An Australian operetta lost almost 110 years ago has been pieced back together by Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music voice lecturer Garrick Jones.

For the past year Mr Jones has painstakingly scoured national archives, libraries, on-line material and private collections to help recreate what he considers Australia’s most famous operetta and pantomime.

“The Christmas pantomime hasn’t been performed since it was first staged in 1896, so I am really looking forward to bringing it back to life in early June,” he said.

“In order to reconstruct the music I used information discovered in the director’s notebook, incomplete details I found in the National Library and fragments I found dispersed all over Australia.

“The performance involved the collaboration of artists J.C. Williamson and Leon Caron because at the time they were in desperate need of funds to help J.C. Williamson’s performing company. Much to their amazement, the show proved so popular that it toured throughout Australia and New Zealand.

“Hundreds of hours of piecing together fragments of music will permit the revival of an extremely important piece of music. As far as I’m aware, this will be the first performance of its kind since the show opened in Melbourne 108 years ago.

“The comedy of pantomime remains and audience members will be able to recognise how pantomime of this time reflects modern pantomime, with its use of Fairy Queens, noble princes and personages in disguise.”.

The Djin Djin June 4-5 performances begin at CQCM theatre from 8pm. The performance is the final part of Mr Jones’s practical component of his Doctor of Philosophy study that relates to orientalism in early Australian music theatre.