Guide to the Guide to programs and related material regarding Charles Zwar

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Zwar

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Title
Programs and related material regarding Charles Zwar
Date Range
December 1938 - August 1995
Collection Number
Zwar
Extent
36 items
Language of Materials
English
Repository
Printed Collections

Introduction

Scope and Contents

Printed materials in the PROMPT collection include programs and printed ephemera such as brochures, leaflets, tickets, etc. Theatre programs are taken as the prime documentary evidence of a performance. The list is based on imperfect holdings, and is updated as gaps in the Library's holdings are filled. Unless otherwise stated, all entries are based on published programs in the PROMPT collection.

Preferred Citation

Acknowledgement of use this material should refer to the Ephemera PROMPT collection.

Citation of items from this collection should include references to author's/organisation's name, date, item title, Publisher and place of publication.

Example: J.C. Williamson (Firm). & Theatre Royal (Adelaide, S.A.). 1950, Gilbert & Sullivan opera season [theatre program] : The gondoliers J. C. Williamson Ltd [Adelaide]

The National Library [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/] and Trove [https://trove.nla.gov.au/] hold collections with other material relating to Zwar including printed music and sound recordings, journal articles, pictures, biographical newspaper cuttings and items in Australian newspapers.

Arrangement

Programs in this National Library PROMPT collection are arranged chronologically, then with the following details: Venue, City; name of production or performer; date (day and month); headline performers etc.

Biographical / Historical

Charles Zwar (10 April 1911 – 2 December 1989) was an Australian songwriter, composer, lyricist, pianist and music director who was largely associated with the British revue and musical comedy industries between the late-1930s and 1960s.

He was born and educated in Melbourne completing Law and Arts at Trinity College, Melbourne University in 1932. Zwar was involved in student productions at the College and University as both a performer and music director. The earliest theatrical production he has been linked with was the 1933 revue Stude Prunes, and he made his first appearance on radio at this time, billed as a "novelty entertainer." Zwar's growing reputation also saw him invited to contribute additional lyrics for F. W. Thing's 1933 production of the T. Stuart Gurr and Varney Monk musical comedy Collits' Inn. The following year Zwar contributed most of the music and lyrics for another university revue, Swots Next (18 April) while also collaborating with J. C. Bancks (creator of the Ginger Meggs ) on the musical comedy, Blue Mountain Melody (1934), which was produced by J. C. Williamson.

Zwar left Australia for Britain in 1936 and carved out a career there as a composer and musical director for musical comedies and revues that lasted more than three decades. In 1938 he married Isobel Shead, a children's author, also an Australian.

Zwar and Shead are believed to have separated in the early 1950s. In 1955 he remarried, his second wife being Diana Plunkett (1918–92), a theatrical technician and manager at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. At the time of the marriage he was musical director of Sandy Wilson's musical The Buccaneer. The couple had one child, a daughter.

Zwar's longest and most successful collaboration was with writer/lyricist Alan Melville. He also wrote songs with Kenneth Leslie-Smith, Diana Morgan, Robert MacDermot (1910–1964) and Australian Lance Mulcahy. Although his professional career was undertaken almost exclusively in the United Kingdom, Zwar's music did make it to the USA. He is included, for example in the credits for the 1960 Broadway revue, From A-Z (Plymouth Theatre). Premiering on 20 April, the show also included contributions from Woody Allen, Jerry Herman and Jay Thompson.

Zwar reconnected with the Australian theatre several times during the 1950s and 1960s, contributing material for such shows as Sweetest and Lowest: A Revue in Time (Minerva Theatre, Sydney; 5 December 1947); Metropolitan Merry-Go-Round (Metropolitan Theatre, Sydney; 12 February 1953); and the 1964 Phillip Theatre (Sydney) revue, Is Australia Really Necessary? (Syd; 3 Oct.).

Charles Zwar died on 2 December 1989 at Oxford (England).

Item Descriptions

Series. Australian and Overseas performances, December 1938 - August 1995

36 items

Gate Theatre Studio, London; The Gate Revue, December 1938 (Item)

Some items music by Charles Zwar. Zwar at piano. Program.

Ambassadors Theatre, London; The Gate Revue, March 1939 (Item)

Some items music by Charles Zwar. Zwar at piano. Program.

Ambassadors Theatre, London; The Gate Revue, March 1940 - April 1940 (Item)

Some items music by Charles Zwar. Zwar at piano. Program, 3 copies.

Ambassadors Theatre, London; Swinging the Gate, 8 May 1940 (Item)

Musical items by Charles Zwar. 2 copies.

Ambassadors Theatre, London; Sweeter and Lower, 17 February 1944 (Item)

Some musical items by Charles Zwar. 3 copies.

Ambassadors Theatre, London; Sweetest and Lowest, 1946 (Item)

Some musical items by Charles Zwar. 3 copies.

Duke of York's Theatre, London; One Two Three, 1947 (Item)

Musical items by Charles Zwar. 2 copies.

Princes Theatre, London; The DuBarry A Musical Play, October 1947 - November 1947 (Item)

By Paul Knepler and J Williminski. Additional numbers by Charles Zwar and Alan Melville. Program.

Savoy Theatre, London; A La Carte, June 1948 (Item)

By Alan Melville. Music by Charles Zwar. Program, 4 copies.

Duke of York Theatre, London; Four, Five, Six, May 1948 - June 1948 (Item)

Some items have music by Charles Zwar. 2 copies of Programme.

The Globe Theatre, London; Oranges and Lemons, 14 May 1949 (Item)

Some musical items by Charles Zwar.

Golders Green Hippodrome, London; On the Avenue, 5 June 1950 (Item)

Some musical items by Charles Zwar.

The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London; The Lyric Revue, 30 July 1951 (Item)

Music for some items by Charles Zwar.

The Globe Theatre, London; The Lyric Revue, 6 December 1951 (Item)

Music for some items by Charles Zwar.

The Globe Theatre; The Globe Revue, 10 July 1952 (Item)

Some items by Charles Zwar. Three copies, with different items in the revue. One shows printing date of 7 July 1952 and one shows printing date of 29 December 1952, with a third showing September 1952.

The Hippodrome, London; Bet Your Life, 18 February 1952 - 25 October 1952 (Item)

By Alan Melville. Music by Charles Zwar and Kenneth Leslie-Smith. Program.

Theatre Royal, Newcastle on Tyne; The Lyric and Globe Revue, 4 May 1953 (Item)

Some musical items by Charles Zwar.

Golders Green Hippodrome, London; The Lyric and Globe Revue, 1953 (Item)

Some musical items by Charles Zwar.

Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London; At the Lyric, a new revue, 23 December 1953 (Item)

Charles Zwar as Musical Director. Program, 3 copies.

Golders Green Hippodrome, London; Going to Town, 19 July 1954 (Item)

Charles Zwar as Musical Director.

St Martin's Theatre, London; Going to Town, May 1954 (Item)

Charles Zwar as Musical Director. 2 copies of programme.

Theatre Royal, Brighton; The Buccaneer, A musical play, 22 August 1955 (Item)

By Sandy Wilson. Orchestra under direction of Charles Zwar. Program, 4 copies.

Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London; The Buccaneer, A musical play, 8 September 1955 (Item)

By Sandy Wilson. Orchestra under direction of Charles Zwar. Program, 4 copies.

Apollo Theatre, London; The Buccaneer, A musical play, 22 February 1956 (Item)

By Sandy Wilson. Orchestra under direction of Charles Zwar. Program.

Fortune Theatre, London; And Another Thing, A New Revue, 6 October 1960 (Item)

By Ted Dicks and Myles Rudge. Items by Charles Zwar. Program, 2 copies.

Globe Theatre, London; On the Avenue, 21 June 1961 (Item)

Some musical items by Charles Zwar.

Vaudeville Theatre, London; All Square, April 1963 (Item)

Music by Charles Zwar. Program.

Theatre Royal, Brighton, England; All Square, 15 April 1963 (Item)

Music by Charles Zwar. Program.

Grand Theatre, Leeds, England; Six of One, 3 September 1963 (Item)

Music by Charles Zwar.

Adelphi Theatre, London; Six of One, 26 September 1963 (Item)

Music by Charles Zwar.

The Playhouse, Salisbury, England; The 1964 Repertory Revue, 4 February 1964 - 15 February 1964 (Item)

"It went straight to her Head" performed by Alan Melville and June Watson. Music by Charles Zwar. Program.

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guilford, Surrey, London; The Station-Master's Daughter, 11 April 1968 - 4 May 1968 (Item)

Music by Charles Zwar.

The Rex Theatre, Wilmslow, Cheshire, England; Déjà Revue, 9 December 1974 - 14 December 1974 (Item)

Devised by Olav Wyper. Some numbers and incidental music by Charles Zwar. Program.

The New London Theatre, London, England; Déjà Revue, 30 December 1974 (Item)

Devised by Olav Wyper. Some numbers and incidental music by Charles Zwar. Program.

The King's Head Theatre Club, London; Meet Me at the Gate, 28 December 1984 (Item)

Some musical items by Charles Zwar. 2 copies of programme.

The Pit, Stratford, England; Royal Shakespeare Company: The Shakespeare Revue, 14 August 1995 (Item)

Some musical items by Charles Zwar.


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