Pommy (play) explained

Pommy
Setting:	rural Queensland
Premiere:	1950
Orig Lang:	English
Genre:	melodrama

Pommy is a play written by W. P. Lipscomb and John Watson in the late 1940s.

Plot

An Englishman arrives in Australia and works on a station.

Production

The story was originally written by Watson as a script and sent to Rank.^[1] He met Lipscomb, who had never been to Australia in 1948 and the two decided to collaborate.^{[2] [3]} Lipscomb later went to Australia to write Bitter Springs.

Peter Finch was originally attached as director for its original English production^[4] but eventually pulled out. The cast included Bill Kerr and Ronald Howard and the production ran for six weeks touring through England.^[5] It did not come to London.

Despite the play's success in England, author John Watson said there was a reluctance from Australian theatre managements to put on the play in Australia.^[6] It was eventually produced in Sydney and Melbourne in 1954.^{[7] [8]}

External links

• Melbourne 1954 production details at AusStage

Notes and References

1. News: Wife helped husband write play . . 13,926 . Sydney . 30 September 1954 . 18 September 2017 . 47. LATE FINAL EXTRA . National Library of Australia.
2. News: Australian Play Bought In U.K. . . Perth . 24 July 1949 . 10 January 2013 . 3 Supplement: Sunday Times Comics . National Library of Australia.
3. News: Outback For London. . . Sydney . 15 January 1950 . 10 January 2013 . 6 Supplement: Features . National Library of Australia.
4. News: Australian actor to produce a West End play. . . 14 January 1950 . 10 January 2013 . 36 . National Library of Australia.
5. News: Australian play Pommy too raw for overseas. . . Perth . 2 April 1950 . 10 January 2013 . 14 . National Library of Australia.
6. News: Australian Plays. . . 23 May 1953 . 10 January 2013 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
7. News: Opening Of "Pommy" At The Royal. . . 11 October 1954 . 10 January 2013 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
8. News: OUTBACK STORY ON STAGE. . . Melbourne . 26 November 1954 . 10 January 2013 . 7 . National Library of Australia.