AustLit

Played out over three acts and set somewhere in France during the First World War, the first act opens with a bunch of solders taking R and R in an estaminet run by Mademoiselle Mimi. They sing, spin yarns and gibe with cutting satire at their officers, the War Office and each other. The Sydney Morning Herald records that 'all sorts of amusing figures flit to and fro - the haw haw solider who wears a monocle and addresses his officer as "dear old thing;" the stupid recruit, who unable to read or write, is promptly drafted into the Intelligence Corps; an irate military representative who will not permit the tribunal to grant an exemption to cripples, since he affirms a mahogany leg is equally as good as a heart of oak' (29 March 1920, p.5).

The second act sees the soldiers heading off to the front, joined by Mimi. Here they find themselves grouped around a camp fire in an old barn, relieving the tension of waiting for the big surge by singing songs and telling stories. The finale is played out as bombs whistle overhead and the soldiers sing 'Where Did That One Go.' The scene ends with the roof of the barn collapsing and the soldiers emerging scared but unhurt as the stage becomes obscured by smoke. In the last act the "piquant hostess" Mimi returns to her inn dreading the inevitable roll-call that will follow the inevitable heavy losses.

Songs incorporated into 1920 production included: 'On the Staff' (sung by Arthur Keighley), 'Yarrawonga' and 'The Heart-Breaking Baby Doll' (Hugh Gannon). The 1922 one act revival, presented as Hello Mimi, also included 'On the Staff' (sung by Lorne O'Brien), along with: 'Happy' (Lindsay Kemble), 'Lancashire Jazz Band' (George Jennings), 'Wonderful Mother of Mine' (Roy Glenister), 'Some Girls' (Will Saunders and George Jennings), 'What Do You mean' (Jennings and Kemble), 'Cross-Eyed Clara' (Jennings), 'They Never leave You Alone' (Kemble), 'Lovin' Disposition' (O'Brien), 'Wonderful Mother of Mine' (Glenister) and 'Goodbye Khaki' (Kemble).

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]

A review of the 1919 Palace Theatre (Sydney) premiere published in the Sydney Morning Herald records that 'In this twentieth century elaboration of Jack and Jill, the boy and girl of the time-worn nursery rhyme are almost lost in the comedy padding, the scenic ornamentation, and in the spectacular embroideries, which include a number of dances and ballets arranged by Espinosa.'

The critic notes, for example, Bert Bailey's role in the production:

'As Ginger, the Prince's man, [he] spreads himself in songs and character sketches which have nothing to do with Jack and Jill. In the first act we have Ginger in a modern sac suit singing about dear old Sydney in "Billo," with a scenic background showing Man-o-war Steps. A little later the red-haired humorist, in an old-time costume, is audaciously fooling with the Dame and singing, "Sprinkle me with Kisses"' (19 May 1919, p.7).

The musical programme included ballet and incidental music by Robert Keers. Among the other songs incorporated into the pantomime were 'Give Me No Man's Land' (sung by Gracie Doran), 'A Wedding in the Farmyard' (Ida Newton and Gracie Doran), 'Life in the Old Girl Yet' (Barry Lupino), 'Billo' (Bert Bailey), and 'Jogging along the Highway' and 'The Blue Billabong' (by David Loffman dressed as an Australian swagman). The Argus records that one of the highlights of the Melbourne production was Bert Bailey's character study and song 'Billo', which concluded with a mock Apache dance performed with Gertie Latchford. Both the Age and Argus also drew attention to the march of Australian products, symbolised by ingenious costume designs, which concluded the pantomime.

The published synopsis of scenery is:

Act 1: Scene 1. The Village of Peace and Plenty; Scene 2. Corridor of the Regent's Palace; Scene 3. The Widow's Tonsorial Establishment; Scene 4. The Road to the School; Scene 5. Man-O-War Steps; Scene 6. The School Room; Scene 7. The Road to the Well; Scene 8. The Hill Top; Scene 9. On the Way to Bagdad; Scene 10. Bagdad.

Act 2: Scene 1. The Haunt of the Hunchback; Scene 2. The Floral Ballet; Scene 3. The Corridor of the Regent's Palace; Scene 4. The Forge; Scene 5. The Road to Nowhere; Scene 6. The Corridor to the Palace; Scene 7. A Spanish Courtyard; Scene 8. The Regent's Physic Shop; Scene 9. Grand Finale in the Palace; Scene 10. The Christmas Plum Pudding.

A feature length film based on a stage adaptation of popular novel It Is Never Too Late to Mend by Charles Reade about convict Australia. The novel has been credited with exposing cruelties in the Australian prison system and having helped end the convict system.

'The picture is an exceedingly interesting one right from the opening scene, where Constable Fitzpatrick arrives with a warrant for the arrest of Dan Kelly, then to the police camp, which is captured by the Kellys, the sticking-up of Younghusband's station, robbing the bank at Euroa, destroying the railway line, and finally to the capture of Ned Kelly in his suit of armour.'

[Source: 'The Story of the Kelly Gang', The Register, 29 December 1906, p.4.]