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Revusical.
In this one-act musical comedy, Jim Gerald utilised his expertise as a pantomime dame, playing Mrs Muggins, a widow with five children. The Brisbane Courier records in 1927 that Gerald 'provided a veritable feats for laughter lovers, and had the crowd in such a state of exhaustion from continually laughing that they were glad of the respite afforded by the musical numbers' (28 March 1927, n. pag.). When Oh Mum was given a return season some five months later, the Courier's theatre critic wrote:
In his dame part of Mrs Muggins, he had the audience in a state of hysterical mirth every moment he was on the boards. As a widow with a penchant for gin who is not given to gossip about her neighbours, but "knows what she knows," he was the garrulous washerwoman to the life, and his washtub soliloquy was a glittering gem of mirth. There was of course a tribe of children ("bless their hearts") over whose naughtiness Mrs Muggins dripped large tears into the soapsuds; there was the flinty-hearted landlord who was prepared to overlook the rent provided he could become Mrs Muggins' third husband; and there was the usual neighbour with a strongly developed borrowing habit (22 August 1927, p.20).
In the 1927 production, Mrs Muggins' obstreperous children were played by Essie Jennings, Betty Lambert, May Geary, Lance Vane, and Harry Burgess. The scenes are said to have 'shifted in kaleidoscope fashion from Mrs Muggins' front garden to the kitchen, then on board an Atlantic liner, and finally to a beautiful Scottish landscape' (Brisbane Courier 22 Aug. 1927, p.20).
One of the songs known to have been incorporated in the 1922 Fullers' Theatre production was 'The Pipes of Pan' (sung by Shannon Raye). The 1926 Melbourne and Sydney and 1927 Brisbane seasons included 'The Butterfly Dance' as one of the specialties. Two numbers performed during the 1926 Bijou Theatre season were 'Gallagher and Shean' (Jim Gerald and Reg Hawthorne) and the trio 'Tippy Canoe' (Geary, Crawford, and Hall). Songs incorporated into the 1927 Brisbane season included 'Always' (May Geary) and 'My Little Suzannne' (Dan Weldon, in place of Ernest Crawford).
Production Details
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1922: Fullers' Theatre, Sydney, 23-29 September.
- Director Jim Gerald; Producer Fullers' Theatres Ltd; Stage Manager Lance Vane; Chorus Polly McLaren; Orchestra Leader Harold Vinner.
- Troupe Jim Gerald's Miniature Musical Comedy Company.
- Cast incl. Jim Gerald, Ernest Crawford, Howard Hall, Lance Vane, Essie Jennings, Reg Hawthorne, Shannon Raye, Winnie Trevail, Polly McLaren, and the Six Twinklers (Iris McKenzie, Vera Nixon, Laurel Barrett, Irene Vando, Edna Drake, Myra Rowe).
1922: Empire Theatre, Brisbane, 25 November - 1 December.
- Director Jim Gerald; Producer Fullers' Theatres Ltd; Stage Manager Lance Vane; Chorus Polly McLaren.
- Troupe Jim Gerald's Miniature Musical Comedy Company.
- Cast incl. Jim Gerald, Ernest Crawford, Howard Hall, Lance Vane, Essie Jennings, Reg Hawthorne, Winnie Trevail, Polly McLaren, Shannon Raye, and the Six Twinklers (Iris McKenzie, Vera Nixon, Laurel Barrett, Gladys Taylor, Edna Drake, Myra Rowe).
1924: Fullers' Theatre, Sydney, 19-25 April.
- Director Jim Gerald; Producer Fullers' Theatres Ltd; Stage Manager Lance Vane; Chorus Polly McLaren.
- Troupe Jim Gerald's Miniature Musical Comedy Company.
- Cast incl. Jim Gerald, Essie Jennings, Reg Hawthorne, Polly McLaren, Ernest Crawford, Lance Vane, Howard Hall, Letty Craydon, Mona Thomas, and the Six Twinklers.
1926: Fullers' Theatre, Sydney, 27 February - 5 March (return season: 29 May - 4 June).
- Director Jim Gerald; Producer Fullers' Theatres Ltd; Stage Manager Lance Vane; Chorus Polly McLaren.
- Troupe Jim Gerald's Revue Company.
- Cast incl. Jim Gerald (Mrs Muggins), Essie Jennings, Reg Hawthorne, Polly McLaren, Lance Vane, Mona Thomas, Ernest Crawford, Howard Hall, Myra Rowe, Betty Lambert, May Geary, Neva Carr-Glynn, and the Six Twinklers.
1926: New Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, 21-27 August (return season: 20-26 November).
- Director Jim Gerald; Producer Fullers' Theatres Ltd; Stage Manager Lance Vane; Chorus Polly McLaren.
- Troupe Jim Gerald Revue Company.
- Cast incl. Jim Gerald (Mrs Muggins), Lance Vane, Essie Jennings, Reg Hawthorne, Polly McLaren, May Geary, Howard Hall, Ernest Crawford, Mona Thomas, Betty Lambert, Myra Rowe, and the Six Twinklers.
- Iris McKenzie's name is mentioned in several reviews during the Bijou Theatre season. It is unclear at this stage if she had become a member of the cast or was still one of the Six Twinklers.
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1927: Empire Theatre, Brisbane, 26 March - 1 April (return season: 20-26 August).
- Director Jim Gerald; Producer Fullers' Theatres Ltd; Stage Manager Lance Vane; Chorus Polly McLaren.
- Troupe Jim Gerald's Revue Company.
- Cast incl. Jim Gerald (Mrs Muggins), Essie Jennings, Reg Hawthorne (the landlord), Harry Burgess, Polly McLaren, Lance Vane, Ernest Crawford, Howard Hall, Jack Manners, May Geary, Betty Lambert, Ray and Dot McLean, Dalton Payne, Harry Payne, Flora McDonald, and the Six Twinklers.
1930: Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne, 24-30 May.
- Director Jim Gerald; Producer Tivoli Celebrity Vaudeville.
- Troupe Jim Gerald Musical Revue Company.
- Cast incl. Jim Gerald, Essie Jennings, Reg Hawthorne, Howard Hall, Jim Foran, Sadie Gale, Tom Dale, Joe Hudson, Ray McLean, Joan Graham, Lily Coburn, Marie Ward, Thelma Duff, Edna Ralston, and the Six Twinklers.
1934: Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne, 2-8 June.
- Director Jim Gerald; Producer Tivoli Circuit Australia.
- Troupe Jim Gerald's Musical Revue Company.
- Cast incl. Jim Gerald, Charles L. Sherman, Lou Cottam, Edna Ralston, Lily Coburn, Thelma Duff, Tom Dale, Lance Vane, Frieda Bohning, Vilma Kaye, Robbie Clifton, Will Perryman, Max Reddy, and the Six Twinklers.
- The first-half entertainment, Happy Ideas, was presented in the revue format.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Tivoli Theatre - Jim Gerald
1934
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 4 June 1934; (p. 10)
— Review of Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre -
Tivoli
1930
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 26 May 1930; (p. 12)
— Review of Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre -
Empire Theatre
1927
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 28 March 1927; (p. 12)
— Review of Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre -
Fullers'
1926
single work
review
— Appears in: Theatre Society and Home , April 1926; (p. 13)
— Review of 1914-1918, Or, For the Duration 1922 single work musical theatre ; Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre -
Fun at the Empire
1925
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 22 August 1925; (p. 20)
— Review of Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre
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Fullers' Theatre
1922
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 25 September no. 26434 1922; (p. 5)
— Review of Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre -
Fun at the Empire
1925
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 22 August 1925; (p. 20)
— Review of Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre -
Empire Theatre
1927
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 28 March 1927; (p. 12)
— Review of Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre -
Fullers'
1926
single work
review
— Appears in: Theatre Society and Home , April 1926; (p. 13)
— Review of 1914-1918, Or, For the Duration 1922 single work musical theatre ; Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre -
Tivoli Theatre - Jim Gerald
1934
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 4 June 1934; (p. 10)
— Review of Oh Mum 1922 single work musical theatre
PeriodicalNewspaper Details
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cAustralia,c
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cScotland,ccUnited Kingdom (UK),cWestern Europe, Europe,
