AUSTRALIAN EPHEMERA COLLECTION FINDING AID
CHARLES ZWAR (1911-1989)
PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS AND EPHEMERA (PROMPT)
PRINTED AUSTRALIANA
AUGUST 2015
Charles Zwar (10 April 1911 – 2 December 1989) was an Australian songwriter, composer, lyricist, pianist and music director who was largely associated with the British revue and musical comedy industries between the late-1930s and 1960s.
He was born and educated in Melbourne completing Law and Arts at Trinity College, Melbourne University in 1932. Zwar was involved in student productions at the College and University as both a performer and music director. The earliest theatrical production he has been linked with was the 1933 revue Stude Prunes, and he made his first appearance on radio at this time, billed as a "novelty entertainer."
Zwar's growing reputation also saw him invited to contribute additional lyrics for F. W. Thing's 1933 production of the T. Stuart Gurr and Varney Monk musical comedy Collits' Inn. The following year Zwar contributed most of the music and lyrics for another university revue, Swots Next (18 April) while also collaborating with J. C. Bancks (creator of the Ginger Meggs ) on the musical comedy, Blue Mountain Melody (1934), which was produced by J. C. Williamson. Zwar left Australia for Britain in 1936 and carved out a career there as a composer and musical director for musical comedies and revues that lasted more than three decades. In 1938 he married Isobel Shead, a children’s author, also an Australian. Zwar and Shead are believed to have separated in the early 1950s. In 1955 he remarried, his second wife being Diana Plunkett (1918–92), a theatrical technician and manager at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. At the time of the marriage he was musical director of Sandy Wilson's musical The Buccaneer. The couple had one child, a daughter. Zwar's longest and most successful collaboration was with writer/lyricist Alan Melville. He also wrote songs with Kenneth Leslie-Smith, Diana Morgan, Robert MacDermot (1910–1964) and Australian Lance Mulcahy. Although his professional career was undertaken almost exclusively in the United Kingdom, Zwar's music did make it to the USA. He is included, for example in the credits for the 1960 Broadway revue, From A-Z (Plymouth Theatre). Premiering on 20 April, the show also included contributions from Woody Allen, Jerry Herman and Jay Thompson.
Zwar reconnected with the Australian theatre several times during the 1950s and 1960s, contributing material for such shows as Sweetest and Lowest: A Revue in Time (Minerva Theatre, Sydney; 5 December 1947); Metropolitan Merry-Go-Round (Metropolitan Theatre, Sydney; 12 February 1953); and the 1964 Phillip Theatre (Sydney) revue, Is Australia Really Necessary? (Syd; 3 Oct.). Charles Zwar died on 2 December 1989 at Oxford (England).
Printed materials in the PROMPT collection include programs and printed ephemera such as brochures, leaflets, tickets, etc. Theatre programs are taken as the prime documentary evidence of a performance. The list is based on imperfect holdings, and is updated as gaps in the Library’s holdings are filled. Unless otherwise stated, all entries are based on published programs in the PROMPT collection.
The Charles Zwar PROMPT files may be accessed through the Library’s Special Collections Reading Room by eCallslip request: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3532364
Programs in the National Library’ PROMPT collection are arranged chronologically Date (day and month); Venue, City Name of production or performer Headline performers etc. An index to staged productions is provided at the end of the document. This document is also keyword searchable.
The National Library’s collection also includes:
Music by Charles Zwar Biographical newspaper cuttings
Material can also be found on Trove, for example: Newspaper articles Journal articles Printed music and sound recordings
Charles Zwar (1911-1989) 2
December. Gate Theatre Studio, London The Gate Revue Some items music by CZ CZ at piano Program
March. Ambassadors Theatre, London The Gate Revue Some items music by CZ CZ at piano Program
March - April. Ambassadors Theatre, London The Gate Revue Some items music by CZ CZ at piano Program (3 copies)
28 May. Ambassadors Theatre, London Swinging the Gate Musical items by CZ 2 copies
17 February. Ambassadors Theatre, London Sweeter and Lower Some musical items by CZ 3 copies ?. Ambassadors Theatre, London Sweetest and Lowest Some musical items by CZ 3 copies
? Duke of York’s Theatre, London One Two Three Musical items by CZ 2 copies
October – November. Princes Theatre, London The DuBarry A Musical Play by Paul Knepler and J Williminski Additional numbers by CZ and Alan Melville Program
June. Savoy Theatre, London A La Carte, by Alan Melville
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Music by CZ Program ( 4 copies)
May-June. Duke of York Theatre, London Four, Five, Six Some items have music by CZ 2 copies of Programme
1949 14 May. The Globe Theatre, London Oranges and Lemons Some musical items by CZ
5 June. Golders Green Hippodrome, London On the Avenue Some musical items by CZ
30 July. The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London The Lyric Revue Music for some items by CZ
6 December. The Globe Theatre, London The Lyric Revue Music for some items by CZ 10 July. The Globe Theatre The Globe Revue Some items by CZ Three copies, with different items in the revue. One shows printing date of 7 Jul7 1952 and one shows printing date of 29 December 1952, with a third showing September 1952. 18 February – 25 October The Hippodrome, London Bet Your Life by Alan Melville Music by CZ and Kenneth Leslie-Smith Program 4 May Theatre Royal, Newcastle on Tyne The Lyric and Globe Revue Some musical items by CZ ? Golders Green Hippodrome, London The Lyric and Globe Revue Some musical items by CZ 23 December. Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London At the Lyric, a new revue CZ as Musical Director Program ( 3 copies
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19 July. Golders Green Hippodrome, London Going to Town CZ as Musical Director May?. St Martin’s Theatre, London Going to Town CZ as Musical Director 2 copies of programme. 22 August. Theatre Royal, Brighton The Buccaneer, A musical play by Sandy Wilson Orchestra under direction of CZ Program (4 copies).
8 September. Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London The Buccaneer, A musical play by Sandy Wilson Orchestra under direction of CZ Program (4 copies).
22 February. Apollo Theatre, London The Buccaneer, A musical play by Sandy Wilson Orchestra under direction of CZ Program
6 October. Fortune Theatre, London And Another Thing, A New Revue by Ted Dicks and Myles Rudge Items by CZ Program (2 copies)
21 June. Globe Theatre, London On the Avenue Some musical items by CZ
April?. Vaudeville Theatre, London All Square Music by CZ Program
15 April, Theatre Royal, Brighton, England, All Square Music by CZ Program
3 September, Grand Theatre, Leeds, England Six of One Music by CZ
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26 September. Adelphi Theatre, London Six of One Music by CZ
1964 4-15 February The Playhouse, Salisbury, England The 1964 Repertory Revue “It went straight to her Head” performed by Alan Melville and June Watson. Music by CZ Program
1968 11 April – 4 May. Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guilford, Surrey, London The Station-Master’s Daughter Music by CZ
1974 9-14 December. The Rex Theatre, Wilmslow, Cheshire, England Déjà Revue .Devised by Olav Wyper Some numbers and incidental music by CZ Program.
1974 30 December. The New London Theatre, London, England Déjà Revue.Devised by Olav Wyper Some numbers and incidental music by CZ Program.
1984 28 December. The King’s Head Theatre Club, London Meet Me at the Gate Some musical items by CZ 2 copies of programme
1995 14 August. The Pit, Stratford, England Royal Shakespeare Company The Shakespeare Revue Some musical items by CZ
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Index to performances
A La Carte ...... 4 Sweeter and Lower ...... 3 All Square ...... 5 Sweetest and Lowest ...... 3 And Another Thing, ...... 5 Swinging the Gate ...... 3 At the Lyric, ...... 4 The 1964 Repertory Revue ...... 6 Bet Your Life...... 4 The Buccaneer ...... 5 Déjà Revue ...... 6 The DuBarry ...... 3 Four, Five, Six ...... 4 The Gate Revue ...... 3 Going to Town ...... 5 The Globe Revue ...... 4 Meet Me at the Gate ...... 6 The Lyric and Globe Revue ...... 4 On the Avenue ...... 4, 5 The Lyric Revue...... 4 One Two Three ...... 3 The Shakespeare Revue ...... 6 Oranges and Lemons ...... 4 The Station-Master’s Daughter ...... 6 Six of One ...... 6
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