Peter Downes: The Pollards

Reviewed by RICHARD WOLFE*

Half a century before Noel Coward advised Mrs Worthington against it, James Pollard put his daughter on the stage. He went a lot further, forming a travelling juvenile opera company that included 14 of his own children.

Born in London, Pollard took his family to Tasmania in the 1870s and began producing comic operas, drawing on the talents of six sons, eight daughters and other willing young performers. Pollard's Liliputians was born in 1880, and the following year the curtain went up on their first show in New Zealand, HMS Pinafore, in Invercargill.

If watching child actors impersonate adults now seems an odd way to spend a night out, it captivated the country in the late 19th century. This chapter in our entertainment history comes under the spotlight in Peter Downes' latest book, a highly detailed and lavishly illustrated account of the times, both on and off the stage. In pre-phonograph days these travelling shows were a musical alternative to staying home and playing the piano.

Pollard's troupes became a national institution. They travelled by ship and rail, from Westport to Wanganui, and Hawera to Hastings. Towns turned out to welcome them wherever they went, and at times their popularity exceeded theatre capacity. Windows were flung open so eager audiences could watch the shows from outside, even perched in the branches of trees.

Ingenuity was an essential part of show business. When Palmerston North's Theatre Royal burned down in 1895, the Pollards lost most of their sets, costumes and scripts. The show had to go on, but they needed a new play, quickly.

They bought a copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin, adapting the book to a musical and incorporating suitable hymns, spirituals and lots of burnt cork. Old rags doubled as dresses for slaves, while angels' robes were made of bed sheets.

By 1910, Pollard's Opera Company faced stiff competition from new attractions - vaudeville and moving pictures. After 70 productions over almost 30 years, this antipodean performing arts saga finally closed.

Downes' engaging account documents its huge contribution, both as a popular public spectacle and training ground for actors. It also inspired the next generation, for a 1907 performance of Bluebell in Fairyland made a lasting impression on a 12-year-old from Christchurch, Ngaio Marsh.

A leading light in the Pollard firmament was young Marion Mitchell, who left in 1897 to marry an ardent suitor. In 1935 he was elected Mayor of Auckland, and when he was knighted two years later she became Lady Marion Davis. Now, that would have impressed Mrs Worthington.

Steele Roberts $39.95

* Richard Wolfe is an Auckland writer and curator.