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Me and My Girl single work   musical theatre   revue/revusical   humour  
Issue Details: First known date: 1929... 1929 Me and My Girl
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

The Agereports in 1929 that Me and My Girl, 'as with most revues,' contained no plot and consisted mostly of quickly changing scenes helped out by musical numbers and dances. The review does make passing reference, however, to the headmaster of an all-girls school ('who plans to conquer women by inventing a drug for making them feel like a man') and his wife, who is described as 'a screamingly funny, if skillfully cruel, caricature of the school marm at St James College' (27 December 1929, p.8).

While similarly describing the production as a 'light musical revue, the Argus critic indicates that Wallace had, in fact, made a successful attempt to sustain a semblance of a story throughout the nine episodes. The review further notes in this respect that 'as Horace, Mr Wallace after having been compelled to pose as a woman, was chosen as the subject for a professor's experiment to show that the sexes could be changed by draughts from a formula prepared by him' (27 December 1929, p.8). This appears to indicate that Me and My Girl was presented in similar fashion to the comedian's other revusicals, involving both written and improvised sketches (interspersed with song-and-dance sequences) that were bound together by a loosely fashioned plotline.

One of the features of the 1930 musical programme is said to have been 'a fascinating ballet of Australian girls.'

Notes

  • In assessing Wallace's part in the 1929 production, the Age records:

    'Telling stories of life down on the farm, the principal comedian was at his best, and his performance throughout - including his deft acrobatics - was characterized by a restraint and sense of proportion which will makes his revues very welcome to a variety of theatre folk. Early in the piece he submits himself to be eclipsed as the man with the drums and the cymbals in the Flaming Youth's Jazz Band, but the audience cannot forget him, and his comedy of facial expressions serves only to draw attention to the band's musical merit' (27 December 1929, p.8).

    The Argus review also reports that 'The story gave Mr Wallace wide scope to display his gift of comedy. He was restrained in his treatment of some lines, which in the case of another performer might have been vulgar. Whether as a dancer, drummer in a "jazz" band, or singer, Mr Wallace was pleasing' (27 December 1929, p.8).

Production Details

  • 1929: Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne, 26 December 1929 - 3 January 1930.

    • Director George Wallace; Producer Tivoli Celebrity Vaudeville Pty Ltd; Chorus Maurice Diamond.
    • Troupe George Wallace Revue Company.
    • Cast incl. George Wallace, Marshall Crosby, Keith Connelly, Bert Dudley (the School Master), Tup Dudley (the School Marm), Jim Romaine, Irene Shamrock, Bebe Scott, Leonard Rich, John V. Dobbie, Jack Grant, and the Eight Rascals.
    • Musicians Five Flaming Youths Jazz Band.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

Revue and Vaudeville - Reopening of Tivoli 1929 single work review
— Appears in: The Argus , 27 December no. 26013 1929; (p. 8)

— Review of Me and My Girl George Wallace , 1929 single work musical theatre
The Tivoli - Popular Revue and Vaudeville 1929 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 27 December 1929; (p. 8)

— Review of Me and My Girl George Wallace , 1929 single work musical theatre
The Tivoli - Popular Revue and Vaudeville 1929 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 27 December 1929; (p. 8)

— Review of Me and My Girl George Wallace , 1929 single work musical theatre
Revue and Vaudeville - Reopening of Tivoli 1929 single work review
— Appears in: The Argus , 27 December no. 26013 1929; (p. 8)

— Review of Me and My Girl George Wallace , 1929 single work musical theatre

PeriodicalNewspaper Details

Note:
This entry has been sourced from research undertaken by Dr Clay Djubal into Australian-written popular music theatre (ca. 1850-1930). See also the Australian Variety Theatre Archive
Last amended 5 Sep 2014 08:18:59
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