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When Victor Prince left the employ of J. C. Williamson's Ltd in mid-1914, having spent the previous five years with the company, he announced his intention to establish the Australian Comic Opera Company. The concept behind the company was to produce Australian plays by Australian authors (Sydney Morning Herald 14 July 1914, p.2). The first, and possibly the only work to be staged was Australia First. Although Prince intended touring the show through regional New South Wales prior to opening it in Sydney, not season in that city has yet been identified. The work was billed variously as Australia First, Human Hearts; Or, Australia First, or simply Human Hearts.
Although described as a comic opera in previews and advertising, several reviews of the production published during its 1918 tour of regional Victoria record that Australia First combined elements of both drama and opera, and in this respect the show was more likely to have been a musical comedy. Little is yet known about the narrative or characters, apart from the fact that Victor Prince played the lead comedy role. English actress/singer Florence Lyle was engaged for the principal female role in 1918.
No reviews of the production, either in 1914 or 1918 have been located. And of the very few non-publicity blurbs to be published Tamworth Daily Observer briefly records in 1914:
To mention that the libretto is by D. H. Souter of the Bulletin, is enough to show that there were plenty of funny and witty episodes, and the caste included such well-known literary friends as 'Clancy of the Overflow,' Peter Pesnurkus,' [sic] [and] 'Belle Mahone." The stage settings embraced a variety of scenes that started on the Bing Bong Racecourse and finished on the deck of the H.M.S. Australia. The music had a distinctly national and patriotic character. The opera was evidently made to fit the time, and appeal to the sentiment of the time" (3 October 1914, p.2).
The only song in the opera identified to date is 'No Good for Gundy.'
[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]
Notes
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Advertising published throughout regional Victoria routinely indicated that the same company had earlier appeared in Melbourne during its record season at the Palace Theatre, and also cited the Age and Argus newspapers as having praised Australia First for its 'lilting melodies, its dramatic story, for its pretty smiling girls, for its beautiful and harmonious choruses [and] for its continuous laughter-provoking scenes.' However, no production of this work had been identified during the Victor Prince Comic Opera Company's Melbourne season(1 June to 20 July). Furthermore, the regional Victorian company appears to have been an entirely new line-up of artists.
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The very little we know about Australia First comes from publicity blurbs replicated in regional newspapers during both the 1914 and 1918 tours. These include for example: Tamworth Daily Observer (26 September 1914, p.7), Tenterfield Courier and District Advocate (1 October 1914, p.2), Warwick Examiner and Times (7 October 1914, p.7); and from 1918 - Werribee Shire Banner (3 October 1918, p.2), Terang Express (15 October 1918, p.2), and the Mortlake Dispatch (19 October 1918, p.2)
Production Details
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1914: New South Wales/Queensland regional tour; ca. Sept-Oct.
- Director/Producer Victor Prince; Scenic Art/Costumes. D. H. Souter (with Robert Vaughan and Madame Rogers).
- Troupe: Australian Comic Opera Co.
- Cast incl. Victor Prince.
- Some of the artists engaged for the tour were reportedly appearing 'direct from the J. C. Williamson companies.'
- Itinerary incl. Muswellbrook (School of Arts; 30 September); Tamworth (Theatre Royal; 2 October) • Tenterfield (School of Arts; 6 October); Warwick (Town Hall; 8 October)
1918: Victoria (regional tour); ca. 17 October - ca. December.
- Director Victor Prince.
- Cast incl. Victor Prince, Florence Lyle, Annette Portman, Dick Williamson, Ernest Leicester, Percy Crisp, Constance Derwent.
- Australia First's 1918 revival was possibly first staged at the Werribee Mechanic's Hall on 15 October 1918.
- The tour itinerary included the towns of Werribee, Camperdown, Birregurra, Warramboo, Terang, Koroit, Mortlake, Ararat, Bealiba, Hamilton, Donald, Mildura, Birchip, Ouyen, Beulah, Horsham, Warracknabeal, Dunmunkle, Hopetoun, Nhill, Rainbow, Kyneton and Inglewood.
