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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Musical scena.
This one-act music theatre piece is set in the Orient. The Brisbane Courier's theatre critic wrote of the 1917 Dandies production, 'One of the prettiest and most elaborate concerted items presented for some time was the Eastern scene which closed the first half. In this item Miss Ivy Davis had the leading role, assisted by the other members of the company, all being attired in Oriental costume, which, with similar background served to secure an attractive effect' (14 April 1917, p.7).
When the scena was re-staged later that same year, this time by the Courtiers Costume Comedy Company, the paper recorded: '[This] fascinating Chinese scene was the star item. With a glimpse of an idol at the back, multi-coloured lanterns, and burning joss-sticks,' notes the paper's critic, 'quite a Chinese atmosphere was created' (1 Sept. 1917, p.14).
Songs presented in the August/September 1917 season included 'Little Chinee Girl', 'Three Ziffs', and 'Dreamy China Town' (Brisbane Courier 1 Sept. 1917, p.14), while the 1918 revival included 'Four Little Chinee Girls' and 'China Town.'
Notes
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The Australian public's interest in these Oriental musical scenas is evident in the large number of them produced around the country between the mid-1910s and early 1920s. For example, in Brisbane, Edward Branscombe's Dandies staged In China Town at the Cremorne Garden Theatre in 1917 (ca. 14 April), while John N. McCallum's Courtiers company presented a similar version of the same 'fascinating Chinese Scene' at the Cremorne in early September of the same year. A month later, In Yokohama was staged by the Smart Set Entertainers (12 October) at the Palace Gardens. Other Oriental-influenced scenas staged in Brisbane during 1918 include In Sunny Japan (Smart Set, 11 January), several unnamed productions in early February and early March, In Fair Japan (Huxham's Serenaders, 20 September), and Asia Minor (Huxham's Serenaders, 11 October). Productions from 1919 included Huxham's Serenaders' The Fan Tan Man (10 January).
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It has been suggested that a number of these Oriental scenas might have been adapted or reinterpreted from other productions. Delyse Ryan ('Brisbane Theatre During World War I'), for example, proposes that using set pieces from previous productions may have been a cost-saving policy at Brisbane's Cremorne Garden Theatre (p.143). However, as variety audiences expected a constant stream of new and stimulating entertainments, entrepreneurs such as John N. McCallum would have restricted the re-use of sets to the revivals of popular productions, rather than rehashing old shows under new titles. It is also more likely that old scenic art was painted over to reduce production costs.
It is also believed that redundant scenic art was sometimes sold to other organisations, theatrical or otherwise. In August 1916, for example, Brisbane's Glideway Skating Rink advertised the 'tremendous scenic production' In Sunny Japan. A similarly titled scena had been staged at the nearby Cremorne the previous year (ctd. Brisbane Courier 5 August 1916, p.2).
NB: For further details, see AustLit's entry for In Sunny Japan or alternatively via an archived version of the website at Pandora.
Production Details
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1917: Cremorne Garden Theatre, Brisbane, 13-19 April.
- Director Walter George; Producer/Proprietor John N. McCallum (Dandies Qld Ltd).
- Troupe Dandies Costume Comedy Company (aka Orange Dandies).
- Cast Ivy Davis, Courtney Ford, Lottie Sargent, Linda Bradford, Dorothy Manning, Harry Borradale, Arthur Crane, Harry Graham, Andrew Pace, George Edwards, Rosie Parkes, Walter George.
- Musician Reg Gard.
1917: Cremorne Garden Theatre, Brisbane, 31 August - 6 September.
- Producer John N. McCallum.
- Troupe Courtiers Costume Comedy Company.
- Cast incl. Linda Dale, Harry Borradale, Colin Crane, Leslie Holmes, Sidney Mannering, Gracie Funston, George Edwards, Rosie Parkes.
- Musicians incl. Henri Penn (piano).
1918: Cremorne Garden Theatre, Brisbane, 6-12 April.
- Cast and production mostly as for previous Cremorne production.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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The Dandies
1917
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 14 April 1917; (p. 7)
— Review of In China Town 1917 single work musical theatre
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The Dandies
1917
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 14 April 1917; (p. 7)
— Review of In China Town 1917 single work musical theatre
