Serio, dancer, comedian.
Clara Keating, "the midget vital spark" and "the pocket-sized comedian" was a student of dance teacher Tom Donnelly around the turn of the century and later trained under Wally Smith. She is first believed to have appeared under
Harry Rickards' management as early as 1903, continuing to be associated with the Tivoli through until at least 1908. She also found engagements around Australia and New Zealand up until 1910 with entrepreneurs such as
Ted Holland (Brisbane),
John Fuller Snr (New Zealand),
James Brennan (Sydney/Melbourne), Humbert Pugliese (Sydney), Lucas's Gaiety Entertainers (Tasmania), Lennon, Hyman and Lennon (Adelaide) and
Harry Clay (Sydney).
In 1910 Keating married comedian/dancer Claude Golding (formerly of Corrie and Golding). Billed as Keating and Golding, they spent almost half that year touring Clay's NSW/Queensland circuit before leaving Australia in 1911. For the next nine years the pair toured the international variety circuits, mostly playing throughout the USA but with occasional engagements in Great Britain. Following Golding's death in New York in 1919 Keating teamed up with English comedian Harry Ross.
Keating returned to Australia with Ross in 1921 under contract to the
Fullers. They also later toured Harry Clay's Sydney circuit - including several years as members of the Harry Ross Revue Co (aka The Joybringers). After the partnership ended in late 1927/early 1928 Keating briefly joined the
Billy Cass Revue Company, and over the next couple of years appeared in solo engagements for Clay's Bridge Theatre Co, Fullers Theatres and T.A. Shafto (Perth). Her last known engagement was as a member of
Stanley McKay's Gaieties Co in the early 1930s.
[Source:
Australian Variety Theatre Archive]
