Mr James Allison [obituary]

News has just been received by wire from San Francisco of the sudden death of Mr. James Allison, the well-known Australian manager. At the time of his death he was about 62 years of age, and would be on the eve of his return to Australia. Mr. James Allison was a tailor by trade, and worked for about 12 years in that capacity in Sydney. His first public appearance was with Mr. F. E. Hiscocks, who some years ago published a number of atlases of the Australasian colonies, and Mr. Allison was one of his travellers. They afterwards joined together with the late Mr. Samuel Lazar, and ran the Queen's Theatre, Sydney, where Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Williamson appeared under their management. Some time afterwards Messrs. Allison and Lazar had the Theatre Royal, Adelaide, and after they separated Mr. Allison alone controlled that theatre for several years. In the meantime he was associated with the first visit of Mr. Harry Rickards in 1871, and other attractions. Mr. Allison has managed opera, drama, circus, minstrel and variety companies throughout the Australasian colonies. During Mr. Allison's first visit to America in 1876, he arranged with Mr. George Rignold to visit the colonies with his grand production of "Henry V.," and introduced to Australia the popular comedian, Mr. Fred. Thorne, who was a member of the company, and whose performance of Fluellen will long be remembered. "Henry V." was only produced in Sydney on that occasion. After giving up the Adelaide theatre Mr. Allison and Mr. George Rignold became partners, and carried on the Opera House, Melbourne, for a lengthened season, commencing with "In the Ranks," October 25th, 1884, which was followed by several new and first-class productions. During their season in Melbourne Mr. Allison secured a lengthened lease of a block of ground in Pitt Street, Sydney, and formed a company for the erection of Her Majesty's Theatre, which Messrs. Rignold and Allison opened. Shortly before Mr. Allison's departure for America he separated from Mr. Rignold, in order to enter into other speculations, including the introduction of a Wild West Show in conjunction with Messrs. J. Solomon and J. B. Gaylord. Mr. Allison left for America some three months ago to see after the shipping of the Wild West Show, and to secure other attractions for Australia. Immediately after his arrival in America he was apprised of the sudden death of his wife in Sydney. Mr. Allison again visited America early in 1884, and amongst other attractions he introduced to Australia Miss Jeffreys-Lewis, who made her first appearance in Melbourne at the Theatre Royal, as Fedora, May 17th, 1884. He also secured the rights of the comic operas of "Falka," "Nell Gwynne," "Merry War,".&c. — the two first named were produced at the Opera House under the management of Messrs. Rignold and Allison. When recently in Chicago Mr. Allison was arrested by a representative of a printing firm for an alleged debt for paper supplied for Miss Jeffreys-Lewis' Australian tour, the particulars of which appear in another column. Mr. Allison was also associated with Messrs. F. E. Hiscocks and Wm. Marshall in the erection of the Victoria Hall, Melbourne, but retired from the partnership just prior to his visit to America in 1884. Mr. Allison was twice married, his first wife died at Emerald Hill (South Melbourne). By his death two orphans (boy and girl) are left, we are sorry to learn, very ill-provided for. From what we personally know of Mr. Allison we have every reason to suppose that the cause of his death was hemorrhage, as he had previously suffered from the same complaint. Not- withstanding his many adversities during the last few years. Mr. Allison had a very large circle of friends.