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Notes
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In 1913, around the same time that he was preparing to open his Bridge Theatre in Newtown (Sydney), Harry Clay sent a 26 member pantomime company on tour through Northern New South Wales. While many of the details regarding the tour are currently unknown, including which towns comprised the itinerary and how long the tour lasted, the Clarence and Richmond Examiner records that the feature production had been named as Puss in Boots, supported by Cinderella. The same article also notes that the troupe, billed as the Royal pantomime Company, had recently finished a tour of Victoria, while advertising indicates that Puss in Boots was being produced in Grafton as its season in Sydney. While it is unclear if the Victorian or Sydney ventures were toured under the auspices of Clay or someone else, it is unlikely that Clay's production of Bo-Peep was in any way associated with the J.C. Williamson's pantomime staged in Sydney between March and May 1913.
The principal cast members mentioned in the preview also indicates that it was not the Royal Pantomime Company then being toured by Stanley McKay around Australia (and which opened in New Zealand later in the year).
As to the work itself, all that is known is that it was staged over two acts and 12 scenes.
Production Details
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1913: Rink Hall, Grafton, New South Wales; 16 July -
- Producer Harry Clay; Scenic Art Harry Grist.
- Troupe: Royal Pantomime Company
- Cast included: J.J. Lanphier, Reg Hughes, Murray Ross, Iris Webster, Dulcie Scott, Daisy Leonard.
- As noted above Puss in Boots was very likely toured through Victoria and possibly other towns in NSW prior to the July1913 Grafton season. Its debut may also have been as early as 1912.
