theatre

When fur was no problem

"WILDFLOWER" REVIVAL
Joyous Night At Theatre Royal

Joyous memories, of 14 years ago were recalled to a crowded house at the Theatre Royal last night by the revival of "Wildflower."

Marie Burke, the original star, was again in the lead, and Marie le Varre, another of the old cast, was highly popular as Lucrezia, the wife whom the lawyer could not get rid of. Melton Moore took the part of the lover who was successful in the end. George Dobbs was a "scream" as Gaston la Roche, the talkative lawyer, and Don Nicol had a hilarious time as Gabrielle, the lover who had an encounter with the donkey.

The old strains of "Bambalina" and "Wildflower" haunted the night, and Marie Burke's singing of "You Can't Blame a Girl For Dreaming" was particularly enjoyable. Another number that was loudly applauded was "The World's Worst Women," by Marie la Varre and Don Nicol. Specialty dances by Tamara Tchinarova and Valentin Zeglovsky were given in the ballroom, which had a beautiful outlook over a river.

"WILDFLOWER" REVIVAL (1939, August 23). The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), p. 15 (LAST RACE ALL DETAILS). Retrieved August 11, 2022, from nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231407868

This was only days before Germany invaded Poland on 1 Sept 1939, in case anyone needed reminding!

In the 1940s Brisbane was just a big country town and the thousands of Australian and American servicemen who suddenly poured into the camps and bases around the city and the other major centres provided an audience for mass entertainment and gave the experience a new intensity, whether it was ballroom dancing at Cloudland, cutting a rug at the Trocadero or enjoying vaudeville at the Cremorne. Source: www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/homefront/entertainment

“Violet Augusta Mary Bourchier, née Barnes (11 June 1867 – 11 November 1942), known professionally as Violet Vanbrugh, was an English actress with a career that spanned more than fifty years.

Vanbrugh was from a family with theatrical connections. The actress Irene Vanbrugh was one of her younger sisters and a brother, Kenneth Barnes, became principal of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Vanbrugh

"Arthur Bourchier (22 June 1863 – 14 September 1927) was an English actor and theatre manager. He married and later divorced the actress Violet Vanbrugh."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Bourchier

All the "V's ... ...
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Edit - From the Notes at the bottom of the wiki page ...
"In her memoirs, Irene Vanbrugh wrote, "It was the fashion then to have your two initials the same and Ellen Terry … happened to come across a novel called 'Miss Vanbrugh the Actress'. She laughingly suggested to Vi that she should call herself Violet Vanbrugh."

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