Stars of Australian Theatre History

By Leann Richards

Australian theatre in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries produced stars which shone nationally and internationally. Some of these stars were Maesmore Morris, dancers Saharet and Maggie Dickinson, pantomime dame Arthur Stigant and American import Minnie Tittell Brune.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leann Richards
• Release date: Jan 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458174161

Leann Richards

I am a juggler, a writer, a pretend magician, an historian and a teacher. I've published some books on Australian theatrical history through Ginninderra Books in Australia, and have just finished another on Australian juggling history which will be published in early 2022. Between juggling, researching history and teaching I like to write fairy tales. I live with my imagination in Sydney Australia.

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Stars of Australian Theatre History

By Leann Richards

Copyright Leann Richards 2011

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Stars of Australian Theatre History.

Australia has hosted many theatrical stars who thrilled local audiences and international audiences alike. During the late 19th and early 20th Century, these stars suffered successes and tragedies and created legends.

Saharet

The origins of dancer, Saharet are shrouded in mystery. Although claiming to be born in Melbourne there is no record of her in Victorian birth records. What is known of her early life was told in anecdotes and press releases. The veracity of this information is questionable.

According to a hand written note on the back of a postcard, Saharet was born in 1879. Her real name was Clarissa Campbell or Clarice Campbell, and her birthplace was Ballarat. She was one of two sisters and her mother was a circus performer whilst her father was a Scottish sailor.

Very little is known of her early life in Australia. In a 1909 interview Saharet revealed some details. ‘People, who came to our home in Melbourne Australia where I was born, told me that I was beautiful and should go on stage. First Musgrove placed me in a pantomime in Australia and then brought me to London, and for five years I did nothing but dance’.

In 1914, Clarissa’s first husband, Ike Rose, told a different story. According to Rose, Saharet made some appearances in pantomime in Australia, but after the death of her sister, the family moved to San Francisco. The year was 1893 and Clarissa was 14 years old.

After her arrival in the United States, Clarissa began to dance in sideshows and burlesques. When a leading burlesque dancer took ill, Clarissa replaced her at San Francisco’s Bush Street Theatre. Shortly afterwards, she was engaged by MB Leavitt and taken to New York, where she earned 5 pounds a week.

Whilst in New York, Clarissa at 16, met and married Ike Rose, a theatrical agent. The pair met at the Miner Bowery theatre in New York. They soon had a daughter and Clarissa retired from the stage.

Her retirement was of short duration. Three months after the birth of her daughter, Clarissa received an offer from Koster and Bial. The offer was for twelve pounds a week and the 17 year old Australian thought that she had finally made the big time. Her husband did not agree and arranged a short two week engagement with the company.

It was at this time that Clarissa was rechristened Saharet. A contemporary controversy surrounding the Sahara desert suggested the name.

Saharet’s turn at Koster and Bial was a fourteen minute acrobatic, high kicking ,dance. She would suddenly appear on stage and grabbed the audience’s attention by whirling her bare legs whilst her body was hidden by the stage curtain. The highlight of her turn was the splits. Her vivacity and audacity charmed the audience and soon she was acknowledged as one of the greatest high kickers in vaudeville.

Saharet’s turn was pure burlesque and included a daring and risqué element. According to Ike ‘For years and years she never made the least pretence at doing anything of a delicate, artistic character’

Soon Saharet had reduced her fast moving turn to a mere seven minutes. She was so successful that Koster and Bial engaged her for three months and her wages escalated to thirty pounds per week. This engagement was the beginning of a lucrative and colourful career.

After a sensational season with Koster and Bial, Saharet travelled to London. The year was 1897 and she appeared at the Palace Theatre. Her performance caused a sensation that echoed all the way back to