James Allison (theatre)

When Allison was preparing to leave for England in 1883 he on-sold the business for £90 a week to a Melbourne speculator, who charged the companies £160–£170, thus putting Adelaide out of the running for any but second-rate acts.

[7] Allison continued as sole lessee of the Adelaide Theatre Royal until 1883, when he took on George Rignold as a partner (Arthur Chapman would be added as a third partner and local manager in 1885),[8] freeing him to visit America and England early in 1884,[9] and amongst other attractions he introduced to Australia Miss Jeffreys-Lewis, who made her first appearance at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne as "Fedora", on 17 May 1884.

In 1882 they secured a long lease on a site in Pitt Street, Sydney, and formed a company for the purpose of founding Her Majesty's Theatre, which Rignold and Allison opened on 10 September 1887.

[11] In September 1899 Allison left for America to arrange for the shipping of the Wild West Show which he had organised in conjunction with John Solomon and J.

Allison died of pneumonia in the German Hospital, San Francisco, and was buried in that city, funeral rites being held at the First Congregational Church.