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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
The first known staging of In Yokohama is the one produced in Brisbane by the Smart Set Company (Oct. 1917). Described as an 'entirely new and original Japanese scena' (Brisbane Courier 12 October 1917, p.2), it was presented as a second half entertainment in the manner of the revusical. The Brisbane Courier theatre critic described the entertainment thus: 'Dainty stage effects were secured in the second half by a Japanese kiosk setting, with coloured lanterns waving to and fro, and tea girls flitting around attired in pretty geisha robes. Into this Oriental setting strode four dapper British naval officers, and love affairs with the geishas led to harmonious duets and lively dances… "Cherry Blossom Time in Japan" was a tuneful number as also was "A Japanese Love Song"' (13 October 1917, p.14).
[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]
Notes
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The public interest in these Oriental scenas is evidenced by the fact that a number were staged in around Australia between 1915 and 1918. In Brisbane during 1917, for example, the Dandies, under the management of John N. McCallum, had previously staged In China Town at the Cremorne Theatre (13 Apr.); while McCallum's Courtiers company staged a similar version of the 'fascinating Chinese Scene' in early September in 1917. Other Oriental revusicals known to have been staged in the Queensland capital during 1918 were: Walter George's revival of the 1915 revusical In Sunny Japan (1915) as a scena (11 Jan.); two unnamed productions, one in February (1-7) and the other March (8-14); and three Hugh Huxham scenas - In Fair Japan (20-26 Sept.); Asia Minor (11-17 Oct.) and My Little Chinee Girl in China (28 Nov. - 5 Dec.).
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It is not clear whether there is a relationship between In Yokohama and any of the revusicals referred to above, or with several other Oriental productions known to have been staged by Australian companies, notably two by Elton Black Oh Yokohama and In Tokyo (both first staged in 1916). In her Ph D 'Brisbane Theatre During World War I' (2000), Delyse Ryan has suggested that with set pieces available from previous productions, it is likely that a deliberating factor in staging similar scenas at Brisbane's Cremorne Theatre, for example, was the reduction in costs through the re-use of these materials. Whether the narratives were similar is uncertain.
Production Details
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1917: Palace Gardens (Bris); 12-18 Oct.
- Director Walter George; Manager Thomas J. Rayment.
- Troupe: Smart Set Entertainers.
- Cast incl. Walter George, Georgie Martin, Les Coney, Harry de Robeck, Gwen Gaylor, Robert Roper, Lalla Knight, Gordon Jago.
- Musicians: Bijou Orchestra.
Works about this Work
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The Smart Set
1917
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 13 October 1917; (p. 14)
— Review of In Yokohama 1917 single work musical theatre
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The Smart Set
1917
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 13 October 1917; (p. 14)
— Review of In Yokohama 1917 single work musical theatre
PeriodicalNewspaper Details
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Yokohama,
Honshu,
cJapan,cEast Asia, South and East Asia, Asia,
