part in the development of the revusical genre. They also had the distinction of producing the first-ever season by arguably the greatest Australian comedy duo: Stiffy and Mo.
DETAILED HISTORY
Prior to teaming up with Sadler, Kearns had been engaged on Harry Clay's suburban circuit for several months. Sadler himself had only recently returned to Sydney following the closure of his Tasmanian and Victorian vaudeville operations. The first show staged by the pair was The Brook (5-11 February), a second-part revusical starring Kearns's own troupe (aptly titled The Jack Kearns Revue Company), the most prominent members of which were Peter Brooks, Billy Maloney, Violet Elliott (daughter of Maud Fanning) and her father Arthur Elliott, George Dean, Louie Duggan, Beattie Macdonald, and Ruby Wallace. The Brook was followed by On Your Nut, On the River, A Dress Rehearsal, Monte Carlo, and Sunny Spain.
While the authorship of these revusicals has not yet been fully established, it seems likely that Kearns and Sadler put them together in collaboration with other members of the troupe. Despite drawing good audiences, the Kearns/Sadler productions did not always garner positive reviews, although troupe members, notably Kearns, generally drew praise for their individual performances. A survey of reviews published in both the Theatre Magazine and Australian Variety indicates that the main issue of contention was the inconsistent quality of the storylines, a matter to which the Theatre made reference in its April review of On the River:
'What a strain it must be on the collective thinking power of the combination to get a change from week to week. Mr Kearns was never before faced with a problem of so gigantic an order... Really [this] one act frivolous frivolity [sic] consists of nothing more than one member of the company after the other coming on in a song, a dance, or some patter, varied now and again by the performer getting the support of a chorus or the appearance of Harry Sadler as the comedian with a toy bucket and shovel, and pretending to shovel sand into the bucket from the bare stage' (April 1916, p.35).
====
Kearns wasn't always the recipient of favourable reviews, however, as can be seen by the criticism that followed his portrayal of the Irish JP in Jurisprudence, a sketch that owed much to the well-known comedy Irish Justice:
'Judged on his performance on March 11, he should quietly get hold of Joe Charles and give him £5 to teach him how to get out of the role something of the uproarious humour there undoubtedly is in it... it would - or should - make Mr Kearns shed a lot of his weight in shame to see Mr Charles dispensing justice, and thus learn how infinitely better the part can be played than he does it' (Theatre Magazine April 1916, p.36).
By May that year, the pressure of constantly coming up with new revues became too much for Kearns and Sadler. Deciding to turn to management only, the pair announced in the week leading up to May 17 that they had arranged with the Fullers to take up the lease on the Princess Theatre and would shortly begin running the operations there independent of the theatre's owners. The Jack Kearns Revue Company subsequently disbanded, so as to allow the new managers time to concentrate on their entertainment strategy. For the first month or so, they presented in-house vaudeville bills, utilising the talents of Kearns's ex-troupe members and of artists on the Fullers' roster. However, by mid-year, and with the support of the Ben and John Fuller, they contracted the newly formed Nat Phillips' Tabloid Musical Comedy Company to open a new season of one-act musical comedy. The venture was to become the most successful put on at the theatre to that date, with the company being offered an extended six-week season in order to cope with the number of people flocking to see the shows.
Realising the potential for this new variety entertainment, the Fullers took back control of the theatre following the closure of the Nat Phillips season, and turned their attention towards developing more of the same. Indeed, within a year the company had upwards of a dozen local and imported revusical companies touring along its Australian and New Zealand circuit.
Although Harry Sadler stayed on a few months longer at the Princess Theatre as manager, Jack Kearns returned to performing. His first engagement following the dissolving of the Kearns/Sadler partnership is believed to have been with the American Burlesque Company in Melbourne (Palace Theatre), beginning 8 November.
