scene painter, was scenic artist at the Alexandra Theatre, Melbourne in the late 1880s-90s. He was the chief scene-painter of the 'elaborately realistic’ scenery in Marvellous Melbourne – a great success, which had opened on 19 January 1889 and ran for over five weeks. The Argus of 21 January described it as belonging to 'the order of sensational and spectacular drama which has recently come into fashion, and in which the scenic artist and stage carpenter play as important part as the leading actor’ (quoted Williams 151). Although the critical eye of the Australasian of 26 January 1889 noted that several of the sets had been recycled from earlier dramas (including one, surprisingly, from His Natural Life ), all the reviews commended the beautifully executed pictures of the city. The mechanical change from Chinese opium den to Falls Bridge by moonlight was especially mentioned.
Even the Bulletin was unreserved in its praise:
But the backbone of this show is scenery of a beautiful and entirely local character. Nothing approaching it had previously been set up on the big Alexandra stage, and three pictures created such prolonged howlings that certain wild-looking artists were required to come forward and smile at their admirers.
'The wild-looking artists became the backbone not only of this production, but also of what became known, in parody of the land boom, as the “Dampier boom” at the Alexandra’ (Williams 153-56). In 1890 Dampier, with Garnet Walch, followed Marvellous Melbourne with Robbery Under Arms . Like His Natural Life (the previous success), it became a permanent part of the Dampier Company’s repertoire (photographs of scenes ill. Williams 162, 163). It also had a London season at the Princess’s Theatre in 1894. Another Boldrewood book dramatised by Dampier and Walch, The Miner’s Right , opened on 14 February 1891. Table Talk of 20 February 1890 (quoted Williams, 167) 'was greatly enamoured of Mr Alta’s sets, “realistic in the highest degree”’:
The diggings in the second act are remarkably true to nature, the cloth showing the forest of straight gum trees with the ranges in the distance, being one of the best Australian landscapes that has ever been painted for the stage. The Cascade scene is good, but the diggings scene has the real colour of the country.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1999
- Last updated:
- 2011
