Revusical.
George Wallace played Tommy Dodds, a down-and-out, accident-prone pie-stall vendor, who is converted at a moment's notice into the reigning sovereign of Betonia, and subsequently scandalises the court with his larrikin Australian manner. When the rightful heir to the throne is discovered, Tommy is forcibly removed from the palace, at which time he wakes up from his dream.
A 1930 Argus review indicates that although the story 'opens on the New York waterfront, [with] the hero of the piece [being] a New York youth who nurses an ambition to become the proprietor of a pie-stall [this] does not prevent Mr Wallace from giving another of his amusing portraits of an Australian hobbledehoy, or from entertaining his audience with the incongruous use of Australian slang.' Concerning the story, the review records that 'It follows that Tommy Dodds (Mr Wallace) was hailed by the ambassador, who happened to be strolling along the waterfront in full uniform, as the long lost Prince of Petonia. In the Petonian palace the new king proves himself a good-hearted ruler, despite his disturbing habit of hurling the lady-in-waiting halfway across the stage.'
Tommy Dodds is an accident-prone stage manager who overnight becomes the King of Betonia. However, his uncouth Australian larrikin attitude, which sees him gambling with the footmen and decreeing that his courtiers wear roller skates, scandalises the court. When the rightful heir to the throne is discovered, Tommy is forcibly removed from the palace, at which point he wakes up from what has all been a dream.
The 1929/1930 Tivoli season saw at least one critic (from the Argus) criticise George Wallace's knockabout performance style on several occasions. In reviewing His Royal Highness, for example, the critic suggested that the comedian's style would be improved 'if he relied less on knocking people about and more upon his gift for less noisy humour' (17 February 1930, p.11).
1926: Majestic Theatre, Newtown (Sydney); 3-9 July
1926: Majestic Theatre, Adelaide; 4-10 September
1927: Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, 26 February - 4 March.
1928: Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, 22-28 September.
1930: Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne, 15-21 February.