Frank Neil
Frank Neil (born December 21, 1886 in Corindhap , Victoria , † January 1, 1940 in Melbourne , Victoria) was an Australian theater entrepreneur.
Neil worked as an actor for EI Cole's Bohemian Dramatic Company around 1910 and is believed to have played more than 500 roles during that time. For some time he also appeared in the circus. In 1918 he starred in melodramas, pantomimes and farces by George Willoughby's Dramatic Co and Hugh J. Ward's theater company. For Ben Fuller's Dramatic Company he wrote and directed the pantomimes Bluebeard (1917, revived in 1920 and 1921), Red Riding Hood (1919) and Puss in Boots (1922).
In 1925 he founded Frank Neil's Company of Comedians , with which he founded the Apollo Theater . After initial failures, he made his breakthrough with his third show, Charlie's Aunt . At the end of 1925, the Fuller Ward Organization commissioned him with the Christmas pantomime Cinderella . This was followed by a revised version of Puss in Boots (1926), Mother Goose (1927), Little Red Riding Hood (1928) and later Up in Mabel's Room and Getting Gertie's Garter .
In 1929, Neil bought the rights to Whoopee and Clowns in Clover , two Ernest C. Rolls productions that became a financial failure as a result of the economic depression of those years. Neil went to South Africa with an Australian company, but returned to Australia in 1931 and performed stage revues (including Hullo Paris ) and pantomimes (Cinderella) at the Roxy (later Fullers National Theater ) with his Vaudeville and Revue Entertainers . In 1932 he brought Ella Shields and George Stevenson Wallace to the stage with great success .
In 1934 he teamed up with Mike Connors and Queenie Paul to take over the Tivoli . But he soon paid off both and founded the Tivoli Circuit Australia . In 1935 he appointed Wallace R. Parnell to overseas production manager at Tivoli. Neil died on January 1, 1940 of the aftermath of a car accident. Parnell became head of Tivoli, and David N. Martin from 1945 .
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Neil, Frank |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Australian theater entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 21, 1886 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Corindhap , Victoria , Australia |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 1, 1940 |
| Place of death | Melbourne , Victoria , Australia |