The Bunyip (musical)
The Bunyip, also known by the longer title The Enchantment of Fairy Princess Wattle Blossom, was written by Ella Palzier Campbell (aka Ella Airlie). The pantomime was a highly successful musical comedy that toured Australia for a decade within Fuller Brothers theatre circuit. The show was produced by Sydney entrepreneur Nat Philips. The premiere of the show ran for at least 97 performances and was revived several times over the following decade. Production history Music was supplied by a number of Australian stage personalities including Vince Courtney, Herbert De Pinna and James Kendis. A Melbourne National Gallery student P. Cohen was enlisted to paint the sets with Australian flowers, namely wattle and waratah, on costumes also. Venues 1916 Grand Opera House, Sydney 1917 Princess Theatre, Melbourne 1917 Majestic Theatre, Adelaide 1918 Brisbane Empire 1924 Sydney Hippodrome Synopsis The story opens with a bushfire in which all the bush creatures are bought out into the open. Then it deals with the wanderings of princess Wattle Blossom, who falls into the hands of the Bush Gnomes, a proud race with a terrible way of doing things. The Lord High Gnome decrees that the Princess shall be turned into a bunyip, and this transformation takes place on the stage. The fairy princess is then rescued by the principal boy from the race of bush gnomes. A well-received stage effect was a shadow play of girls apparently disrobing behind a backlit screen, over which the (apparently) removed clothing was thrown. The play relied heavily on comic stereotypes of the time, including a Chinese cook, bumbling Jewish clowns, fierce Aboriginal warriors, and a drunken Australian lout – all contending with Wattle Blossom, the fairy princess in the original story. Musical numbers Bunyip / words & music by Herbert de Pinna Wattle blossom time in Australia / words and music by Fred Monument ; arranged by Geo. Hurdle For you / words & music by Marsh Little Nulla nulla / words & music by Marsh Little I love you / words & music by Herbert de Pinna Mean old moon / Ella Airlie Back to Kosciusko / words and music by Ella Airlie Joan / words & music by Marsh Little Bills' enlisted / words by R. Boyer and H. de Pinna ; music by Herbert de Pinna If Captain Cook could come to life to-day / words by Con Moreni ; music by Nellie Kolle & Con Moreni Sonny mine / words & music by Herbert de Pinna Down in Australia / words & music by Marsh Little Nathan : sung by Roy Rene / by James Kendis My Chinee girl : the favourite one-step song / words and music by Vince Courtney Grey hair grey eyes / words by Nat Phillips ; music by Bert Reid Safety first / words and music by Henry T. Hayes – Dancers drilled by a child actor Mother waratah / words & music by Marsh Little Bunyip waltzes / arr. by Albert Evelyn Pierrot and Pierrette / lyric