Memories Of “Dixie” And Fullers’ In Opera House

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27435, 23 August 1954, Page 14

Memories Of “Dixie” And Fullers’ In Opera House

Memories of the old Opera House in Tuam street, now known as the St James' Theatre, and soon to be sold by auction, were yesterday recalled by Mr Les Flowers, for many years stage manager for .Fullers’ and now manager of the Civic Theatre. His recollections went back 54 years. The theatre was in 1900 generally called “Dixie,” being conducted by Dix and Baker, who ran shows which Mr Flowers said would be classed today “as command performances.” The artists came from overseas, and among the outstanding acts were those by the Craig family (eight boys on horizontal bars), the Haytors (a comedy troupe). Jimmie Bain (whose greatest song was “Biscuits in the Bed”), Kelly and Ashby (tumblers on a springed fullsize billiards table), McKisson and Kearns (who did a “walking up the Little Vera Kearns (now the wife of the former New Zealand Ashley Reed), and Terry the At the turn of the century, Fullers’ were staging their waxworks and chamber of horrors in a wooden building in Lichfield street next.to the old station of the Christchurch Fire Brigade and His Lordship’s Hotel. John Fuller was among the singers. Popular “comer men,” Mr Flowers recalled, 5C e x? Bluett, Dennis Carney, Will Watkins, and Charlie Hugo. The facilities at “Dixie” were primitive, and the theatre was semi-condemned after Fullers’ used it for some years. The Fullers ran a 6d pit, at the back of the theatre, and under the balcony, where the patrons sat on forms and enjoyed the shows while some drank beer and ate crayfish. Over the years,, several men who were characters among the entertainment-goers in Christchurch were employed as “chuckers-out.” In 1917, Fullers’ shifted to His Majesty’s Theatre in the block of buildings .in Manchester street, now occupied as the Municipal Chambers. A few months later, the theatre and the whole building were gutted by fire on the night of November 6, 1917. Fullers returned to. the. Opera House, and played continuously until 1928, when the theatre was closed for remodelling. r Opera House was called the coffin box,” as for years it was poorly equipped and the dressing rooms were improvised with scrim tacked on flats,” said Mr Flowers. Remodelled arid renamed the St. James’, the theatre was opened with the presentation of a revue by George Wallace and “flesh and blood” shows were run every week until the “talkies” came in. Entertainment Value “What we paid 6d and Is for as entertainment was better than people pay 15s for now—but we thought it was rotten value in those days,” said Mr Flowers.

The Fullers’ programmes for years were half vaudeville and half revue. of distinction were

Daisy Jerome, Nellie .Kolle, George Wallace, Paul Stanhope, Bert Le Blanc, Stiffy and Mo, Queenie J’aul and Mike Connors, George Storey, Harris Burgess, and Edgely and Dawe. Outstanding specialty entertainers were the Togo Boys in their “slide for life” from the top of the circle; Denny land Donaghan, the first to play piano jaccordians, their numbers being “You 'Made Me Love You,” ana “Oh! •Johnnie”; the Americans Dalmore and Lee, whose mechanical act of breaking the double ladder was bought from the Tivoli circuit; Edgar and Rice, two American acrobats on a rubber platform; and Colin and John Campbell with their accordians. A personality all Fuller patrons would remember, Mr Flowers said, was the singing parson, the Rev. Frank Gorman, who later went on tour with a small drama show. A feature of the vaudeville days was the orchestra, with Albert Bidgood as conductor and pianist. Fred Fox (cornettist), Clarrie Crawford (drummer), Harry Tankard (violinist), and “Baldie” Goodchild (double bass) were the members of the permanent orchestra. “Bert Bidgood was the best ad lib player I ever heard,’’ said Mr Flowers. “He never let up.’’ Men Who Ran Shows The managers were Messrs Jimmie Petherick, Marsh (a chemist by profession), Walter Helsdon (who died in Australia), and Ivan Elston. The stage crew managed by Mr Flowers were Messrs Paddy Broderick, Jack EJstobb, Joe Bastion, and Charlie Hunsley. The “spot boys,’’ as the electricians were called, were Messrs Ray Thompson (a projectionist today in Christchurch) and Laurie Pitcaithly (manager of the Metro Theatre). The staff—front of house and backstage—were identified with Fullers’ as prominently as any of the performers with the legion of regular patrons. The character of the stage performances at St. James’ Theatre has changed since continuous vaudeville ended about 1934. Canterbury University College students’, revues have been staged there, as well as Tivoli vaudeville shows. The first concerts of the National Orchestra were given in the theatre, where also played the Pasadena Players from the United States, the Bodenweiser Ballet, the Ballet Rambert, Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh and the Old Vic Company, the Boyd Neel String Orchestra, the New Zealand Theatre Company (an English, company brought out by Kerridge) and the Whitehall Company from Australia. Mr Randolph Churchill, son of Sir Winston Churchill, lectured at the St. James’ Theatre, where individual artists to appear have been z the Hungarian singer Miklos Cafni, the Austrian soprano Herta Glaz, and Stanley Holloway. The Vienna Boys’ Choir sang there, early this year, since when only films have been shown.