Oscar Asche Passes

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 71, 25 March 1936, Page 6

Oscar Asche Passes

FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN ACTOR-PRODUCER United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. LONDON, March 23. Obituary.—The well known actor, and producer. Mr. Oscar Asclie. Death Follows Pneumonia LONDON, Mar. 23. Mr Oscar Asclie succumbed to heart failure, supervening on a fortnight’s attack of pneumonia. A Romantic Career Mr Oscar Asche -was one of the bestknown of actors to New Zealanders, and his wife, Miss Lily Brayton, also was familiar to theatre-goers. Mr Asche was born in Geelong in 1871. He attended the Melbourne Grammar School and then (he himself was of Norwegian descent) he w T ent off to Christiana, where he studied for the theatre. His first appearance on the stage was made at the Opera Comique in 1893. At the Garrick Theatre in 1901 Ascho made a profound success when he played Frederick Maldonado in “Iris,” and in the following year he played the same part in New' York. In 1902 he joined Sir Herbert Tree, and in 1904 went on tour with Tree’s company. By this time he was given parts of the calibre of Brutus (“Julius Caesar”) and Falstaff. In 1907 he entered upon the management of His Majesty’s theatre, -where, as previously, he played in various Shakespearean productions, including ‘ ‘ The Taming of the Shrew” and “Othello” and in 1909 he voyaged to Australia, opening at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, on July 17, in “The Taming of the Shrew.” Ho was back at the New Theatre, London, in the following year in “Count Hannibal,” and the next year played the role of Haaj the Beggar in “Kismet,” which very probably' proved the first step towards the creation of “Chu Chin Chow.” According to his own story', “Chu Chin Chow”’ was written during a -wet week in Manchester -when it was impossible to play golf. His wife said to him: “Why not w'ritc that pantomine you are ahvays talking about?” and. ho set to work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., completing the task after his return to London. The play, of course, came straight out of tho “Arabian Nights,” names and all, even to Abu Hasan. Its success is now historic. Its tuneful numbers, spectacle, and general romantic atmosphere were what a Avar world needed to escapo from itself, and it paid to see “Chu Chiu Chow” for tho next five years. Asche received about £200,000 in royalties. ■ “Everybody connected with it made a fortune,” he said, “and some of them kept it. I didn’t.” After this success'came “Cairo,” and in 1922 he visited Australia and New Zealand, playing in his own productions as well as in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Othello,” “Iris,” “The Spanish Main,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” and “The Skin Game.” His theatrical career after this was not able to meet his spending, and in 1928 he was in the bankruptcy court, attributing his failure to inability to obtain all the profits of his Antipodean tour,” failure to obtain royalties due to him in the U.S.A., lack of-engagements after 1925 (though he appeared in a number of plays), a £SOOO a year loss on his greyhounds, and . the failure of his musical comedy “The Good Old Days.” His assets stood at £l7B and his liabilities were £47,000. He ■ set to work to rehabilitate his fortunes, but was not likely to find another ‘ ‘ Chu Chin Chow.’ ’