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Very likely a spoof on the 1917 Alfred Hill comic opera, The Rajah of Shivapore (which had been staged in Brisbane in 1918), the production is described in the Brisbane Courier as a picturesque Eastern comic opera (18 August 1919, p.8). It was likely to have been staged, however, in the style of a one-act musical comedy . The storyline involved Elton Black as a sergeant of marines, with Alice Bennetto as the graceful daughter of a rajah, Lou Vernon as an Indian potentate, and Reg Hewett as the royal executioner.
Songs known to have been presented within the production are 'Invitation' (sung by Olga Muir), 'Up from Somerset' (Percy Mackay), and 'I'm the Rajah of Dampoor' and 'Achoo' (both sung by Lou Vernon). One of the highlights of the November 1919 revival, according to the same Brisbane Courier review, was Elton Black's 'feelingly' descriptive idea of being 'In Love.'
Notes
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A running order sheet for Walter Johnson's 16-21 August 1919 programme is held in the Nat Phillips Collection, Fryer Library, The University of Queensland. See UQFL9: Box 6.
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One of the principal Town Topics' troupe members, Alice Bennetto, played the role of Aimee, the temple keeper's daughter, in the premiere production of The Rajah of Shivapore (Playhouse Theatre, Sydney, 1917).
Production Details
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1919: Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane, 16-21 August (return season, 28 November - 4 December).
- Director Walter Johnson; Producer John N. McCallum; Costumes Mary Glynn.
- Troupe Walter Johnson's Town Topics Company.
- Cast incl. Elton Black, Lou Vernon, Alice Bennetto, Leslie Jephcott, Reg Hewett, Mollie Asher, Irene Barlee, Jessie Barlee, Yorke Gray, Carmel Jeffery, Walter Johnson, Dorothy Leigh, Percy Mackay, Gladys McDowell, Belle Millette, Olga Muir, Rita Nelson.
- The Rajah of Dampoor was staged as the opening production for McCallum's newly renovated Cremorne Theatre. It was also presented along with a first-part finale, the musical scena A Midnight Cabaret.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Town Topics
1919
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 29 November 1919; (p. 11)
— Review of The Rajah of Dampoor 1919 single work musical theatre -
Town Topics
1919
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 18 August 1919; (p. 8)
— Review of The Rajah of Dampoor 1919 single work musical theatre -
Music, Drama and Pictures
1919
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 9 August 1919; (p. 12)
— Review of The Rajah of Dampoor 1919 single work musical theatre A brief article on the forthcoming re-opening of the Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane, and the opening production, The Rajah of Dampoor.
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Music, Drama and Pictures
1919
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 9 August 1919; (p. 12)
— Review of The Rajah of Dampoor 1919 single work musical theatre A brief article on the forthcoming re-opening of the Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane, and the opening production, The Rajah of Dampoor. -
Town Topics
1919
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 18 August 1919; (p. 8)
— Review of The Rajah of Dampoor 1919 single work musical theatre -
Town Topics
1919
single work
review
— Appears in: The Brisbane Courier , 29 November 1919; (p. 11)
— Review of The Rajah of Dampoor 1919 single work musical theatre
