Elton Black and Kate Howarde debuted their revusical company in 1915 at the National Theatre (Balmain, Sydney), then under Howarde's management. Comprising such artists as Peter Brooks and Clifford O'Keefe (both later with
Nat Phillips' Stiffy and Mo Company),
Billy Maloney, Gerald Cashman, Grace Doran, and Pearl Livingstone, the troupe was invited to tour New Zealand by the Fullers in late 1915. Howarde decided, however, to return to Sydney in order to continue running her theatre and the troupe subsequently touring as the Elton Black Revue Company.
After returning to Australia Black took up an engagement with Harry Clay at the Newtown Bridge Theatre (Sydney), staging revues with his company and later working straight vaudeville. He later returned to work as a solo act on the Fullers circuit before eventually reuniting with Howarde in mid to late-1918 to tour with her dramatic company. The pair are believed to have separated around December, however, at which time Black briefly revived his revue company. He put together another line-up to tour New Zealand for the Fullers in 1926. Initially billed as the Elton Black Revue Company, it became known in Australia over the 1927-28 period as Elton Black's Town Topics.
Although Black led and/or managed several other variety and revusical troupes during the 1920s and 1930s these should be considered entirely different ventures. They include, for example, Maloney and Black's Town Topics, Elton Black's London Revels and Elton Black's Follies.
