Christine Dorothy Brunton (11 October 1890 – 5 June 1977), popularly known as Dorothy Brunton (or more familiarly as 'Dot'), was an Australian singer and actress prominent in musical comedy in Australia and England from the early-1910s to the mid-1930s. She was born into a theatrical family, her mother had been an actress and her father worked as a stage scene designer and painter. Her early roles were in melodramas for the Bland Holt touring company, for which her father worked. From October 1910 Brunton was engaged by J. C. Williamson's New Comic Opera Company, performing in musical comedy roles and acting as understudy to more established actresses.
By the outbreak of World War I, Brunton was playing leading roles in J. C. Williamson's productions. She became associated with recruitment and patriotic fund-raising efforts and became a favourite with Australian soldiers. In September 1917, Brunton travelled to the United States, where she appeared in several productions but achieved only moderate theatrical success. She arrived in London in June 1918, where she found a small part in a West End production. Her fame grew after rapturous responses to her performances by Australian soldiers on leave.
After the war ended, Brunton lived in London and the United States, occasionally returning to Australia where she was acclaimed as a much-beloved performer. After a nine-month tour of South Africa in 1926-7 and a couple of moderately-successful plays in London, Brunton returned to Australia in 1930 for theatrical engagements by J. C. Williamson Ltd. She married in 1931. In 1934, she retired from the stage and returned to London with her husband. After the death of her husband, Brunton returned to Australia in 1947 and lived in Sydney until her death in 1977, aged 86.
Contents
Biography
Early years
Christine Dorothy Brunton was born on 11 October 1890 in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Carlton, the third child of John Brunton and Cecily Christina Neilsen.[A] Her father was an artist born in Edinburgh and her mother (known as 'Cissy') had been a Shakespearean actress in Edinburgh. John Brunton's relationship with Cecily Neilsen was a de facto spousal union, as Brunton had been married to Sarah Hotchkis in 1870 at Plymouth. John and Sarah Brunton had three children (born from 1872 to 1881). Brunton's wife Sarah lived until January 1910 and there is no record of a divorce (nor is there a record of any marriage between Brunton and Cecily Neilsen).
Dorothy Brunton's parents had arrived in Australia in 1886, where her father was employed as a theatrical scene designer and painter. By the late-1890s, John Brunton was working for Bland Holt, the theatrical manager known for his spectacular touring productions of melodramas and pantomimes. In an interview in 1912, Brunton recalled: "The stage has always had a fascination over me, and as you know, my father's vocation as scenic artist with Mr. Bland Holt's Company, brought me into contact with actors and actresses when I was but a little dot".
Dorothy received part of her education at Alford House in Elizabeth Bay in Sydney. From 1905, she attended the Presbyterian Ladies' College in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Burwood.
In the 1912 interview, Dorothy recalled that her father "was at first inclined" to keep her on at school. However, "owing to the solicitations" of Bland Holt's wife Florence, her father "was persuaded to allow me to accompany him to New Zealand where I was soon smuggled into small parts". With her father painting the stage scenery for Holt, young Dorothy "travelled all over Australia and New Zealand with the company".
Dramatic roles
On 18 April 1908, Dorothy Brunton "made her first appearance on any stage" as a flower girl in Bland Holt's production of The White Heather at the Theatre Royal in Adelaide. Following her debut in The White Heather, Brunton was cast in a series of productions presented by Bland Holt's Dramatic Company in the Theatre Royal in Adelaide:
One of the Best, a melodrama written by Seymour Hicks and George Edwardes, which opened on 5 May 1908; Brunton was cast as 'Miss Maisie McTosh'.
The Great Millionaire by Cecil Raleigh, opened on 9 May 1908; Brunton was cast in the role of 'Beatrice de Grosvenor'.
The Breaking of the Drought, an Australian melodrama written by Arthur Shirley, which opened on 16 May 1908; Brunton "filled the minor part of waiting maid in a winsome manner".
The Bondman, an adaptation of Hall Caine's novel, opened on 26 May 1908; Brunton played "a dainty Mona" in the play.
The Great Rescue, an Australian melodrama, opened on 30 May 1908; a critic for Adelaide's The Advertiser commented that "clever Miss Dorothy Brunton hid her identity under the raiment of Wi Lung, the Chinese servant".
The Flood Tide, Cecil Raleigh's "spectacular, sensational and amusing melodrama", opened on 6 June 1908; Brunton "was a pretty gipsy girl" in the play.
After their eight-week season in Adelaide, the Bland Holt Company played a short season in Broken Hill. From there, the company travelled to Perth in Western Australia. On 11 July 1908, they staged The Breaking of the Drought in His Majesty's Theatre where once again Brunton was cast as "the waiting maid".
By June 1909, the Bland Holt Dramatic Company had returned to Sydney. The Great Rescue opened at the Theatre Royal in early June 1909, with Brunton again in the role of the Chinese servant, 'Wi Lung'.
Musical comedy roles
In 1910, Brunton began taking singing lessons with Grace Miller Ward, the wife of actor and theatrical producer Hugh J. Ward. She later credited Mrs. Ward with the nurturing of her "singing and acting possibilities", training her voice to qualify for musical comedy roles. Brunton recalled that "Mrs. Hugh Ward arranged personally that my voice should be trained for singing, and kept me hard at it, taking the deepest personal interest in my development and helping me on in every way". Brunton also took dancing lessons with Jennie Brenan at her dance studio in Melbourne.
After the retirement of the popular performer Fanny Dango, the J. C. Williamson theatrical management company sought to find a replacement with a similar appeal to audiences.[B] Grace Ward brought her protégé, Dorothy Brunton, under the notice of her husband, who was then a managing director with J. C. Williamson Ltd. Brunton was tried in roles formerly played by Dango, the first of which was 'Elaine' in A Knight for a Day. By October 1910, Dorothy Brunton had joined J. C. Williamson's New Comic Opera Company. She performed in the company's production of A Knight for a Day, described as "an American musical farce extravaganza", which opened in Adelaide at the Theatre Royal on 18 October 1910. She was cast as 'Elaine' (Mme. Woodbury's daughter) in the production. A critic commented that "she has an attractive personality, talent, and enthusiasm, and will succeed". Brunton's song in the musical, 'Baby Land', "with the pony ballet and the grotesque marionette dolls was thoroughly enjoyed". After her father's death, Dorothy Brunton's mother Cissy became her constant companion and mentor as she travelled across Australia with the New Comic Opera Company. Cissy Brunton remained an important supporter in her daughter's life and career until her death in 1933, "a loving but honest and helpful critic".
Brunton's performances in A Knight for a Day "found immediate acceptance from the public". In June 1911, Brunton played the role of the attendant of the Princess (played by Florence Young) in The Balkan Princess at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. By October 1911, Brunton was playing 'Magda' (a charwoman at the palace) in The Balkan Princess when it played at His Majesty's Theatre in Brisbane. The Merry Widow at His Majesty's Theatre in Brisbane in October 1911, Brunton playing 'Fi Fi'. From November 1911, Brunton was engaged by the Julius Knight Company in a revival of The Sign of the Cross. Described by the Bulletin critic as an "irresistible medley of religion, bellow-drama and eroticism", the play was performed at the Theatre Royal in Sydney with Brunton in the dramatic role of 'Stephanus'.
The war years in Australia
From late-December 1914, Brunton performed in The Girl in the Film at Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney. Her performance on opening night was lauded as "a distinct triumph", the critic remarking that "she filled every requirement of an exacting role". Her role in the musical comedy required the "interpretation of several personages... first as the General's daughter, then as the 'Vioscope' author's messenger; subsequently as the drummer boy, and as the miller's daughter, vocally and otherwise she was put to a test that would have severely tried a performer of more matured and wider experience".
At the suggestion of a theatrical manager, the patriotic recruiting song 'Your King and Country Want You' was introduced into performances of The Girl on the Film, sung by Dorothy Brunton. The song, with words and music by Paul Rubens, had been published in London at the start of the war in 1914 by Chappell Music. It was written as "A Woman's Recruiting Song", to be sung with the intention of persuading men to volunteer to fight in the war. Brunton became associated with the song, which in Australia was also known as 'We Don't Want to Lose You' (from the chorus: "Oh! we don't want to lose you but we think you ought to go; For your King and your Country both need you so"). Within a week of incorporating the song in her performances, Brunton was informed by recruiting officers that "recruiting had gone up by several thousands'. In January 1916 she recalled: "I sang that early in the war as a recruiting song, and have had many letters saying that it caused men to join the colors".
The musical farce High Jinks had its inaugural Australian performance at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, on 6 February 1915, with Brunton in the role of 'Sylvia Dale'. J. C. Williamson's production, described as a "musical jollity" with "plenty of dash and sparkle", opened in Melbourne in late-March, Adelaide in late-May and Brisbane in August 1915. High Jinks was also staged in Perth in June 1915. It was initially advertised as having the same cast as the Melbourne production, but Brunton's role in the performances was played by another actress (to the annoyance of a writer for the local Sunday Times newspaper who wrote that "evidently she is considered too good for a one-horse town like Perth").
The Girl on the Film was taken to Melbourne, commencing on 3 July 1915 at Her Majesty's Theatre.
America
Dot Brunton and her mother departed from Sydney aboard the S.S. Sonoma on 8 September 1917 and arrived at San Francisco on 27 September. They proceeded to Los Angeles where Dorothy had intended to "rehearse the principal part in Morosco's latest musical comedy" called What's Next?. However, Brunton ended up declining the role "owing to the absolute need for more rest after years of continuous work in Australia". Brunton and her mother then travelled to New York by easy stages, where "her Australian reputation led to several offers", but she finally decided on Follow the Girl, a new musical comedy. In January 1918, it was reported that Brunton was to make her first appearance on the American stage at Philadelphia in Follow the Girl.
Follow the Girl, a new musical comedy by Henry Blossom and Zoel Parenteau, premiered at the Adelphi Theatre in Philadelphia on New Year's Eve 1917. Reviews of the show were "liberal and favorable". Brunton played in Follow the Girl for a fortnight in Philadelphia before she began rehearsals for Ivan Caryll's Madame and her Godson under the management of Klaw and Erlanger in New York.
Brunton later revealed that her American engagements were based on a misunderstanding of her dramatic qualities. She explained that she had been "engaged as a low comedienne" based on a mistaken understanding of her Australian roles in So Long Letty and Canary Cottage, in the belief she "had played Connie Ediss' parts". When the mistake was discovered, Hugh Ward, who was in America at the time, advised Brunton "to cancel the contract".
In May 1918 in New York, Brunton recorded a number of songs with the Canadian tenor, Paul Dufault. Songs from those recording sessions were later released by Columbia Records in Australia and the United Kingdom.
London
Dot Brunton and her mother left from New York aboard the R.M.S. Saxonia, a steamship of the Cunard line, and arrived at London in June 1918.
In London, Brunton was not able to secure an engagement "on the strength of her Australian reputation". She arrived "without either letters of introduction or influence". As she later described, she "walked the streets looking for work". However, during this period she "aimed high", always seeking an engagement in London's West End. By mid-July, through an employment agency, Brunton managed to secure a small part as 'Fan Tan' in the operetta Shanghai, to commence in late-August at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.
At her first appearance in Shanghai in late-August 1918, Brunton was vigorously applauded by a group of Australian soldiers. As Brunton later described: "The Diggers got me my chance"; the group of soldiers who attended the performance "nearly pulled the theatre down with their applause". An article in The Newcastle Sun, reporting on her appearance, suggested that London theatre managers were engaging Australian performers to take advantage of the thousands of Australian troops on leave "as it would ensure for them a good attendance of Australian soldiers". Nevertheless, the enthusiastic response to Brunton's appearance at Drury Lane was noted in the London press. The critic from The Times described Brunton as "a delightful little sweetheart, whose charm and merriment were an admirable foil" to the leading actor, Alfred Lester. A columnist in London's Daily Mirror remarked: "For the first time in my life I heard the Australian bush cry of 'Coo-ee!' in a London theatre... [when] little Miss Dorothy Brunton, our latest Australian ingénue, appeared upon the stage". Of Brunton's relatively minor role in Shanghai, a critic remarked: "Miss Dorothy Brunton, so enthusiastically received by her Australian admirers, was only permitted to reveal on a small scale the vivacity she would seem to have at command". In October 1918, it was reported that Brunton and Ivy Shilling, an Australian dancer also in the cast of Shanghai, "have arranged to present every Anzac" who attended the operetta "with autographed photographs of themselves".
In early January 1918, Brunton took on the major role of 'Marlene de Launay' in the operetta Soldier Boy, playing at the Apollo Theatre in London's West End (replacing the popular actress Winifred Barnes).
In London, Brunton and her mother lived in a flat in Regent Street which became known as a haven of hospitality for Australian soldiers on leave. The flat was called 'The Digger's Rest' where the two women "dispensed cheery hospitality of the true Australian brand" to soldiers of all ranks.
Brief return to Australia
Brunton arrived back in Australia in early September 1920 under a year-long engagement to J. C. Williamson Ltd. She made her reappearance on the Australian stage at Sydney's Her Majesty's Theatre on 2 October 1920 in the production of Yes, Uncle!. At her first appearance in the role of the young widow, 'Mabel Mannering', the audience "insisted on holding up the comedy while they applauded and coo-eed to their favorite actress". At the end of the night, Brunton "voiced her appreciation of the wonderful reception accorded her".
Brunton played 'Janet Chester' in J. C. Williamson's production of Baby Bunting, the first performance of which was at the Criterion Theatre in Sydney on Christmas Eve 1920 (reprising a role she had played in London). Baby Bunting was performed in Melbourne from late February 1921.
From June 1921, Brunton played the role of the pickpocket 'Fanny Welch' (alias 'Faintin' Fanny') in Oh Lady! Lady!! at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne.
At the final performance of Oh Lady! Lady!! in Melbourne in late July 1921, Brunton "was very warmly acclaimed by admirers". Each of her songs were "greatly applauded, the gallery being particularly demonstrative". After insistent demands for a speech after the final curtain, Miss Brunton declared to the audience: "I cannot say good-bye. Melbourne has always been too good to me and I belong to Australia". For her farewell performance in Sydney on 21 October, every seat at the Theatre Royal was booked in advance, despite which crowds gathered "in the vain hope of securing a place". After the performance, Brunton "could not respond to enough encores to please her admirers". She was presented with a pearl necklace with a diamond clasp, "bouquets were showered upon her" and the audience rose and sang 'For She's a Jolly Good Fellow'. Brunton responded by saying, "she was sick at the thought of going away from her homeland again". After warmly thanking the audience and the company, she added, "Please, please don't forget me".
America and Europe
Dorothy Brunton and her mother travelled to America to visit with family members. Robert Brunton, Dorothy's 51 year-old half-brother, had been living in Los Angeles for many years where his Robert Brunton Film Studios was "amongst the most important in the city".[C] His studios were located on a 65-acre site in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, its prime purpose being for the leasing of facilities to motion picture companies that did not possess their own studios. Jack Brunton, Dorothy's 35-year-old brother, was working for his half-brother at that time as "the producing manager" for the business.[D] The actress and her mother departed from Sydney aboard the S.S. Sonoma on 2 November 1921 and arrived at San Francisco on 22 November where they were met by Jack Brunton. The three family members then travelled to Los Angeles to stay with Robert Brunton.
Robert Brunton had been engaged in the process of selling the Brunton Studios and the sale of his holdings was finalised at about the time Dot and 'Cissy' Brunton's arrival in November 1921. The new owners were a New York-based syndicate headed by Joseph Schenck, a leading independent producer of motion pictures. In an interview in a trade newspaper, Brunton expressed a desire to establish a film production studio near London. The Schenck syndicate renamed the studio complex United Studios, which was placed under the management of Michael C. Levee (who had previously been Brunton's vice-president and treasurer).
In February 1922, Dorothy and Robert Brunton travelled to Italy, while Cissy Brunton travelled back to Sydney aboard the S.S. Sonoma. Robert had planned a holiday with his "little sister" and together they toured Europe, visiting Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany "and other countries in a leisurely way". After arriving in London, they "followed this by motoring in their own car all over England and Scotland".
By January 1923, Dorothy Brunton had returned to the stage, appearing in Oh Lady! Lady!! at the Garrick Theatre under the management of Wilfred Cotton and Leslie Powell.
Dorothy's half-brother, Robert Brunton, died on 4 March 1923 in London of a cerebral haemorrhage (after two weeks' illness), aged 51 years. Probate was granted to Dorothy Brunton (effects amounting to £375).
Return to Australia
In October 1923 Dot Brunton returned to Australia from London on board the Orient liner S.S. Orsova. She disembarked at Fremantle and travelled by rail to Melbourne via Adelaide. For her return to the Australian stage Brunton had been engaged by Hugh Ward to perform in Tons of Money, alongside the British actor Charles Heslop. The play opened its Melbourne season on 27 October 1923 at the New Palace Theatre in Melbourne, with Brunton in the role of 'Louise Allington'.
Tons of Money opened at the Grand Opera House in Sydney on 1 March 1924, by which time the play had been transformed into a musical comedy by the inclusion of songs by Brunton, Heslop and another cast member, Andrew Higginson. During the Melbourne season Ward had "observed a general feeling amongst playgoers that music should be introduced", prompting the change. In May 1924, towards the end of the Sydney season of Tons of Money, Ward instituted a "souvenir week" at the Grand Opera House where every person attending a performance received an autographed portrait of Dorothy Brunton, printed in three colours.
Over the next couple of years Dorothy Brunton also performed in the following Hugh J. Ward productions:
After Tons of Money closed in Sydney, Brunton and Heslop played the lead roles in the musical comedy Mr. Battling Butler (a Hugh J. Ward production), which opened at Melbourne's New Princess Theatre in late-May 1924 and at the Grand Opera House in Sydney in March 1925.
The musical comedy The Rise of Rosie O'Reilly opened at the New Princess Theatre in Melbourne in August 1924, with Brunton in the role of 'Rosie' ("in which she is transposed from a poor waterside girl to a millionaire's mansion"). The production was brought to Sydney in December 1924.
The musical comedy Little Jessie James, with Brunton in the lead role of 'Jessie Jamieson'; performed initially in the Victoria Theatre in Newcastle (from late-March 1925) and then at the Grand Opera House, Sydney, from June to September 1925.
The Music Box Revue at Grand Opera House, Sydney, during September and November 1925.
South Africa and London
In September 1926, Brunton travelled with the Guy Bates Post Company to South Africa aboard the S.S. Ascanius to fulfil an engagement with African Theatres Ltd. The company's repertoire was made up of The Masqueraders, The Bad Man and The Climax. During the tour, it was reported that Brunton had decided to give up musical comedy roles, "feeling there was nothing more to learn in that direction", in favour of "going in for the heavier work". Brunton toured South Africa for nine months playing opposite Post in The Climax.
In August 1927, Post and Brunton performed The Climax at the Little Theatre in London. The English critics were generally complimentary towards the players but disparaged the "complaining sentimentalism" of the play itself. The Climax closed in London after thirty performances.
Early in 1928, Brunton travelled to New York to visit her brother Jack.
In June 1928, Brunton was contracted to play 'Fleurette', the female lead in the musical comedy, The White Camellia, opposite Harry Welchman. The production initially toured regional theatres, before its London season at Daly's Theatre from September 1928.
During the period in England, Brunton found the London winters to be "exceedingly trying". While performing in The White Camellia, she experienced a recurring cough, compelling her to be often unavailable for performances. "Theatres in England are experiencing bad times as a result of competition from the talkies"; "Successful shows are chiefly of light comic opera type".
Marriage
In early November 1930, Brunton arrived in Melbourne on the Orient liner R.M.S. Oronsay after a four years' absence from Australia. She had come to spend Christmas with her mother, who she had not seen for two years, and told journalists that she intended returning to London in March 1931. In late December 1930, it was reported that J. C. Williamson Ltd. had secured her services for the lead role in Dearest Enemy, a musical written by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, to have its Australian premiere in Sydney in February 1931.
In May 1931, the J. C. Williamson's productions of Dearest Enemy, The Duchess of Danzig and The Merry Widow, each of them featuring Brunton in the lead roles, went to Brisbane. The three productions played in Adelaide in June and Perth in July.
By June 1931, Brunton had become engaged to Benjamin Dawson, a recently divorced businessman.[E]
On Saturday morning, 15 August 1931, Dorothy Brunton arrived in Melbourne, having travelled by express train from Adelaide, and booked into the Oriental Hotel in Collins Street. At six o'clock that evening, Brunton and Ben Dawson were married at the Wesley Church in Lonsdale Street. The marriage was a private ceremony, with the actress' mother one of the few people who attended. Late in the afternoon, before the ceremony, Brunton had told a newspaper reporter "there was nothing in the rumour about her intended marriage".[F] To get to the church unobserved they had left their hotel by the service lift and via "the servants' entrance in a back street". The next day the married couple travelled by motor-car to "a country golf-house" 40 miles from Melbourne, where they stayed for three nights, before returning to the city for Dorothy to attend a rehearsal of Duchess of Danzig.
The Duchess of Danzig opened at Melbourne's Theatre Royal in late-August 1931. The first Melbourne performance of Dearest Enemy was in September 1931, followed by The Merry Widow in November.
In late December 1931, Brunton played a lead role in the revival of an Edwardian musical comedy Florodora, first performed in Australia in 1900.
Brunton's mother, 'Cissy' Brunton, died "suddenly" in Sydney on 22 June 1933, aged 64 years. Her death was registered at Woollahra.
Later life
After the death of her husband, Dorothy Dawson returned to Australia. She arrived at Sydney aboard the Orion in about April 1947.
In about 1948, Brunton was diagnosed as suffering from Parkinson's disease. Several years later, she visited Sweden seeking a cure, but gained only temporary relief. Brunton lived quietly with a companion at Bellevue Hill, and took pleasure in reading and classical music.
Dorothy Dawson (née Brunton) died on 5 June 1977 in the Sacred Heart Hospice in Darlinghurst, aged 86 years.
Discography
Dorothy Brunton & Alfred Lester (side B only) – 'The Goblin's Glide' b/w 'In Shanghai' (both songs from Shanghai) (shellac 10-inch); Columbia L-1274 (1918); accompanied by the Drury Lane Theatre Orchestra (conductor: Maurice Jacobi).
Dorothy Brunton & Paul Dufault – 'It Was a Lover and His Lass' b/w 'Nearest and Dearest' (shellac 10-inch); Columbia 2918 (1919); recorded in New York in May 1918.[G]
Dorothy Brunton & Paul Dufault (side A only) – 'Barcarolle' (from The Tales of Hoffmann) b/w 'Keep Me in Your Heart (Till I Come Home Again)' (shellac 12-inch); Columbia 771 (December 1919); recorded in New York in May 1918.
Dorothy Brunton – 'The Bubble' b/w 'Love's Own Kiss' (both songs from Hi Jinks) (shellac 12-inch); Columbia 772 (1920).
Dorothy Brunton – 'In Monterey' b/w 'Down Among the Sheltering Palms' (shellac 12-inch); Columbia 773 (1920).
Dorothy Brunton & Paul Dufault (side B only) – 'God Send You Back to Me' b/w 'Rose of My Heart' (shellac 12-inch); Columbia 774 (1920).
Dorothy Brunton, Walter Catlett (side A only) & Ronald Squire (side B only) – 'Married Life' b/w 'Supposing' (both songs from Baby Bunting) (shellac 12-inch); Columbia F-1015 (1920); accompanied by the Shaftesbury Theatre Orchestra (conductor: Jacques Breebe).
Davy Burnaby & Dorothy Brunton (side B only) – 'What's the Matter with 59?' b/w 'Green Grass Grew All Round' (shellac 12-inch); Columbia F-1016 (1920); accompanied by the Shaftesbury Theatre Orchestra (conductor: Jacques Breebe); recorded in London in October 1919.