The Tivoli Circuit was a successful and popular Australian vaudeville entertainment circuit featuring revue, opera, ballet, dance, singing, musical comedy, old time black and white minstrel and even Shakespeare which flourished from 1893 to the 1950s, and featured local and international performers from the United States and the United Kingdom. The circuit suffered a catastrophic decline in popularity after the introduction of television in Australia in 1956, although embracing the new medium and feature live half hour broadcasts from Sydney. The last Tivoli show was staged in 1966 and the company briefly went into film exhibition in Melbourne. The Sydney building was leased out to various establishments until the building was demolished in 1969. The only original Tivoli theatre still standing is Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide.

History

The circuit was established by English

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

baritone and comedian Harry Rickards in 1893, following the success of his "New Tivoli Minstrel and Grand Specialty Company" who performed at the old Opera House in Sydney in 1892. By 1909 Rickards had 532 people on the payroll. The Circuit was taken over after Rickards' death in 1911 by a succession of managements The first was Hugh D. Mclntosh (in 1912), who purchased the circuit for £100,000. After success with large-scale stage productions such as '' Chu Chin Chow'' he sold the Tivoli circuit to Harry G. Musgrove in 1921. It was subsequently acquired by

J.C. Williamson James Cassius Williamson (26 August 1845 – 6 July 1913) was an American actor and later Australia's foremost impresario, founding the J. C. Williamson's theatrical and production company. Born in Pennsylvania, Williamson moved with his fami ...

Tivoli Vaudeville Pty Ltd in 1924, then by Mike Connors and

Queenie Paul Eveline Pauline "Queenie" Paul ( OAM) (30 December 1893 – 31 July 1982) was an Australian performer in vaudeville shows (singer and dancer) and a theatre producer, active from the 1910s until the early 1980s. She was particularly known for he ...

(in the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

years), Musgrove Theatres again in 1934 under Frank Neil and Wallace Parnell and, from 1944, David N. Martin, Managing Director of Tivoli Circuit of Australia. The circuit acquired the former "Grand Opera House" at Sydney, which in 1932 was renamed the New Tivoli Theatre. The Tivoli was the major outlet for variety theatre and vaudeville in Australia for over 70 years. The circuit grew to include Melbourne,

New Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide Her Majesty's Theatre is a theatre in Adelaide, South Australia, located on Grote Street, originally built in 1913 as the New Tivoli Theatre. Other names through its history have been the Princess Theatre (before it was first opened), the Prince ...

(built in 1913, now Her Majesty's Theatre and the only original Tivoli theatre still standing), Brisbane and Perth in their tours by the turn of the century, promoting both local and international musical, variety and comedy acts. It featured a broad spectrum of vaudeville acts including dancers, acrobats, comedians and ventriloquists, and the Tivoli was famous for its scantily-clad

chorus girls ''Chorus Girls'' was a 1981 musical written by The Kinks lead singer and songwriter Ray Davies, who collaborated with ''The Long Good Friday'' screenwriter Barrie Keeffe. It opened at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London starring Marc Sinde ...

, who were colloquially known as "Tivoli tappers".

Legacy

Graeme Murphy directed and choreographed a dance musical, ''

Tivoli Tivoli may refer to: * Tivoli, Lazio, a town in Lazio, Italy, known for historic sites; the inspiration for other places named Tivoli Buildings * Tivoli (Baltimore, Maryland), a mansion built about 1855 * Tivoli Building (Cheyenne, Wyoming), a ...

'', in 2001, paying tribute to the Tivoli circuit and its role in twentieth-century Australian theatre, presented by Sydney Dance Company and The Australian Ballet.

References

*''Bentley, Paul'' (1999)

External links

''Australian Culture 1789-2000''
twf.org.au

abc.net.au {{DEFAULTSORT:Tivoli Circuit Music hall Performing arts in Australia

History

Legacy

See also

References

External links