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The Ship of Heaven

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The Ship of Heaven
MusicAlfred Hill
LyricsHugh McCrae
BookHugh McCrae
Premiere7 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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ ""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.
  4. ^ ""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.
  5. ^ "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
  6. ^ "Independent Theatre Company Sydney, N.S.W.. (1930-1976)", Trove, 2008, retrieved 18 October 2023
  7. ^ "Savoy Theatre (Sydney, NSW). (1929-1937)", Trove, 2020, retrieved 18 October 2023
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ Moore, William (1937). "The Development of Australian Drama". The Best Australian One Act Plays. p. xxv.
  10. ^ ""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.