The online magazine of Theatre Heritage Australia
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Loose Lips Sink Broadcasters
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In Britain during the 1940s, variety was popular on both radio and television, but as PETER BURGIS discovered, it was mandatory for producers and broadcasters to watch what they said... In 1975 I was fortunate to conduct a series of oral history interviews with pioneer Australian radio and... -
Marvellous Minton: Yvonne Minton at 86 (Part 1)
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The 4 December marks Yvonne Minton’s 86th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, ROGER NEILL takes a look at the career of this marvellous Australian mezzo. Marvellous Minton DeccaWhy is it that Yvonne Minton, one of the greatest of all Australian singers, now has such a low level of awareness, even... -
Marvellous Minton: Yvonne Minton at 86 (Part 2)
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The 4 December marks Yvonne Minton’s 86th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, ROGER NEILL takes a look at the career of this marvellous Australian mezzo. An Australian at Bayreuth Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde (Bayreuth, 1976). Photo by Siegfried Lauterwasser. July 1974 brought another major... -
Marvellous Minton: Selected discography
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To complement his two-part article on Yvonne Minton, ROGER NEILL has selected several tracks, demonstrating the Australian mezzo’s diverse repertoire, from Mozart to Boulez Mozart - La clemenza di Tito, K.621 - Act 1 Berlioz - La damnation de Faust, Op. 24 - Part 4, Scène 15 Wagner - Tristan und... -
Greg Dempsey OAM (Part 2)
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During the 1960s and 1970s, Greg Dempsey enjoyed success on TV and also on the opera stages of the UK and Germany, as GEOFFREY ORR discovers in Part 2 of his biography of the Melbourne-born opera singer. Gregory’s appearances on television included some significant performances and serious works,... -
Charles Pollard & Nellie Chester—Theatrical Entrepreneurs through plagues, wars, and family disputes (Part 2)
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Children of Pollards Lilliputian Opera Company with US soldiers in Manila. This photo was taken in early 1903, about six months after the Filipino American War had ended. Pollard Opera Companies Collection, Australian Performing Arts Collection, Melbourne. During the late nineteenth and early... -
Remembering Clem Gorman
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Clem Gorman, 1938–2021 I regret I haven’t done this sooner, however I have been paralyzed with grief and it is only now that I feel able to write a few words to honor the life of my late husband Clem. Those who knew Clem would have to agree, Clem always made a difference in what ever endeavour he... -
The View from Prompt Corner: Diana Ross
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Some time in the late 1970s, working as part of the team setting up a function at Dallas Brooks Hall in Melbourne, MATTHEW PECKHAM recalls an unexpected encounter with a legendary American pop singer. Before Melbourne’s entertainment landscape was adorned with its present constellation of concert... -
Gerald Keane’s JCW Toolbox
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As the unofficial historian for J.C. Williamson Ltd., KEVIN COXHEAD has been gathering stories on the many people who have worked for the Firm in its 102 year history, including Melbourne-based Gerald Keane, who as chief scenic carpenter was one of the many unsung heroes of the theatre. Reading... -
Melchor, the mini-Kiwi tenorino
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Very little has been written about the pint-sized English-born New Zealand tenor Melchor Winter, but the discovery of a photograph of him prompted KURT GÄNZL to dig out some old notes and pen a biography. WINTER, Melchor [WINTER, Thomas William] (b. Hereford, 13 December 1826; d. Christchurch, New... -
Little Wunder: The story of the Palace Theatre, Sydney (Part 15)
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Despite 1914 marking the beginning of World War One, the range of novelties at the Palace continued unabated. In addition to the spectacular Land of Nod and return visits by Allen Doone, the theatre also welcomed the “Scotch Dickens” Harry Lauder and controversial bare-foot dancer Maud Allan, as... -
Early Stages: Maureen Andrew
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Performer, writer and broadcaster MAUREEN ANDREW vividly recalls her Brisbane childhood, her first dance classes, and her eventual move to Melbourne where she appeared in the musical Hair. I have very vague memories of my legs being in callipers. Two sticks up either side of the leg, going higher... -
Obituary: Lex Marinos
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Lex Marinos OAM, 1 February 1949 - 13 September 2024 Ironically, and more than once, Lex would refer to himself as a jobbing actor. If so, he was the busiest jobbing actor than I have ever seen in action. Contemplating Lex’s career makes you giddy. His first love was sport. But then came theatre. A... -
Obituary: Jack Hibberd
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Jack Hibberd, 12 April 1940–31 August 2024 Jack Hibberd, 1981. Photo by Rennie Ellis. State Library Victoria, Melbourne. There is nothing resembling a Hall of Fame for Australian playwrights, of course. They’re used to battling for that prized first production, which very rarely leads to a second; their... -
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Obituary: John Newman OAM
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John Newman OAM, 30 August 1930–28 July 2024 I am delighted to write this article for Theatre Heritage Australia to pay tribute to one of Melbourne’s legends of showbusiness John Robert Newman OAM. I only met John Newman once. It was at a function at Her Majesty’s Theatre in 2018. I managed to... -
Lola Russell: Eulogy
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Lola Russell, 28 June 1922–21 August 1924 My name is Susan Pierotti and I had the privilege of editing and managing the publication of Lola’s autobiographical book, City Kid. When I first met Lola, I was intrigued by this frail-looking but imperious old lady. As I got to know her, I discovered a...
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NOTABLE PRODUCTIONS
1 September 2024
Quality Street: Overview
Author: Elisabeth Kumm
For some people the name Quality Street will immediately suggest the 1901 play by J.M. Barrie, while others will recall the brightly decorated tins of chocolates produced by Mackintosh’s in England. Indeed, the chocolate range, which was introduced in 1936, was inspired by Barrie’s play, the romantic characters on the tin being based on Miss Phoebe... Read more
11 June 2024
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Author: Rexton S Bunnett
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum is probably the funniest of all farces written for the stage and its roots happen to be the oldest. Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart’s inspiration for the book came from the works ot Titus Maccius Plautus, a Roman playwright of the third and second centuries BC (254 to 184 BC to be exact).... Read more
16 January 2024
The Pajama Game
Author: Frank Van Straten
The Pajama Game had its genesis in a novel, 7½ Cents, which author Richard Bissell based on his experiences in his family’s pajama factory in Dubuque, Iowa. Broadway producers Hal Prince and Robert Griffith saw the story’s musical possibilities and snapped up the rights, but persuading people to work on the project proved far more difficult.... Read more
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BOOK REVIEWS
CAROL RAYE: FUNNY BUSINESS by John Senczuk, Arcadia, 2023In 1964, The Mavis Bramston Show swept across Australian television, and TV would never be the same again. Created by and starring Carol Raye, with Gordon Chater and Barry Creyton, this one-hour ... Read more
1 March 2023
1 December 2022
1 December 2022
1 September 2022
1 September 2022
1 June 2022
1 June 2022
SERIAL ARTICLES
Following their successful ‘come-back’ tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1932–33, Madge Elliott and Cyril Ritchard returned to London via America (where ... Read more
2 September 2021
27 May 2021
9 June 2020
Madge Elliott has told us of her graduation from the ranks of the Exquisite Eight to leading lady in The Cabaret Girl, which ran for a long and happy ... Read more
31 August 2019
31 August 2019
26 May 2019
(left) Theatre Royal, Adelaide, 1881. Photo by Samuel Wright Sweet. State Library of South Australia, Adelaide. (right) C.H. Workman. Photo by Dover Street ... Read more
Title banner photos by Allans Studios published in Punch (Melbourne, Vic.), 10 December 1914, p. 21, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page13430946Clearly the ... Read more
12 December 2019
15 September 2019
19 September 2023
In this, the last instalment of J. ALAN KENYON’s memoirs, he shares more anecdotes and pays tribute to some of the men and women of the theatre and films.George ... Read more
1 December 2022
During the 1950s, scenic artist J. ALAN KENYON was back at J.C. Williamson Ltd, working on sets for Annie Get Your Gun, Oklahoma! and other plays, as he ... Read more
1 March 2022
In Part 8 of J. ALAN KENYON’s memoirs, he recalls (among other things) working on the 1940 epic film Forty Thousand Horsemen, the story of Australian Light ... Read more
27 May 2021
Scenic artist J. ALAN (GEORGE) KENYON’s memoirs continue. In this installment, after taking time out from film work, he returns to the studio where among ... Read more