Cirrus@Austlit

Revusical.

Revusical.

Revusical.

Revusical.

Set in and around Sydney Harbour, On the River is described in the Theatre as:

A one act frivolous frivolity... [which 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 the chorus or the appearance of Harry Sadler as the comedian with a toy bucket and shovel pretending to shovel sand into the bucket from the bare stage. It is this, together with the view of Pinchgut in the harbour that inspired the title On the River (April 1916, p.35).

One song known to have been incorporated into the narrative, 'At the Movies', was performed by Vera Kearns and a chorus of four Charlie Chaplin girls.

Revusical.

In this production, set in a Sydney boarding house, the cast of characters includes a young army recruit, the boarding house keeper (Mrs O'Flanagan), and various lodgers and local residents.

'The curtain rises on a festive boarding house scene,' records the Theatre magazine in its review of the 1916 Princess Theatre production. 'The guest [is] a young fellow in khaki [who] is going to the front... Then the front-cloth descends. After it comes down Mr Kearns appears in the guise of an Irish M. P. from Goondiwindi (Qld), looking for "an ould friend of mine phwat keeps a Sydney boarding-house - Mrs O'Flanagan."' (March 1916, pp.46-7).

In his search, he meets a number of other characters representing different types of Sydney residents, and, says the Theatre critic:

In that way the audience are provided with a lot of humorously skittish stuff. In turn songs are given by Peter Brooks, Harry Sadler, Cliff O'Keefe, Billy Maloney, Beattie McDonald, Vera Kearns, Violet Elliot and Mr Kearns himself... Finally the front-cloth is raised once more disclosing the boarding house - this time with the lodgers at the table more or less busy on a meal, and the landlady flying about here and there. Then Mr Kearns enters. The keeper of the place, Mrs Flanagan, is the ould friend he is looking for! Then the fun - in which all the boarders participate - follows fast and furious (March 1916, pp.46-7).

Revusical.

A review of the 1916 Princess Theatre (Sydney) production records that 'In the background sat comedian Billy Maloney high up on a bank, with a rod and line in his hand; and as the other members of the company cavorted in the foreground Mr Maloney varied the proceedings by 'landing' such articles as boots and corsets and vegetables' (Theatre March 1916, p.46). Although the magazine's variety editor, X-Ray, gave Maloney and Kearns a positive review, he considered the production to be 'dead' in most other areas.

Revusical.

Stiffy and Mo (the plumbers) are called in to make repairs at a wedding breakfast being held in the reception room of Captain Senate's house. They are first mistaken for burglars and then find themselves tangled up in schemes by various characters to fool other members of the family. This includes Stiffy being asked to cure Mrs Senate's jealous husband by 'making love' to her, while Mo finds himself in the same situation with Mrs Pinetree. Stiffy is later induced to impersonate the Senate's mad and violent son, who just happens to be coming to the house that evening. After the pair manage to scam £250 out of Mr Senate they are are forced to flee at the point of a gun.

The chief characters, as listed in the manuscript version are: Colonel Pinetree (a jealous husband), Mrs Pinetree (his mean old wife), Captain Senate (also jealous), Mrs Senate (with a way of her own), Frank Denvers (just married), Mrs Denvers (nee Senate), Stiffy and Mo, and the bridesmaids - Dot, Clarice, Lilian, Lorrimar, Daphne and Gorgia [sic].

Songs incorporated into the 1922 production included : 'The Party' (bridesmaids and friends), 'A Toast to the Bride' (company), 'Grieving for You' (Paul and girls), 'Scotch Highball' (Paul, Rene and Phillips), 'You Never Can Tell' (Davis and girls), 'Blue Diamonds' (Conners), 'Lucky' (Davis), 'The Older We Get' (Connolly), 'Tuck Me to Sleep in My 'Tucky Home' (Connors and Paul), 'Good-Bye Girls' (Connolly and girls) and the finale 'The Plumbers' (company).

Revusical.

Set aboard the S.S. Maysail, this Stiffy and Mo musical comedy revue concerns newlyweds Tom and Eva, her brother John and his wife, Sarah (a stewardess), and Fred (a friend).

One of the songs presented in the original 1916 production was 'In Dixie Land' (sung by Freda Hilston). The 1922 production's 'musical cargo' included 'Embarking Passengers' (the crew), 'Soldier Boy' (Keith Connolly), 'Rubber Band' (Queenie Paul and men), 'Would Goes ? ? ? ?' [sic] (Mike Connors), 'Bright Eyes' (Conners and Paul), 'Isle of Golden Dreams' (Doris Davis and girls), 'Moonlight' (Queenie Paul and girls), an unidentified quintet (Connors, Paul, O'Brien, Rene, and Phillips), 'Molly On The Trolly' (Doc O'Brien and girls), and 'All Aboard' (company).

Revusical.

The fourth Stiffy and Mo revusical to be staged during the Nat Phillips' Tabloid Musical Comedy Company's debut season at the Princess Theatre, Sydney. An Australian Variety critic wrote that 'The dressing of the show each week is excellent, and taken on the whole Nat Phillips has presented the best "musical revues" seen on this circuit' (9 August 1916, n. pag).

Revusical.

The third Stiffy and Mo production staged by Nat Phillips' Tabloid Musical Comedy Company during its debut season at the Princess Theatre, Sydney.

Australian Variety wrote of the newly formed combination that 'Roy Rene and Nat Phillips shine out well with good comedy, and can always hold the audience; in fact the latter never seems to get enough of them' (26 July 1916, n. pag.).

The follow-up production to What Oh Tonight (the debut Stiffy and Mo revusical), A Sporting Chance is described in Everyone's as 'another tabloid of inconsequences, as regards the plot, but chock full of action and comedy just the same' (26 November 1924, p.34).

Since the production is set in the garden of a country hotel, one of the on-going jokes in the narrative concerns 'The Truth Tree', a tree that grows all sorts of fruit. Anyone telling a lie beneath it gets a piece of fruit dropped on their head. The bigger the lie, the bigger the fruit! The Nat Phillips Collection manuscript includes the subtitle 'A Sporting Comedy in One Furlong.'

Revusical.

The story is set in a beauty parlour in the inner-city area of Sydney. Stiffy and Mo become the new owners of the parlour and attempt to pass themselves off as medical men.

The principle characters are Stiffy (a rabbit seller), Mo (aka Sol, Stiffy's mate: see note below), Harry Summer (a doctor and owner of the beauty parlour), Helen Summer (his wife), Uncle (Helen's rich uncle), Mary O'Shea (beauty parlour employee), Mrs De'Vere (Helen's housekeeper and 1st Assistant Beautifier), Italian Woman (a patient in version 1), Bill Bender (a patient in version 2).

The songs known to have been incorporated into the revusical, as it was originally conceived, were 'The Opening Chorus', 'Lady's Band', 'Antonio', 'Skylark Love', 'Men, Men, Men', and 'Here's to Love' (also reprised as the finale).

It is possible that What Oh Tonight later became Manicure, Sir? (aka The Beauty Parlour). In addition to Stiffy and Mo, both these revusicals include characters called Helen, Uncle, Mrs De'Vere, and Mary. No production called What Oh Tonight has been identifed after 1916, further suggesting that Phillips changed the title (and possibly some of the storyline).