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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Billed as 'the king of soldier sketches' and described as a 'pseudo-dramatic military episode', History Repeats Itself revolves around two lone diggers and a jar of rum.
A review of the 1926 Brisbane production suggests that much of the humour was due to the fact that the actors, Pat Hanna and Joe Valli, were 'well versed in the lore of the A. I. F.' (Brisbane Courier 15 May 1926, p.22). The Daily News (Perth) reports, too, that 'Messrs Hanna and Marks are the diggers in a bit of ghostly history, staged in a shell-smashed chateau [in] France' (16 April 1923, n. pag.).
Notes
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The production details below are incomplete due to the inconstency of newspaper reviews and advertising over the period. History Repeats Itself was, however, one of the more popular sketches presented by Pat Hanna's Famous Diggers, and would have very likely been staged at least once during each extended engagement in any city from 1922 onwards.
Production Details
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1922: Esplanade, St Kilda (Melbourne), 2-8 March. Director/Producer Pat Hanna ; Troupe The Famous Diggers ; Cast incl. Pat Hanna.
1923: Queen's Hall, Perth, ca. April. Director/Producer Pat Hanna ; Troupe The Famous Diggers ; Cast incl. Pat Hanna.
1924: Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane, 3-9 January. Director/Producer Pat Hanna ; Troupe The Famous Diggers ; Cast incl. Pat Hanna.
1926: Theatre Royal, Brisbane, 13-19 May. Director/Producer Pat Hanna ; Troupe Pat Hanna's Diggers ; Cast incl. Pat Hanna.
1926: North Queensland regional tour, ca. June - August. Director Pat Hanna ; Producer E. J. Carroll (q.v.) in association with G. P. Hanna ; Troupe Pat Hanna's Famous Diggers ; Cast incl. Pat Hanna.
The tour operated between 15 June and 6 August.
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This entry has been sourced from on-going historical research into Australian popular theatre being conducted by Dr Clay Djubal.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
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cFrance,cWestern Europe, Europe,
- 1914-1918
