The Ship of Heaven
| The Ship of Heaven | |
|---|---|
| Music | Alfred Hill |
| Lyrics | Hugh McCrae |
| Book | Hugh McCrae |
| Premiere | 7 October 1933: Savoy Theatre, Sydney |
The Ship of Heaven is a 1923 Australian light operetta (or "musical fantasy") by Hugh McCrae with music by Alfred Hill.[1][2]
The work was given a private production in 1923.[3][4][5]
The original production open to the general public was presented by Doris Fitton's Independent Theatre[6] at the Savoy Theatre.[7][8]
According to one writer in 1937, "it remainds the best fantasy by an Australian dramatist."[9]
Smith's Weekly called it " one of the most ambitious productions ever planned by a Little Theatre... represents .the work of Australia's greatest living poet, Hugh McCrae, and greatest living composer, Alfred Hill. Between them they have made this romantic operetta a work of memorable beauty.... In its field, "The Ship of Heaven" is easily the most important musical and poetic work that lias, so far been written in Australia."[10]
The text was published by Angus and Robertson in 1951.
References
[edit]- ^ Andrew D. McCredie, 'Hill, Alfred Francis (1869–1960)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hill-alfred-francis-6667/text11495, published first in hardcopy 1983, accessed online 17 October 2023.
- ^ "INDEPENDENT THEATRE". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 29, 879. New South Wales, Australia. 7 October 1933. p. 10. Retrieved 17 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ""THE SHIP OF HEAVEN."". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 26, 822. New South Wales, Australia. 22 December 1923. p. 14. Retrieved 17 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ""THE SHIP OF HEAVEN"". The Daily Telegraph. No. 13, 741. New South Wales, Australia. 22 December 1923. p. 21. Retrieved 17 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "THE SHIP OF HEAVEN", The Home: An Australian Quarterly, 5 (1), Sydney: Art in Australia, 1 March 1924, nla.obj-383325446, retrieved 17 October 2023 – via Trove
- ^ "Independent Theatre Company Sydney, N.S.W.. (1930-1976)", Trove, 2008, retrieved 18 October 2023
- ^ "Savoy Theatre (Sydney, NSW). (1929-1937)", Trove, 2020, retrieved 18 October 2023
- ^ "A theatre fought hard". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. XII, no. 190. New South Wales, Australia. 1 November 1947. p. 16. Retrieved 17 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Moore, William (1937). "The Development of Australian Drama". The Best Australian One Act Plays. p. xxv.
- ^ ""The Ship of Heaven"". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XV, no. 35. New South Wales, Australia. 7 October 1933. p. 6. Retrieved 17 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.