RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1982 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mk61z420p 231 music, a dazzling transformation scene, and a rollicking harlequinade." It enlisted a great many people for the leads, chorus and orchestra. Not everyone in Hong Kong was happy about pantomimes. In 1891 in the "Beauty and the Beast" "the indiscreet censure lately passed by the Bishop upon the Pantomime was noticed in a verse or so--and a comical but somewhat misplaced representative of his Lordship appeared in the Harlequinade". The A.D.C. tried its hand at light opera in 1894 with the performance of Gilbert and Clay's "Princess Toto". It was described, however, as "vapid and unattractive". The Choral Society had for some years been presenting light operas and had already given "Iolanthe" and "The Gondoliers". In subsequent years the A.D.C. did "Trial by Jury", "Yeomen of the Guard", "His Excellency", and "The Gondoliers". During this same period, along with the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, other currently popular musical plays were staged. THE GENIUS OF MR. SINCLAIR With more frequent visits of professional companies, the A.D.C. increasingly found it difficult to sustain interest and attendance. This resulted in financial losses and threatened the future of the Amateurs. A new era arrived when Mr. Walter Sinclair assumed direction of A.D.C. productions in 1912. Sinclair was imaginative and venturesome and mounted productions that were different from those presented by the travelling companies. The A.D.C. took on new life. Among Sinclair's innovations was his introduction to Hong Kong of the playwright Lord Dunsany. In 1921 he presented an evening's programme of four Dunsany plays. One of these was "The Compromise of the King of the Golden Isle". It was the play's world premiere. The setting was Chinese. During the interval preceding it, to set the mood, a group of Chinese amateur musicians played Chinese music. It was particularly noted that the music "was not unpleasing, for people who have heard only the cymbals and tom-toms may find music in the sweetness of some of the native banjos and fiddles". ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1982 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mk61z420p CARL T. SMITH Coward was followed, in 1923, with a science-fiction drama, "R.U.R." or "Rossum's Universal Robots". It was written by Karel Capek, a Czechoslovakian. The reviewer linked some political events with the theme of the play: "Saturday night brought us definite news of the elections at Home indicating how the workers of the country, dissatisfied with their lot, turned upon the Government and rose in support of the red flag of Labour. It was a coincidence that on the same night the Hong Kong A.D.C. introduced to the Colony a race of soulless, voteless men-machines, made by man in his own image to do the work of the world while the rest of us recline leisurely in our armchairs; told us they developed discontent and turned and rent their human tyrants". Walter Sinclair left Hong Kong in 1925. He continued his directing career in Toronto, Canada and the United States. After his departure, the A.D.C. largely reverted to comedy. It would be unfair, however, to suggest that all their productions fell into the category of the title of a 1925 piece of the A.D.C., "A Little Bit of Fluff". In the years immediately preceding the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, plays were presented by such respectable authors as Emlyn Williams, Terrance Rattigan and Somerset Maugham. THE LOCAL SCENE Opportunities were seized to inject local allusions in productions. As an example we give excerpts from the burlesque "Fra Diavolo" given by the Rifle Brigade. The author J. H. Thresher used the original by Byron only as a skeleton on which to lay topical references. His efforts were described as having a decided Gilbertian vein. As befitting a production of the garrison some of the local allusions were military, as for instance the following references to the barracks at Kowloon. During an altercation between Lord and Lady Allcash, the Lord says to the Lady: Madam, drive me not, For if you do, I'll show you soon what's what; I'll make things fly, just like the late typhoon ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1987 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/rx919b522 110 REDFERN, Adelaide 9.1.1960 REDFERN, Angelica 25.2.1951 Marcaide REDFERN, Edward 31.8.1938 REDRERN, James R 5.11.1948 Knight RICHARDS, James 27.8.1906 RICHTER, Else 9.11.1903 RICHTER, Erich 18.5.1941 ROBERTS, Stewart 16.11.1908 ROBERTSON, John 24.12.1879 ROENSCH, Anna Albina 29.2.1873 ROHLSON, H W RUEBE, Adolf Not known ROUGHTON, Henry 21.4.1892 2.8.1902 SALOMON, Emil Not known SANGER, Julius SCHADENBERG, Dr Alexander SCHEIN, B 21.4.1886 SAWYER, Mary 4.7.1884 Dolores Camion 15.1.1896 SCHAELLIBAUM, Max 28.6.197[sic] 21.12.1914 SCHIPPERS, Tamer SCHLEINITZ, Robert 3.8.1903 SCHNEER, Edward SCHNEER, Simon 25.10.1920 SCHULTZ, Ernst SCHULTZ, Franz Cesar 12.4.1892 SCHWANER, E J 1.1.1968 31.12.1900 16.6.1922 30.1.1887 SCHWURCH, Hermann 24.1.1891 SCOTT, James 6.8.1897 SECKER, Elisabeth 7.5.1890 SETH, John E 23.10.188? SIEVERS, Otto 28.5.1889 SIMPSON, George 23.2.1899 Frederick SINCLAIR, Robert 15.8.1869 SINTERN, George van ?.12.1901 SLAFKIN, Lena 14.5.1911 SMITH 15.3.1883 SMITH, Adeliza 14.2.1880 SMITH, Andrew 25.2.1888 SMITH, Mrs John 7.11.1882 SMITH, William L 26.8.1916 SMOLL, John Barton 31.5.1909 SPECTOR, Rashe 25.2.1899 SPURING, Herbert 21.10.1929 STANLEY, Walter 5.6.1942 STAUBE, Carl 21.9.1882 STECK, Frederick Ludwig Philip 1.4.1869 STEIGER, Theodor 2.6.1872 STEPHEN, Thomas H 12.11.1926 STERNBERG, Wilhelm 18.12.1900 STERNBERG, Mrs Mathilde 22.12.1913 STEVENSON, William 10.4.1883 STEWART, Kenneth George 14.7.1936 STEWART, NR 24.2.1914 STOLL, Albert (infant son of) 1890 STOLL, Emil 16.7.1891 STONE, Charles Edward 26.3.1955 STRUCKMANN, (1st infant) ?,2,1876 STRUCKMANN, (2nd infant) 15.4.1876 STRUCKMANN, Maria 26.9.1879 SURTEES, Alfred 13.5.1924 SUTCLIFFE, Margaret 30.6.1895 SWAP, William H 25.10.1882 Helen SWEENEY, Patrick 9.4.1912 TAIL, James 31.8.1917 TAYLOR, Frans. THIESSEN, Johann 5.6.1903 14.10.1889 TELFORD, William 3.5.1942 THOMPSON, Gerald Philippe 20.2.1949 THOMPSON, Katherine 14.12.1942 TOMKINS, John Frederick 9.2.1945 TOUGH, William 1.7.1916 TOWER, Edward 7.3.1894 TOWNSEND, Cecilia Edith 20.9.1964 TOZER, Susan Harriet 13.8.1930 TUCKER, Capt George TURNBULL, Arthur 1891 TUCKER, Percy 23.8.1898 16.2.1928 TYLER, Joseph C 28.5.1890 Page 135 Page 136 ================================================================================