1880

THE HAPPY LAND: [burlesque] Txt Adapt. Marcus Clarke; Mus. [n/e] # Joseph Aarons and James O'Meara, 1880 (printed by Alex McKinley) Adapted by Marcus Clarke (possibly in asssociation with R. P. Whitworth and perhaps actor H. E. Walton), The Happy Land is a two act satire in blank verse and prose based on W. S. Gilbert and Gilbert A' Beckett's 1873 burlesque of the same name, which was itself based on Gilbert's The Wicked World, which was first staged earlier that same year. The Gilbert and A'Beckett parody satiries the excesses of popular government, particularly that of the then Gladstone ministry which had "allegedly lessened British prestige abroad." It's storyline sees "three popular statemen invited to Fairyland to bestow on its inhabitants the blessings of their style of government; however, their precepts cause such chaos that the Fairies are relieved to see the last of them and return to their former dull but secure state" (Kelly, 74).1 The Clarke version targets a tinder-dry political subject - the row between 's Liberal government and the Legislative Council. His text, which adheres fairly closely to the English play in all but the local detail, contains explicit and controversial references to politics, personalities and issues, was not surprisingly banned in Melbourne by the government censor under orders from Berry. Although Clarke's reworking is less partial and bitter, while at the same time being somewhat more skeptical and good-natured than the original, Veronica Kelly observes that few people at the time would have read it as anything less than "a studied attack on the Liberal 'popular government" (74). Clarke begins his play with Melbourne press reports being raised in Fairyland with these suggesting that 's government has turned the state into a political Eldorado. The Fairies subsequently send for three of the government's most popular statesmen to teach its own leaders the principles of "Popular Government." The fairy statesmen form into government and opposition and examine the former's suitability for office by distributing portfolios to the most venal and incompetent. The opposition grow discontented and determine to strike a blow for liberty. In the end the Fairies decide that Popular Government is too expensive a luxury. The publicised date for The Happy Land's premiere was Saturday 17 January. In her 1983 paper on the banning of The Happy Land, Kelly records that Berry's decision to stop the production as a "dramatic work" less than a week before the premiere created series of countermoves by the producers (Academy of Music manager, Joseph Aarons and lessee James O'Meara), the writer (under both his real name and his pseudonym "Atticus"), and other members of the Melbourne press. Initially Aarons, O'Mera and Clarke attempted to get a rewritten version through the government censor. When this was again refused by Berry, consideration was being given on the Friday (16 Jan.) to producing the original A'Beckett play. This option was dismissed on the day of the premiere, however, when the actors could not satisfactorily unlearn the Clarke script. In the end a decision was made sometime during the day to produce Clarke's piece not as a stage play (as defined in the prohibition notice) but as a more or less a public lecture- without any acting or evidence of a "staged" production. The Australasian records in this respect that "the piece was produced in plain dress without character make-up, but with the notorious propos of travelling bag, sword and tar brush" (ctd. Kelly, 83) [see image right]. As Kelly notes, the emphatic omission of names of characters could only have drawn more attention to the play's satirical intent. The performance, she writes, made Berry's "stance seem ludicrous and dictatorial, and played into his opponent's hands" (83). In this respect the Portland Guardian echoed the sentiments of most critics and political observors of the time, when in its 20 January edition its editor wrote:

The following is a fair sample of the most objectionable Author of "Our Unhappy Land," the Actors in "The Happy Land." --- "I part of the dialogue which Mr Berry says is unfit for a SHALL PROHIBIT EVERYTHING ON THE STAGE INIMICAL TO THE PRESERVATION OF GOOD MANNERS, DECORUM, OR colonial theatre. The only wonder is that Punch is allowed MORALITY." to exist, and that the proprietors have not long ago been The three characters at the rear are L-R: John Woods, with sword (Minister for indicted under the Newspaper Statute for treason, Railways and Roads), , with tar brush (Minister for blasphemy, heresy and every other iniquity (2). Mines and Public Instruction) and Graham Berry, with travelling bag (Premier) Melbourne Punch 22 Jan. (1880), 35.

1 Unless otherwise noted all citations for Veronia Kelly in this entry refer to "Banning of Marcus Clarke's The Happy Land" (1983).

With the Melbourne production limited to two nights and reduced to a spoken-word production, US actor/ managers Edwin Kelly and Frances Leon decided to give The Happy Land a full production over two weeks in Sydney in late January/early February. A clandestine Victorian production was also staged in Frankston on 6 February. Interstingly, both Victorian productions included among the cast members a young actor, , who would himself become in later years Victorian premier. The Happy Land was also staged in several cities in , beginning around late February. The last known production was in September. The text for this version was localised by a local journalist/editor as a means of burlesquing that country's statesmen (Kelly, 101). There has long been some conjecture over who actually wrote the burlesque, a matter which Kelly argues has been the result of an "elaborate game of cover-up and cover-blowing" that developed "to a farcical extent" prior to and in the weeks after the premiere (74). This confusion has been compounded by the fact that the published text (included as part of the production program) credits actor Henry Walton as author. According to Kelly, Clarke also helped instigate the confusion through his Leader column, "Under the Verandah" (which he contributed under the pseudonym "Atticus"). She notes that in the 10 January edition he not only leaked "some tantalising advance publicity for the 'new and grand burlesque of great local and Victorian interest'," but also named Walton as the adaptor (74): "Rumour has it that Mr Walton has written some very pungent lines applicable to present politicians" (ctd Kelly, 74). Kelly notes that Walton also named himself as the author on several occasions. The first of these was in a letter to the Argus (published on 15 January). That same day he also accepted responsibility in a statement made to the police when they served prohibition notices at the Academy of Music. Kelly argues, however, that while Walton, "the star actor… who joined the company to play The Major," may have made contributions or suggestions during the rehearsal stages, the manuscript held by the Mitchell Library (written entirely in Clarke's handwriting) shows that he "certainly 'wrote' no lines at all" (75).2

Sydney Morning Herald 16 Jan. (1880), 5.

Robert Percy Whitworth's association with the burlesque is similarly unclear. His name certainly appears as author on the manuscript submitted to the Patent Office on 13 January, the registration for which was officially cancelled two days later by the Attorney-General Sir Bryan O'Loghlen. In his letter to the Argus (17 Jan.) Whitworth claims however, that the writing was a collaboration: "The fact is that I, representing Mr Walton and myself, did register the piece of our adaptation of it… " (ctd Kelly, 78). In their statements to the police at the theatre on 15 January, however, Aarons and Walton both denied that Whitworth had anything "whatever to do with the writing of the play" (ctd. Kelly, 79).

Evidence supporting Clarke's role as primary, if not sole, author comes from several sources – notably the handwritten manuscript held by the Mitchell Library. A comprehensive analysis of the handwriting indicates Argus 17 Jan. (1888), 12. that Clarke was responsible for the entire manuscript (Kelly, 75). The first newspaper to unequivocally name him as the adaptor was the Argus in its 16 January issue (Kelly, 79). The following day the Leader's "Amusements" column also put his name into the mix: "The adaptor is said tobe Mr Marcus Clarke. If such is the fact, he is to be congratulated on the production, as it is one of the most pungent, and at the same time humorous political skits contributed to the colonial stage" (ctd. Kelly, 85). Other papers to credit him as author include the Sydney Morning Herald (22 Jan.), Sydney Mail (24 Jan.) and Daily Telegraph (29 Jan.). Another puzzling aspect of the authorship issue is that Clarke's hand (using a different ink) is identified as having written "M. Clarke &" over the initial inscription "R. P. Whitworth" on the cover of the Office of Copyright manuscript. The same handwriting (and same ink) has also cancelled the copyright stamps. Veronica Kelly believes that this indicates that "it was Clarke who undertook the mental and physical labour of adapting the Gilbert work; that he originally ascribed his own work to his friend Whitworth; and that at some time subsequent to this he added his own name on the title page" (108). The Mitchell Library manuscript (C 449) includes a newspaper clipping disputing the authorship and (erroneously) claiming that H. E. Walton was in fact R. P. Whitworth. The holding is also accompanied by a handwritten note by historian Brian Elliot, and a typed letter from L. Buck (dated 1910), who claims the manuscript was given to him by Clarke. Veronica Kelly argues that Ludwig Bruck (a clerk with publisher and medical agent Ferdinand Francois Bailliere) has erred in his recall of certain events pertaining to the banning of The Happy Land. She writes:

2 Interestingly, Walton is also recorded as having been the co-author (perhaps with Clarke) of Acapemone, a sequel to The Happy Land, which premiered in Melbourne a month later.

Bruck's assertion that the McKinley libretto was seized by the police is untenable. There is no report of such a sensational development in any contemporary source... There was furthermore no point in taking such action merely to suppress the play text; , Argus, Sydney Mail, Australasian Sketcher, Ballarat Courier and Portland Guardian all published the text in full or in part. Although Bruck was close to the events and participants of the events of January and February 1880, forty years later he may have confused the prohibition of the Happy Land performances with the withdrawal of the January issue of the Melbourne Punch (109).

Bruck's assertion that all of the printed editions (included within the production program) had been seized by the police and destroyed, and that this manuscript was the sole remaining version, is similarly incorrect. Three of the original programs are held by the State Library of Victoria, Mitchell Library, and the Fryer Library (The University of Queensland). The Fryer library also holds a zeroxed copy of Clarke's original manuscript (held by the Mitchell Library). [NB: In an interview published in the Australasian on 18 May, 1905, Thomas Bent (then Victorian Premier) reminisced about his earlier life as a would-be actor, mentioning in particular the production of "a political piece called The Happy Land" at the Bijou Theatre (Melb) in "the latter part of the seventies… We played with great success for four nights," he recalls, "and then a threat was made by the authorities that if we continued the theatre license would be cancelled. We then put the word 'prohibited" on our play bills and played another three nights. We did very well… I determined to take the play to Frankston, but I saw the actresses in the daylight, and this finished my career as an actor" (qtd in Brisbane Courier 3 June 1905, 16). The references to "Bijou Theatre" and the a season of seven nights suggests that either Bent's memory was inaccurate or that he also took part in another political satire, Acapemone, which was staged the same year at the People's Theatre, Melbourne (see below). Although his name has not been identified with that production he may well have been involved as a supernumerary]

"The Suppressed Play: The Dress Rehearsal" Australasian Sketcher 31 Jan. (1880), 190.

1880: Academy of Music, Melbourne; 17, 19 Jan. - Mngr. Joseph Aarons; Lse. James O'Meara. - Cast incl. Marie Gordon, Tilly Earle [Mrs John Edouin], Kate Vernon, Miss Chalmers, Miss Fisher, Miss Maynard, Miss Evans, J. Nunn, Miss Harrington, Miss Russell, Hans Phillips, C. Newton, John Dunn, Oliver "Olly" Deering, Henry E. Walton, Mr Dark, Thomas Bent. - The 15 January presentation was a public rehearsal. 1880: Kelly and Leon's Opera House, Sydney; 31 Jan. – 13 Feb. [13 pfms] - Mngr. Dave Hayman; Lse. Edwin Kelly and Francis Leon. - Cast incl. Nellie Henry, Emma Wangenheim, Fanny Rogers, Lucy Fraser, Annie Hughes, Amy Fraser, Vernon Read, C. Frisco, Edwin Lester, E. Osbourne, William Ball, Edwin Kelly, Fred Dark. 1880: Frankston (Vic); 6 Feb. - Dir. Garnet Walch. - Cast incl. Oliver "Olly" Deering, H. E. Walton, E. B. Russell. - The production is said to have been staged either in a temporary venue, or as a clandestine beach performance. 1880: Bijou Theatre, Brisbane; 9 Feb.

Press (Christchurch, NZ) 23 Feb. (1880), 1. - Mngr/Lse. Arthur L. Inglis. - Cast incl. Kate Douglas, Annie Wilson, Miss F. Douglas, Maude Douglas, Miss K. Locrine, J. D. Marsh, Arthur Inglis, C. A. Tyrell. 1880: Theatre Royal, Christchurch (NZ); 21 Feb. – - Cast incl. J. Stark (The Hon. J. H–l), J.P. Hydes (Mr Rn), J. Wilkinson (Major A–n), D. Alexander (The Avenging Vegetable), Miss Morgan (Selene, Fairy Queen), Ruth Grey (Zayda), Amy Johns (Darine), Maude Vincent (Lelia), Emma James (Locrine), Ellen Gaston (Neodie), Madge Herrick (Ethnis), Lroni Piozzi (Phyllon), Lroni Brett (Lutin). 1880: Academy of Music, Wellington (NZ); 17-21 Mar. - Cast incl. R.G. Cary (Hon. Johnny M-n), T. Williams (J.S. M-c-n-w), Mr Wilkinson (Sir George G–y), F. Crooke (The Great O'Johnny), Amy Johns, Amy Thornton, Lena Wyatt. 1880: Theatre Royal, Wellington (NZ); 5-8 July - Troupe: Byronic Comedy Company. - Cast incl. Mack D. Alexander (Hon. J-H-ll), J. Wilkinson (Hon Major A-n), R. W. Rede (Hon. Mr R-t-n), W. Warren (Wm. H-t-n, the avenging mare). - Billed as the original "banned" Melbourne version. 1880: Princess Theatre, Dunedin (NZ); 3-4 Sept. - Billed as the localized version.

► Clarke, Marcus. The Happy Land. Full text. Published in the Argus 17 Jan. 1880, 9. [sighted 20/09/2012] ► --- The Happy Land. Extract. Published in the Australasian Sketcher 31 Jan. (1880),190. [sighted 20/09/2012] ► --- The Happy Land. Extract. Published in the Portland Guardian 20 Jan. (1880), 2. [sighted 20/09/2012] ► The Happy Land . Full text (New Zealand version) Published in the Christchurch Star 3 Mar. (1880), 3. [sighted 18/09/2012]

"Academy of Music, The." Age 19 Jan. (1880), 3. "Academy of Music – The Happy Land." Argus 19 Jan. (1880), 6. "Chief Secretary as Lord Chamberlain, The." Portland Guardian 17 Jan. (1880), 3. Editorial. Argus 21 Jan. (1880), 5. Editorial. Star (NZ) 25 Feb. (1880), 2. "Happy Land, The." Argus 21 Jan. (1888), 6. "Happy Land, The." Evening Post (NZ): 18 Mar. (1880), 2. "Happy Land, The." Star (NZ) 21 Feb. (1880), 3. Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in : 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags. Kelly, Veronica. "Banning of Marcus Clarke's The Happy Land: Stage, Press and Parliament, The." Australasian Drama Studies 2.1 (1983), 71-111. --- Annotated Checklist of Comments on the Performances and Banning of Marcus Clarke's "The Happy Land." Monash Bibliographical Series No. 2 (1985). "Kelly and Leon's Opera House." Sydney Morning Herald 2 Feb. (1880), 5. "Mr Berry and The Happy Land: Opinions of the Country Press." Argus 20 Jan. (1880), 6. "Mr Berry and The Happy Land." Portland Guardian 24 Jan. (1880), 2. "Our Melbourne Letter." Sydney Morning Herald 22 Jan. (1880), 7. "Parliament (From Wednesday's Papers)" Portland Guardian 22 Jan. (1880), 3. "Prohibition of a Play." South Australian Register 19 Jan. (1880), 6. "Theatres, The." Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil 31 Jan. (1880), 194. Whitworth, Robt. P. "The Happy Land." Letter. Argus 19 Jan. (1880), 6. Williams, Margaret. Australia on the Popular Stage. (1983), 83-4. Evening Post, Wellington (NZ) 5 July (1880), 3.

AGAPEMONE; OR, THE THREE INNOCENTS: [comedy with music] Txt. Henry E. Walton et al; Mus. [n/e] A joint creation by Henry Walton and "a local author" (possibly Marcus Clarke), Agapemone is described in advertising as an "original serio-comic, musical, satirical and political play" (Editorial, 4), that chronicles the Liberal Ministry during the pre-election period. The Age notes that the play was rumoured to be "similar to the Happy Land comedy, which proved such an ignominious failure at the Academy of Music a few weeks ago." In this respect the apparent similarities were no doubt due to Agapemone's pointed references to the Victorian government's suppression of the earlier Marcus Clarke work. The chief characters are: "Immortals," Fairy B (representing Chief Minister, Graham Berry), Fairy O'L (Attorney-General, Mr O'Loghen), Fairy W. (Commissioner of Railways, Mr Woods) and Fairy H. A. ("Henderson Africanus"); and "Mortals," the Hon Mrs A, the Hon Mrs B, and the Hon Mrs C. The entertainment consisted of a dialogue between the various characters, which allowed the Victorian political institutions, and the Berry government in particular, to be ridiculed. The Age critic indicates that "the hackneyed abuse and the tittle-tattle of the Conservative press over the previous three years was dished up in as disagreeable and offensive language as possible. The critic goes on further to suggest that "those who went expecting to enjoy a clever performance, or even a few good jokes, must have been sadly disappointed. There [is] hardly anything in the play worth being called comical; what there was in it pretending to be of that character was too vulgar and contemptible to excite honest laughter… it is not likely that Acapemone will have a long run" (ibid, 3). The Argus critic, on the other hand, viewed the production more positively, writing: "The hits at the present government, some of which are very hard, seemed to be immensely enjoyed by the audience, which was quick to understand the allusions" ("News," 5). Although advertised as incorporating music in the production, the details of this are unclear. The relationship it bears with The Happy Land, both through authorship and content, suggests, however, that the "comedy" if not a burlesque may not have been too dissimilar to the burletta genre. 1880: People's Theatre, Melbourne; 18 Feb. - 1 Mar. - Dir. Henry E. Walton; Mngr. Walter Reynolds; Lse. Theo Hamilton; M Dir. B. Levy; S Art. Harry Grist. - Cast: Henry E. Walton (Fairy B.), E. B. Russell (Fairy O'L.), Harry Power (Fairy W.), E. Ryan (Fairy H. A.), Grace Hathaway (Hon Mrs A), Jenny Bryce (Hon Mrs B.) and Nelly Greenless (Hon Mrs C.), Mrs Appleton.

"Victoria, Melbourne Monday" Sydney Morning Herald 17 Feb. (1880), 5.

Editorial. Age 19 Feb. (1880), 3. Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags. "News of the Day." Argus 20 Feb. (1880), 5. "People's Theatre: Agapemone." Argus 19 Feb. (1880), 7.

MARRIED BY MISTAKE: [play with music] Txt. Harry W. Emmet; Mus. Harry W. Emmet and Lance Lenton 1880: St Georges Hall, Melbourne; 30 Mar. - 3 Apr. - Mngr. L. M. Bayless. - Troupe: McLean's Juvenille Troubadors. - Cast incl. Alina Tulloch, Emily Fox, Masters C. J. [E. J.?] Matthews, F. Montague, Parlato and Sam McLean.

Editorial. Argus 31 Mar. (1880), 5. Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags.

A DAUGHTER OF EVE: [comedy with music] Txt. Marcus Clarke; Mus. [n/e] A romance comedy set in Wales. Dorothy Dove, a meek Quaker, fails to impress her townee cousin with her normal personality. He is smitten with Dorothy, however, when she gets her own back by playing a clever and brilliant coquette. The marriage that is desired by their family is eventually obtained. 1880: Bijou Theatre (Melb); 19-23 July; 6 Aug. - Dir/Lse. G. B. W. Lewis; M Dir. J. Wright; S Art. Harry Grist. - Cast incl. Marion Dunn [Mrs Marcus Clarke], Mrs Wooldridge, Harry Stoneham, J. B. Joyce. 1885: Her Majesty's Opera House (Melb); 21 Feb. [benefit] - Mngr/Lse. and J. Allison. - Cast incl. Mrs Wooldridge, Marion Dunn [Mrs Marcus Clarke], J. B. Joyce, B. Darley.

"Bijou Theatre." Age 20 July (1880), 3. "Bijou Theatre: A Daughter of Eve." Argus 20 July (1880), 7. Editorial. Argus 23 Feb. (1885), 5. "Entertainments: Theatres etc." Australasian 24 July (1880), 114. Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags.

"Month, The." Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers 31 July (1880), Argus 16 July (1880), 8. 131. "News of the Day." Age 23 Feb. (1885), 5. ["News" contines from page 4]

OUR VILLAGE: [burlesque] Txt. Harry W. Emmet; Mus. David Cope Set in Melbourne during the present day, the story contained reference to political figures and an invasion scare by an Irish fake "Getawayo." Other characters include squatters, volunteers, Chinese, loafers and larrikins etc. 1880: Bijou Theatre, Melbourne; 24-30 July - Dir/Lse. G. B. W. Lewis; M Dir. J. Wright; S Art. Harry Grist. - Cast incl. Marion Dunn [Mrs Marcus Clarke], Alice Wooldridge, Lizzie Dixon, Maggie Ford, Mrs Flexmore, Miss Maltravers, Miss Chalmers, H. Vernon, Harry Stoneham, Harry Daniels, George P. Carey, R. A. Letville, Mr Russell, Master George Bryer, R. W. Reede, J. Cecil, J. Donovan, Alex Wright.

"Bijou Theatre: Our Village." Argus 26 July (1880), 6. Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags. "News of the Day." Age 26 July (1880), 3. [NB: Trove shows pages 2 and 3 in reverse order. This link takes you to the actual page 3 of the issue].

FORBIDDEN FRUIT: [comedy with music] Txt Adapt. Marcus Clarke; Mus. [n/e] A two act vaudeville comedy with music, it was adapted from P. F. A. Carmouche's comedy Le Fruit Défendu and set in a French village, the story concerns a love triangle. 1880: Bijou Theatre, Melbourne; 31 July - 5 Aug. - Dir/Lse. G. B. W. Lewis; M Dir. J. Wright; S Art. Harry Grist. - Cast incl. Marion Dunn [Mrs Marcus Clarke], Mrs Wooldridge, J. G. Joyce, W. G. Carey [or George P.], Harry Daniels, R. A. Letville, Mr Russell.

Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags.

H.M.S. PIN-A-4: [burlesque] Txt Adapt. W. Horace Bent; Mus. Gilbert and Sullivan Most likely written by Bent, this burlesque was advertised as having been specially adapted, localised and "paraphrased from Gilbert and Sullivan" by permission of J. C. Williamson's. It also may have been adapted from an American Pinafore minstrel burlesque. The season appears to have been staged in order to take advantage of public interest in the action brought by Gilbert and Sullivan against actor/manager W. H. Lingard, who put on the original comic opera in Melbourne earlier in the year (Academy of Music, ca. June). The decision against Lingard was reached the day before the burlesque adaptation was staged. Local hits targeted the Exhibition and members of parliament. [NB: It is not clear as the whether there is a relationship between this burlesque and another, possibly also written by W.H. Bent, which was staged at the Opera House (Syd) in 1882 by Bent and Bachelder's Christy's Anglo-American Minstrels. The later burlesque, titled H.M.S. Pin-A-4 in Black, was advertised as being the "the first production of an extraordinary, exciting and extravagant extraction of Pinafore" (Sydney Morning Herald 11 Apr. 1882, 2).] [NB 2: For references to the Gilbert and Sullivan v Lingard courts action see "H.M.S. Pinafore in Court" Argus 2 Nov. 1880, 7] 1880: St George's Hall, Melbourne; 30 Oct. - 19 Nov. [18 pfms] - Mngr/Lse. Dave Hayman; S Mngr. D'Orsay Ogden.

- Troupe: Kelly and Leon's Minstrels. - Cast incl. W. Horace Bent, Vernon Reid, C. S. Frederick, William Argus 30 Oct. (1880), 8. Ball, Beaumont Read, Frank Rivers, John Howson, Billy Sweatnam, E. J. Kennedy, Francis Leon.

Argus 2 Nov. (1880), 8. Advert. Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags. "News of the Day." Age 1 Nov. (1880), 2.

LITTLE GOODY TWO SHOES; OR, HARLEQUIN WHO KILLED COCK ROBIN: Lib. [n/e] (after E. L. Blanchard); Mus. [n/e] Advertised as an "entirely novel, original burlesque; grotesque, poetical, pastoral, pictorial, grand comic pantomime… [with] new local hits [and] new topical songs," Goody Two Shoes was adapted by a person or person's unknown from E. L. Blanchard's 1862 Drury Lane pantomime (original music by John Barnard). The 1880 Melbourne production was also specially adapted by Mr and Mrs G. B. W. Lewis to accommodate both adult performers and more than a hundred juvenile performers. In reporting on the production in early January the Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil records:

The pantomime enables a large number of Mrs G. B. W. Lewis's juvenile company [more than 100 children] to take part, and as the play is woven of two nursery stories, there is a particular fitness in their doing so. The ballet is supported by representatives of the different flowers, and is declared the most beautiful thing of its kind ever attempted on the Melbourne stage. The transformation scene is painted by Mr Grist, and is received with great applause nightly (1 Jan. 1881, 11).

The scenes, as recorded in an Argus advertisement on Christmas Eve 1880 indicates the following settings. Act 1; Sc 1. Village School of Goody Two Shoes; Sc 2. Hunting Lodge on the Borders of the Forest (sunset); Sc 3. The Bramble Brake in the Depth of the Forest; Sc 4. Haunt of the Wood Nymphs in the Enchanted Dell; Grand Tableaux (including ballet); Act 2; Sc 1. Avenue Leading to Buttercup Mead; Sc. 2. Who Killed Cock Robin?; Transformation Scene; Harlequinade ("Grand Double Lilliputian Harlequinade"). Songs included: "Kiss Me Darling" (sung by Mrs G. B. W. Lewis), "The Cuckoo" (Baby Flora Graupner), "Farmer's Song" (Fred Thorne and children), "Poppies in the Corn" (Mrs G. B. W. Lewis and children), "He's Got Em On" (topical song by Fred Thorne), "I Cannot Say Goodbye" (Little Annie May), "Jack and Jills" (Tiny Amy Brooks), and "The Repentant Schoolboy" (Mrs G. B. W. Lewis and Fred Thorne). Other features included a skipping-rope hornpipe (performed by Baby Alice Browning, aged five), "The vertiginous Birds of Prey" (comic dance), a comic swing scene (Master Stevenson), Grand Juvenile Floral Ballet (children aged 3 - 13), and a Maypole Dance. 1880: Bijou Theatre, Melbourne; 24 Dec. 1880 - 9 Feb.1881 - Prod/Lse. Mr G. B. W. Lewis; Dir. Mrs G. B. W. Lewis (aka Rose Edouin); S Art. Harry Grist; M Arr. W. Wright; Cost. Mrs Forbes; Choral Instructor J. Ure; Chor. Mr Darbyshire. - Cast incl. Mrs G. B. W. Lewis (Goody Two Shoes), Harry Daniels (Johnny Stout, the good boy), Fred Thorne (Tommy Green, the bad boy), E. D. Haygarth (Sir Timothy Gripe, Lord of the Manor), Master E. Graupner (his steward), Mary Weir (Fairy Fuchsia, assuming the form of Goody Peabody), Baby Flora Graupner (Little Boy Blue), Juvenile Girards, - NB: The production advertisement published in the Argus (24 Dec. 1880) includes a comprehensive cast and scene list (see link below).

Argus 24 Dec. (1880), 8. Advert. "Bijou Theatre: Little Goody Two Shoes, The." Argus 28 Dec. (1880), 6. "Entertainments: Theatres etc." Australasian 1 Jan. (1881), 19.

Scenes from Goody Two Shoes Australasian Sketcher 1 Jan. (1881), 8.

JACK THE GIANT KILLER: [pantomime] Lib. Harry W. Emmet and J. R. Greville; Mus. Harry W. Emmet; Add Lyr/Mus. Lance Lenton # George Coppin, 1880 (printed by H. Solomon) Expressly written and invented for Coppin, Hennings and Greville, with annotations local, vocal and jokal, the story sees Dame Dimple running a model school from which two ruffians, Antifat and Grosserbo are abduct boys for the giant's dinner. When Jack rescue a princess from two ruffians he is commissioned to rid the world of giants. The problem become personal, however, when the dame is herslef kidnapped. Jack rallies an army of all nations to help him in his quest, but is able to defeat the giant with the aid of Antifat, after the ruffian falls in love with the dame.story concerns Jack, who rescues the princess from two ruffians Antifat and Grosserbo, and is then commissioned to rid the world of giants. Dame Dimple runs a model school from which the ruffians abduct boys for the giant's dinner, and subsequently the dame. Jack rallies an army of all nations. The dame falls in love with Antifat and with Jack's help they defeat the giant.

The Daily Telegraph indicates that Greville arranged the incidents, Emmet wrote the dialogue and music (with some local allusions supplied by a gentleman well-known in the Sydney press), and that Lenton contributed one song to the production (25 December 1880, n. pag.). 1880: Queen's Theatre, Sydney; 27 Dec. 1880 - 4 Feb. 1881 [39 pfms] - Dir. J. R. Greville; Prod/Lse. George Coppin, John Hennings, J. R. Greville; M Arr. Charles Austin; S Art. William Kinchela and John Hennings; Chor. Amy Chambers and J. R. Greville; Cost. Annie Wright and Mde. Croucher. - Cast incl. Kate Foley, Lizzie Dixon, Amy Chambers, Mrs J. R. Greville, Miss Martin, Miss Hines, Miss Camb, Miss Brown, Lillian Forde, Amy and Hetty Sherwood, J. R. Greville, Harry Leston, Lance Lenton, Harry Sefton, Martin Ford, Tom Holt, Master Croucher, Master Egan, Master Wilson, Gerald Dillon.

Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 25 Dec. (1880), n. pag. Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags. "Queen's Theatre." Sydney Morning Herald 29 Dec. (1880), 5.

LALLA ROOKH; OR, THE PRINCESS, THE PERI AND THE TROUBADOUR: [pantomime] Lib Adapt. Mr Byrne; Mus. [n/e] A pantomime with local references and satire directed at members of parliament, journalists, anti-Chinese digs, and education. It was quite possibly adapted by Byrne from William Brough's extravaganza of the same name (1856). 1880: School of Arts, Brisbane; 27 Dec. 1880 - 13 Jan. 1881 - Mngr/Lse. F. T. F. Keogh; M Dir. Signor Benvenuti; Chor. Annie Marsh; Cost. Mrs Smith. - Cast incl. Lily and Annie Marsh, Fanny Rogers, Daisy, Lily and Addie Thynne, Julia Milne, T. Hughes, Mr Patterson, Mr Scott, James Thynne, Mr Thompson.

"Editorial." Brisbane Courier 24 Dec. (1880), 3. Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags.

AURIFERA, THE ENCHANTED ISLE; OR, HARLEQUIN LITTLE JACK WASHINGTON AND THE MAN IN THE MOON: [pantomime] Lib. Alfred T. Seal; Mus. [n/e] # Marion Willis, 1880 (printed bt Frank Pinkerton) A pantomime with a number of topicalities and allusions concerning Ballarat. 1880: Academy of the Arts, Ballarat (Vic); 27 Dec. 1880 - 4 Feb. 1881 - Dir/Prod. Marian Willis; M Arr. T. King; Dir of Com Scenes I. F. Keogh; S Art. E. Huntley (with William Matthews); Cost. Madame Rowlands. - Troupe: Marion Willis' Company. - Cast incl. Marian Willis (Prince Phaeton), W.J. Medus (Aurifera), Julia Featherstone (Jack Washington), Emilie Morton (Splendiferous), Fanny Wiseman (Queen Luna), I. F. Keogh (Larrikinos), J. P. O'Neil (Malignanta), D. J. Barry (Pompostous), C. Ryder (Leader of the Lunar Opposition), C. K. Lawrie (Captain Nemo), Kate Vernon (Diamantina), Rose Vernon (Stella), Miss Ford (Glistena), Miss Kerr (Pearlina), Miss Watts (Ozomia). - Other characters incl. Fairies, Demon Miners, Courtiers, Members of Parliament, Vampires, Imps, and "other intensely respectable persons."

► Seal, Alfred. Aurifera, The Enchanted Isle. Available online courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. (sighted 26/09/2012)

Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags.

Source: State Library of Victoria

KING OF THE TRANQUIL VALLEY AND BRUTUS THE TYRANT; OR, HARLEQUIN CORIN AND PRINCESS CARPILLONA: [pantomime] Lib Adapt/Mus. [n/e] Also known as Once Upon a Time there Lived Two Kings," it was specially adapted and localised from J. R. Planché's extravaganza of the same name. 1880: Opera House, Sydney; 27 Dec. 1880 - 17 Jan. 1881 [22 pfms] - Mngr. R. B. Wiseman (business); Lse; Sam Howard; M Dir. James A. South, H. Simmons and Joe Tolano;

M Arr. W. G. Broadhurst; S Art. J. R. Setright and Alfred Clint. - Cast incl. Edith Pender, Alice Johns, Marion Medway, Ada Forde, Miss Forde, Blanche Murray, Miss St Clair, Miss Brown, Miss Montague, James Hasker, J. W. Sweeney, George R. Melville, W. G. Leslie, H. Simmons, J. Thorpe, James A. South, Joe Tolano, Walter Cottier.

Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags. "Opera House, The." Sydney Morning Herald 28 Dec. (1880), 6.

SINBAD THE SAILOR; OR THE PET OF THE PERI, THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA AND THE DWARF OF THE DIAMOND VALLEY: [pantomime] Lib Adapt. Garnet Walch; Mus incl. Walter J. Rice (Syd) Also known as Sinbad the Sailor; Or, The Caliph's Daughter, the Old Man of the Sea and the Dwarf of the Diamond Valley, it is believed to have been adapted from John Strachan's Sinbad pantomime. Influenced by the Arabian nights legend, the story has Sinbad attempting to win the Caliph's daughter by fetching the Koh-i-noor diamond. Some of scenes involved the Sphinx and cannibal kings, led by Wang-Doodle. The scenes were presented as: Act 1: Sc 1. The Great Sphinx and Grand Panorama "Shipwreck of Sinbad"; Sc 2. White Coral Reef and Silver Sand Beach, "Grand Peri Ballet"; Sc 3. Apartments in the Palace of the Caliph; Sc 4. The Coast by Moonlight; Sc 5. On the Island, Near Chicory Ebony; Sc 6. Romantic Ravine on Chicory Ebony Island, Procession of the Cannibal Tribes and Grand Choral March; Act 2: Sc 1. Snow Ballet; Sc 2. The Sea Shore; Sc 3. The Valley of Diamonds and Great and Astounding Sprite Sc 4. A Darksome Grove on Chicory Ebony Island; Grand Transformation Scene and Harlequinade. The 1881 Sydney season was advertised under the alternate title. They are believed to have been virtually the same production, however, in addition to both having involved many of the same actors. With regard to the musical content, Nellie Stewart, in her autobiography My Life's Story records that the sextet from Lucrezia Borgia was sung as one of the finales (22). The overture and incidental music was composed by Walter Rice. Another Garnet version of the Sinbad pantomime was produced in Melbourne in 1893, and although the latter is also likely to have been based on the Stachan pantomime, it is also known to have incorporated a good deal of the "new and topical business," new songs (written by Garnet Walch and members of the company) and a new storyline [See Sinbad the Sailor (1893) for further details].

Australasian Sketcher 1 Jan. (1881), 8.

1880: Theatre Royal, Melbourne; 27 Dec. 1880 - 4 Mar. 1881 [59 pfms] - Dir/S Mngr. B. N. Jones; M Arr. Frederick Coppin; S Art. John Hennings, John Little, Mr Pincott and Mr Perryman; Cost. Annie Wright, J. H. Brown and M. Marks; Chor. Mons. Massartic and Mde. Pasta Moore; Com Sc. Bland Holt; Lig. Mr Stevens (gas). - Troupe: Royal Comedy Company. - Cast incl. Nellie, Docy and Maggie Stewart; Miss Leslie, Lena Edwin, Mde Pasta Moore (dancer), Florence Slater (dancer), Kate Ramsden (dancer), J. Harcourt, Julius Caesar, J. W. Hazlett, Bland Holt, Richard Stewart, Charles Brown, Master Sammy Nelson, Signor Gonzalez, John Wallace, Mons. Massartic (dancer). 1881: Theatre Royal, Sydney; 26 Dec. 1881 - 21 Feb. 1882 [46 pfms] - Mngr. Samuel Lazar and Arthur Garner; Lse. Samuel Lazar; S Art. George Gordon; Chor. Mde. Pasta Moore and E. McLean; Cost. Annie Wright, Signor Bartolometti, J. R. Brown and J. McLean; Com Sc. Bland Holt; S Mngr. Richard Stewart. - Cast incl. Maggie Oliver (Sinbad), Bland Holt (Hassan), Richard Stewart (Ali Ben Fizgig), Maggie Stewart (Zobeide), Harry Leston (Wang-Doodle), Nellie Playfair (Peri Banow), Lena Edwin (Haffiz), Mde Pasta Moore (dancer), Theresa Horan (Princess), John L. Hall (The Duenna), Signor Gonzales and John H. Wallace (Spirits), Mr Guessman (The Sphinx), James Hasker (Spirit of the Desert), R. Daly (Ogre), Mr Ryan (Spittum, the Ogre's cook), Mr Andrews (second cook), Master Sammy Nelson (Old Man of the Sea), E. McLean (dancer), Mr Beverly; Harlequinade - Bland Holt (Clown), J. Hasker (Pantaloon), E. McLean Harlequin), Mde Pasta Moore (Columbine), Policeman (J. Ryan), Sprites (Signor Gonzales and J. H. Wallace).

Kelly, Veronica, ed. Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890. (1997), v. pags. "Music and the Drama." Australian Town and Country Journal 14 Jan. (1882), 12. "Our Melbourne Letter." Sydney Morning Herald 7 Jan. (1881), 3 Sydney Morning Herald 24 Dec. (1881), 2. Advert. Stewart, Nellie. My Life's Story. (1923), 22. "Theatre Royal." Age 28 Dec. (1880), 3. "Theatre Royal." Sydney Morning Herald 27 Dec. (1881), 6. "Theatre Royal: Sinbad the Sailor." Argus 28 Dec. (1880), 6. "Theatres Etc." Sydney Morning Herald 27 Jan. (1882), 5. Sydney Morning Herald 24 Dec. (1881), 2.

Last updated: 29/05/2016 Expanded and updated from Clay Djubal, "What Oh Tonight" (Appendix C), Ph D Diss (2005) U of Qld. NB: The URL for this PDF will change each time it is updated. If you wish to cite or link to this record please use the following: Australian Variety Theatre Archive • http://ozvta.com/1880s/