Dorothy Brunton
Encyclopedia
Christine Dorothy Brunton (1890 – 5 June 1977), (some sources have "Christina") generally known as Dorothy Brunton or "Dot" was an Australia
n singer and actress prominent in musical comedy from 1915 to the mid '30s.
Her father, John Brunton, was a painter with theatrical experience in Scotland; her mother Cecily Christina was an actress. Dorothy was born shortly after their arrival in Australia.
She was educated at Presbyterian Ladies' College in Burwood, Victoria
. and at Alford House, Sydney
.
Her stage advancement was the stuff of Hollywood cliche: travelling around Australia and New Zealand with her father touring with the 1908 production The White Heather in his job as scene painter for Bland Holt
, her singing talents being recognised by Grace Miller Ward, wife of Hugh J. Ward and developed towards musical theatre; picking up dancing skills from a famous teacher, Jennie Brenan, acting as understudy and triumphantly filling the role when the star becomes ill, even taking parts she hadn't studied.
Her first major engagement So Long Letty (1915–16) was with J. C. Williamson
("The Firm") to whom she stayed remarkably loyal. Other roles around this time were in High Jinks, Tonight's the Night, Canary Cottage, The Girl in the Taxi, Nellie Kelly and The Rise of Rosie O'Reilly. In 1916 she appeared in a movie Seven Keys to Baldpate for J. C. Williamson Films.
She left for America in 1917, where she played in Follow the Girl then London (to the delight of Australian troops on leave), where she made a successful appearance in Shanghai at Drury Lane.
She returned to Australia in 1920, playing in Yes Uncle! and Baby Bunting. She played for Hugh J. Ward 1924 and 1925, then The Climax for Hugh D. McIntosh
in 1927, which "bombed" in London. Her "leading man" was frequently Guy Bates-Post.
. She lived alone with a companion and died on 5 June 1977 at a hospice in Sydney and was cremated.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n singer and actress prominent in musical comedy from 1915 to the mid '30s.
Her father, John Brunton, was a painter with theatrical experience in Scotland; her mother Cecily Christina was an actress. Dorothy was born shortly after their arrival in Australia.
She was educated at Presbyterian Ladies' College in Burwood, Victoria
Burwood, Victoria
Burwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is largely the City of Whitehorse but includes the City of Monash in its south west corner. At the 2006 Census, Burwood had a population of 11,886.-History:The...
. and at Alford House, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Her stage advancement was the stuff of Hollywood cliche: travelling around Australia and New Zealand with her father touring with the 1908 production The White Heather in his job as scene painter for Bland Holt
Bland Holt
Bland Holt, born Joseph Thomas Holt, was a comedian and theatrical producer, active in Australia.Holt was the son of Joseph Frederick Holt and his first wife Marie, née Brown...
, her singing talents being recognised by Grace Miller Ward, wife of Hugh J. Ward and developed towards musical theatre; picking up dancing skills from a famous teacher, Jennie Brenan, acting as understudy and triumphantly filling the role when the star becomes ill, even taking parts she hadn't studied.
Her first major engagement So Long Letty (1915–16) was with J. C. Williamson
J. C. Williamson
James Cassius Williamson was an American actor and later Australia's foremost theatrical manager, founding J. C. Williamson Ltd....
("The Firm") to whom she stayed remarkably loyal. Other roles around this time were in High Jinks, Tonight's the Night, Canary Cottage, The Girl in the Taxi, Nellie Kelly and The Rise of Rosie O'Reilly. In 1916 she appeared in a movie Seven Keys to Baldpate for J. C. Williamson Films.
She left for America in 1917, where she played in Follow the Girl then London (to the delight of Australian troops on leave), where she made a successful appearance in Shanghai at Drury Lane.
She returned to Australia in 1920, playing in Yes Uncle! and Baby Bunting. She played for Hugh J. Ward 1924 and 1925, then The Climax for Hugh D. McIntosh
Hugh D. McIntosh
Hugh Donald "Huge Deal" McIntosh was an Australian show-business entrepreneur born to parents of Scottish and Irish origin and modest means in Sydney's Surry Hills, then a ramshackle suburb with a reputation for crime and vice among the largely Irish immigrant population. His policeman father Hugh...
in 1927, which "bombed" in London. Her "leading man" was frequently Guy Bates-Post.
Selected Performances
- 22 Apr 1908 The White Heather at Theatre Royal, Alelaide for Bland Holt
- 1914 Gypsy Love
- 1915 Hi Jinks
- 1915 The Girl in the Taxi
- 1916 So Long Letty
- Dec 1917 The Waltz Dream at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney for JCW's New Comic Opera Company
- 28 Aug 1918 Shanghai at Drury Lane TheatreTheatre Royal, Drury LaneThe Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
as "Fan Tan" - 27 Oct 1923– Tons of Money at New Palace Theatre, Melbourne
- 27 Jun 1925– Little Jessie James at Grand Opera House, Sydney
- –19 Nov 1925 The Music Box at Grand Opera House, Sydney
- –25 Jun 1926 The Climax at Perth, Western Australia
- 20 Jun–14 Jul 1931 season Dearest Enemy, The Duchess of Danzig for J. C. Williamson at Theatre Royal, Adelaide
- 18 Jul 1931– season Dearest Enemy for J. C. Williamson in Perth, followed by The Duchess of Danzig and The Merry Widow
- Clara GibbingsClara GibbingsClara Gibbings is a 1934 Australian film directed by F.W. Thring about the owner of a London pub who discovers she is the daughter of an earl. It was a vehicle for stage star Dorothy Brunton.-Synopsis:...
(1934) - feature film for F.W. Thring
Personal
Dorothy married businessman Ben Dawson in 1931. They moved to London in 1934; she returned to Australia in 1949 after the death of her husband. She had been badly injured in the London bombing and was suffering the effects of Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. She lived alone with a companion and died on 5 June 1977 at a hospice in Sydney and was cremated.
External Links
- Article on Dorothy Brunton at History of Australia Theatre website
- Dorothy Brunton Australian theatre credits at AusstageAusstageAusStage is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia. It provides records of productions from the beginnings of theatre in Australia up to today...