''The Invisible Circus'' is a 1946 Australian stage play by

Sumner Locke Elliott Sumner Locke Elliott (17 October 191724 June 1991) was an Australian (later American) novelist and playwright. Biography Elliott was born in Sydney to the writer Sumner Locke and the journalist Henry Logan Elliott. His mother died of eclampsi ...

set in the world of commercial radio drama, a field that Elliott knew well from many years writing for George Edwards. Elliott is represented in two characters, the idealistic Brad and the more jaded Mark.

Premise

A young and idealistic scriptwriter, Brad McGee, is introduced to commercial radio. Among the characters he meets there are the receptionist, Mona; a gag writer, Percy; a grand actress, the Duchess; another actress, Fred. The more jaded Mark Cornell winds up leaving radio.

Production history

The original stage production by John Carlson ran for six weeks at the

Independent Theatre Independent Theatre, formerly known as The Independent Theatre Ltd., was an Australian dramatic society founded in 1930 by Dame Doris Fitton in Sydney, Australia. It is also the name given to the building it occupied from 1939 (then known as t ...

, Sydney in 1946. There was a production in Melbourne later that year by the Little Theatre produced by

Irene Mitchell Irene Gladys Mitchell MBE (24 November 1905 – 1995) was an Australian actress and theatre director, prominent in the little theatre movement in Melbourne. Career Mitchell was the eldest daughter of (James) Herbert Mitchell (1886–1971) and ...

starring Frank Thring. The play was also produced in Adelaide.

Reception

The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' drama critic felt the play's "strength is dialogue, its weakness construction." The ''Bulletin'' felt it was "quick-moving and entertaining" although "a fault was the American-style smart retorts, which have become such an ordeal to the average picture-goer. Hollywood’s newspaper or business comedies always have some disillusioned, hard-faced female (frequently with a heart of gold) ready and waiting to fire her synthesised comments on Man and the world. And so it was in ''The Invisible Circus''; the same situations, the same openings, and click, like a well-oiled machine, the disillusioned damsel delivers the wisecracks in a tired, disillusioned voice." The ''Argus'' called it "bright and pungent entertainment." Leslie Rees thought the play "marked a great advance in originality" for Elliott's work, saying "Eschewing mawkish emotional situations, Locke-Elliott gave three acts of diverting farce-comedy." Rees added:

''Invisible Circus'' had an opening not as sharp as it should have been; also it was reminiscent of the American ''Boy Meets Girl''. As the play went on, it appeared to be as devoid of strong plot as had been Afford’s ''
Mischief in the Air ''Mischief in the Air'' is a comedy mystery play from Max Afford. The story takes place in a radio station. It was one of the few Australian plays of the 1940s to receive a professional production, being produced by J. C. Williamson's, J.C. Willi ...
''. But it was by the very means of not involving himself with complicated events that Sumner Locke-Elliott was able to release his gift for gay, extravagant, spontaneously gossipy but pointed dialogue. The second act was the best of it. The story conference, in which a new and idealistic script-writer’s opus was subjected to “office improvement", was extraordinarily funny. The rehearsal scene was good knockabout.

Radio adaptation

The play was adapted for radio by George Farwell in a production that aired in December 1946. The cast included

Peter Finch Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch (28 September 191614 January 1977) was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio. Born in London, he emigrated to Australia at the age of ten and was raised in Sydney, where he worked in vaudevi ...

and Elliott himself. The ABC produced the play for radio again in 1951 (directed by

Doris Fitton Dame Doratea Alice Lucy Walkden Fitton (3 November 18972 April 1985) was an Australian actress and pioneering theatre entrepreneur, and theatrical director and producer who became best known for establishing with 19 other actors The Independent ...

) and 1956.

Cast of 1946 production

* Neva Carr Glyn as Iris Mitchell *

as Bernard Free *John Bushelle as Mark Cornell *

Lyndall Barbour Lyndall Harvey Barbour (19 May 1916 – 10 October 1986) was an Australian actress, primarily of radio, although she also added stage and television work (both series and made-for-television movies) to her repertoire. Born in Egypt to Australian ...

as Courtney Skipton *

Max Osbiston Maxwell Hamilton Osbiston (7 August 1914 – 12 March 1981) was an Australian actor, active in radio, stage, film and television. Biography Osbiston was born in Sydney, the son of Frank and Iolanthe Osbiston (née Margoliouth) of Cremorne, New S ...

as Bradley McGhee *Rita Pauncefort as Lottie Faircourte *Ann Bullen as Freda Chase *Richard Matthews as Henry Melville *

as Sinclair Bullerton * Pat MacDonald as Mona Natwick *

Queenie Ashton Ethel Muriel Ashton (11 November 190321 October 1999), known professionally as Queenie Ashton, was a singer, dancer, and character actress, born in England, who had a long career in Australia as a theatre performer and radio personality, best ...

*Rodney Jacobs as Percy *

Gwen Plumb Gwendoline Jean Plumb Member of the Order of Australia, AM British Empire Medal, BEM (2 August 1912 – 5 June 2002), was an Australian performer of international appeal, actress and comedian active in literally every form of the art genre, (exc ...

as Auntie Etta * Sidney Wheeler as JB Ollipant *Bebe Scott as Mrs Goll

References

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Invisible Circus, The 1946 plays 1940s Australian plays 1946 Australian radio dramas 1951 Australian radio dramas Stage plays by Sumner Locke Elliott Australian plays adapted for radio Plays set in Sydney