Arthur Reed Ropes (23 December 1859 – 11 September 1933), better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the most important lyricist of the British stage during a career that spanned five decades. At a time when few shows had long runs, nineteen of his West End shows ran for over 400 performances. Starting out in the late 1880s, Ross wrote the lyrics for the earliest British musical theatre hits, including '' In Town'' (1892), ''

The Shop Girl ''The Shop Girl'' was a musical comedy in two acts (described by the author as a musical farce) written by H. J. W. Dam, with Lyrics by Dam and Adrian Ross and music by Ivan Caryll, and additional numbers by Lionel Monckton and Ross. It prem ...

'' (1894) and '' The Circus Girl'' (1896). Ross next wrote the lyrics for a string of hit musicals, beginning with '' A Greek Slave'' (1898), ''

San Toy ''San Toy, or The Emperor's Own'' is a "Chinese" musical comedy in two acts, first performed at Daly's Theatre, London, on 21 October 1899, and ran for 768 performances (edging out the same composer's ''The Geisha'' as the second longest run fo ...

'' (1899), '' The Messenger Boy'' (1900) and '' The Toreador'' (1901) and continuing without a break through

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He also wrote the English lyrics for a series of hit adaptations of European operettas beginning with ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'' in 1907. During World War I, Ross was one of the founders of the Performing Rights Society. He continued writing until 1930, producing several more successes after the war. He also wrote the popular novel ''The Hole of the Pit'' and a number of short stories.

Life and career

Ross was born in

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one ...

, London. He was the youngest son and fourth child of Ellen Harriet Ropes née Hall, of Scarborough, and William Hooper Ropes, a Russia merchant. Ross's parents lived in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, France, but sent him to school in London at Priory House School in Clapton,

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformis ...

, and the

City of London School , established = , closed = , type = Public school Boys' independent day school , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Alan Bird , chair_label = Chair of Governors , chair = Ian Seaton , founder = John Carpenter , special ...

. He later attended

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

, where, in 1881, he won the Chancellor's Medal for English verse for his poem "Temple Bar", and also won the Members' Prize for the English essay. In 1883 he graduated with a first-class degree, winning the Lightfoot scholarship for history and a Whewell scholarship for international law. He was elected a fellow of the College.Parker, J., rev. Katharine Chubbuck
"Ropes, Arthur Reed (1859–1933)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 14 October 2008 He was a

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

graduate and

don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

, teaching history and poetry from 1884 to 1890 and writing serious and comic verse of his own, the first volume of which was published in 1884. In 1889, he published "A Sketch of the History of Europe". He was also a translator of French and German literature under his own name. He created the fictitious name "Adrian Ross" due to a concern that writing musicals would compromise his academic career.Kenrick, John
"Who's Who in Musicals: Ross, Adrian"
Musicals101.com: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film (2005)

Early career

During a brief illness in 1883 after catching cold at the University Boat Race, Ross used the lonely time in bed to write the libretto of an entertainment entitled ''A Double Event''. This was produced at St. George's Hall, London in 1884 with music by Arthur Law, and Ross used the name "Arthur Reed". His next work for the stage, also as Arthur Reed, was the book and lyrics for a musical burlesque, ''Faddimir'' (1889 at the

Opera Comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway. ...

), with music by fellow Cambridge graduate,

F. Osmond Carr Frank Osmond Carr (23 April 1858 – 29 August 1916), known as F. Osmond Carr, was an English composer who wrote the music for several Victorian burlesques before turning to the new genre of Edwardian musical comedy, and also composing some com ...

. The piece earned enough praise so that the impresario

George Edwardes George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond. Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...

commissioned the two to write another burlesque, together with the comic actor John Lloyd Shine, called ''Joan of Arc''. Songs from the piece included "I Went to Find Emin", "Round the Town", and "Jack the Dandy-O". ''Joan of Arc'' opened in 1891 at the Opera Comique starring Arthur Roberts and

Marion Hood Marion Hood (1 April 1854 – 14 August 1912) was an English soprano who performed in opera and musical theatre in the last decades of the 19th century. She is perhaps best remembered for creating the role of Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan's ' ...

; he wrote under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, which he used for the rest of his career. The piece was a hit, lasting for almost eight hundred performances, and Ross resigned from Cambridge. To supplement his income from theatre writing, Ross became a contributor to such journals as ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

'', ''Sketch'', ''Sphere'' and ''The World'', and he joined the staff of ''Ariel'' in 1891–1892. He wrote in ''

The Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

'' under the pseudonym Bran Pie and in 1893 published an edition of Lady Mary Wortley Montague's Letters. He also published numerous French texts for the Pitt Press series. Ross and Carr's next work, in collaboration with James T. Tanner, was '' In Town'' (1892), a smart, contemporary tale of backstage and society goings-on. This left behind the earlier Gaiety burlesques and helped set the new fashion for the series of modern-dress Gaiety Theatre shows that quickly spread to other theatres and dominated British musical theatre. For his next piece, ''

Morocco Bound ''Morocco Bound'' is a farcical English Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by Arthur Branscombe, with music by F. Osmond Carr and lyrics by Adrian Ross. It opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, on 13 April 1893, under the management o ...

'' (1893, with the song "Marguerite from Monte Carlo"), Ross concentrated on writing lyrics, leaving the "book" mostly to Arthur Branscombe. This proved to be his most successful model through most of his career."Adrian Ross" profile
at the British Musical Theatre site of The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, 7 October 2004 The position of "lyricist" was relatively new, as previously the writers of libretti would invariably write the lyrics themselves. As the new Edwardes-produced "musical comedies" took the place of burlesque,

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

and operetta on the stage, Ross and Harry Greenbank established the usefulness of a separate lyricist.

Gaiety and Daly Theatre musicals

Ross contributed lyrics to almost all of the Gaiety Theatre's shows, beginning with ''

'' (1894, with his song "Brown of Colorado") and ''

Go-Bang ''Go-Bang'' is an English Edwardian musical comedy, musical comedy with words by Adrian Ross and music by F. Osmond Carr. The piece was produced by Fred Harris and opened at the Trafalgar Square Theatre on 10 March 1894. It ran for 159 perform ...

'' in 1895. He wrote over two thousand lyrics and produced lyrics for over sixty musicals thereafter, including most of the hit musicals through

. In 1896, he contributed to the Gaiety Theatre hit, '' The Circus Girl''. He also wrote lyrics for the one-act

, '' Weather or No'' (1896), which played as a companion piece to ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'' at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

, as well as several other

Savoy operas Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which im ...

, such as '' Mirette'' (1894), '' His Majesty, or The Court of Vignolia'' (1897), '' The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein'' (1897) and ''

The Lucky Star ''The Lucky Star'' is an English comic opera, in three acts, composed by Ivan Caryll, with dialogue by Charles H. Brookfield (revised by Helen Lenoir) and lyrics by Adrian Ross and Aubrey Hopwood. It was produced by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Co ...

'' (1899). Ross also wrote lyrics for the shows at

Daly's Theatre Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937. The theatre was built for and named after the American impresar ...

. His lyrics to additional numbers for ''

An Artist's Model ''An Artist's Model'' is a two-act musical by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank and music by Sidney Jones, with additional songs by Joseph and Mary Watson, Paul Lincke, Frederick Ross, Henry Hamilton and Leopold Wenzel. It opened at Daly' ...

'' (1895) and ''

The Geisha ''The Geisha, a story of a tea house'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts. The score was composed by Sidney Jones to a libretto by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank. Additional songs were written by Lionel Monckton and James ...

'' (1896) were successful enough so that Edwardes asked him for major contributions to the rest, beginning with '' A Greek Slave'' (1898), especially after the death of the theatre's early chief lyricist, Harry Greenbank. These included a series of enormous successes, including ''

'' (1899), '' The Messenger Boy'' (1900), ''Kitty Grey'' (1901), '' The Toreador'' (1901), ''

A Country Girl ''A Country Girl, or, Town and Country'' is a musical play in two acts by James T. Tanner, with lyrics by Adrian Ross, additional lyrics by Percy Greenbank, music by Lionel Monckton and additional songs by Paul Rubens. The musical opened at D ...

'' (1902), ''

The Girl from Kays ''The Girl from Kays'' is a musical comedy in three acts, with music by Ivan Caryll and book and lyrics by Owen Hall. Additional songs were by Paul Rubens, Howard Talbot, Adrian Ross, Percy Greenbank and others. The farcical story concerns a ...

'' (1903), ''

The Orchid ''The Orchid'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton, a book by James T. Tanner, lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, and additional numbers by Paul Rubens. The story concerns marital ...

'' (1903), '' The Cingalee'' (1904), '' The Spring Chicken'' (1905) and ''

The Girls of Gottenberg ''The Girls of Gottenberg'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by George Grossmith, Jr. and L. E. Berman, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Basil Hood, and music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. P. G. Wodehouse's personal papers indica ...

'' (1907). In 1901, Ross married Ethel Wood, an actress, and the couple produced a son and two daughters. The family resided in Church Street, Kensington. Also in 1901, he collaborated with his sister Mary Emily Ropes on the children's story, ''On Peter's Island''. When Edwardes found success, beginning in 1907, in mounting English-language versions of the new generation of continental European

operettas Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

to the London stage, Ross wrote the English lyrics for the adaptations, often with libretti by

Basil Hood Basil Willett Charles Hood (5 April 1864 – 7 August 1917) was a British dramatist and lyricist, perhaps best known for writing the libretti of half a dozen Savoy Operas and for his English adaptations of operettas, including ''The Merry Wid ...

. His words to the songs in ''

'' (1907) became the standard English version of that piece, performed throughout the world for many decades. Other Continental musicals that Ross anglicised included ''

A Waltz Dream ' (''A Waltz Dream'') is an operetta by Oscar Straus with a German libretto by and , based on the novella ' (''Nux, the Prince Consort'') by Hans Müller-Einigen from his 1905 book ' (''Book of Adventures''). The young Jacobson presented Stra ...

'' (1908), ''

The Dollar Princess ''The Dollar Princess'' is a musical in three acts by A. M. Willner and Fritz Grünbaum (after a comedy by Gatti-Trotha), adapted into English by Basil Hood (from the 1907 '' Die Dollarprinzessin''), with music by Leo Fall and lyrics by Adrian ...

'' (1909), '' The Girl in the Train'' (1910), ''

The Count of Luxembourg ''The Count of Luxembourg'' is an operetta in two acts with English lyrics and libretto by Basil Hood and Adrian Ross, music by Franz Lehár, based on Lehár's three-act German operetta ''Der Graf von Luxemburg'' which had premiered in Vienna in ...

'' (1911), '' The Girl on the Film'' (1913) and ''

The Marriage Market ''The Marriage Market'' (Leányvásár) is an operetta by Hungarian composer Victor Jacobi. It was premiered on 14 November 1911 at the Király Színház (King Theater) in Budapest and was the composer's first significant success not only in Hu ...

'' (1913), most of which had enduring success throughout the English-speaking world. Other successes from this period were the musicals '' King of Cadonia'' (1908), ''

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

'' (1908), ''

Our Miss Gibbs ''Our Miss Gibbs'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by 'Cryptos' and James T. Tanner, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. Produced by George Edwardes, it opened at the Gaiety T ...

'' (1909), ''

The Quaker Girl ''The Quaker Girl'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in three acts with a book by James T. Tanner, lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, and music by Lionel Monckton. In its story, ''The Quaker Girl'' contrasts dour Quaker morality with Pa ...

'' (1911), and ''

Betty Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beat ...

'' in 1915. In addition, many of Ross's most successful pieces had additional successes on tour in Britain, in America and elsewhere. His biggest hits on Broadway included ''The Girl from Kays'' (1903), ''The Merry Widow'' (1907 and many revivals), ''Havana'' (1909), ''Madame Sherry'' (1911) and ''The Quaker Girl'' (1911).

Later career

In 1914, Ross was one of the founders of the Performing Rights Society. Ross continued, after Edwardes's death, to write lyrics for numerous shows at the Gaiety, Daly's, the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

, and other London theatres. During

, he continued to produce hits, writing the lyrics for the musical adaptation of a French comedy, ''

Theodore & Co ''Theodore & Co'' is an English musical comedy in two acts with a book by H. M. Harwood and George Grossmith Jr. based on the French comedy ''Théodore et Cie'' by Paul Armont and Nicolas Nancey, with music by Ivor Novello and Jerome Kern a ...

'' (1916), the operetta '' Arlette'' (1917), the musical '' The Boy'' (1917),

André Messager André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéra comique, opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage wo ...

's adaptation of

Booth Tarkington Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels '' The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitz ...

's '' Monsieur Beaucaire'' (1919, "Philomel") and contributed to '' A Southern Maid'' (1920). He also worked on the

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

s ''Three Cheers'' (1917) with

Herman Darewski Herman Darewski (17 April 1883 – 2 June 1947) was a British composer and conductor of light music. His most successful work was perhaps '' The Better 'Ole'', which ran for over 800 performances in its original London production in 1917. Some ...

, ''Airs and Graces'' with

Lionel Monckton Lionel John Alexander Monckton (18 December 1861 – 15 February 1924) was an English composer of musical theatre. He became Britain's most popular composer of Edwardian musical comedy in the early years of the 20th century. Life and career ...

, and, years later, ''Sky High'' for the Palladium Theatre, but these were only diversions from his chief focus of writing lyrics for musicals and operetta adaptations. In 1922, he wrote both the book and the lyrics for the popular English version of ''

Das Dreimäderlhaus ''Das Dreimäderlhaus'' (''House of the Three Girls''), adapted into English-language versions as ''Blossom Time'' and ''Lilac Time'', is a Viennese pastiche operetta with music by Franz Schubert, rearranged by Heinrich Berté (1857–1924), ...

'', the international hit based on

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

's music and life, produced in Britain as '' Lilac Time''. In 1927, Ross and Dudley Glass, an Australian composer, collaborated on a musical based on ''The Beloved Vagabond'' by W. J. Locke. His last works were produced in 1930: the English adaptation of the operetta ''Friederike'' for the Palace Theatre, and a musical based on ''The Toymaker of Nuremberg'' by Austin Strong, which was produced as a Kingsway Theatre Christmas entertainment. Ross collaborated extensively with the foremost British-based composers of musical theatre active during his productive period, including Carr,

Ivan Caryll Félix Marie Henri Tilkin (12 May 1861 – 29 November 1921), better known by his pen name Ivan Caryll, was a Belgian-born composer of operettas and Edwardian musical comedies in the English language, who made his career in London and later ...

, Monckton,

Leslie Stuart Leslie Stuart (15 March 1863 – 27 March 1928) born Thomas Augustine Barrett was an English composer of Edwardian musical comedy, best known for the hit show '' Florodora'' (1899) and many popular songs. He began in Manchester as a church org ...

and Sidney Jones, and later Paul Rubens, Harold Fraser-Simson,

Howard Talbot Richard Lansdale Munkittrick, better known as Howard Talbot (9 March 1865 – 12 September 1928), was an American-born, English-raised conductor and composer of Irish descent. He was best known for writing the music to several hit Edwardian musi ...

and Messager. Sixteen of his musicals ran for more than 400 performances. Ross tailored each song to fit the style required by the producer – songs for the Gaiety were different from those for Daly's. Many of his most popular shows, songs (both for the theatre and beyond it) and adaptations are still performed today.

Fiction and last years

Ross also wrote the popular horror novel ''The Hole of the Pit'' and a number of short stories. Set in 1645 during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, the novel tells of a loathsome entity that inhabits a flooded pit amid the marshes surrounding a castle. The book is notable for its depth of characterisation – especially of the compassionate young narrator, a

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...

scholar who has refused to join

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

's army because of his objections to religious violence and who sees the good in everyone – and for its subtle depiction of the creature in the hole, which is never completely seen even as it overwhelms the castle. The novel was published in 1914 by Edward Arnold and never reprinted until

Ramsey Campbell Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946) is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awa ...

collected it in his 1992 anthology '' Uncanny Banquet''.

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...

called it "a minor classic of the genre". Ross also wrote ''Short History of Europe'', edited ''Lady Mary Wortley-Montagu's Letters'' (Selection and Life), and was a contributor to ''

'' magazine. Ross died of heart failure at his home in Kensington, London on 11 September 1933 at the age of 73.

List of stage works

Ross contributed lyrics to the following musicals and comic operas, often in collaboration with other lyricists: *''Faddimir, or The Triumph of Orthodoxy'' (1889) *''Joan of Arc'' (1891) (400+ performances in total) *''Don Juan'' (1892, starring Roberts) *''The Young Recruit'' (1892) *'' In Town'' (1892) (292 performances) *''

'' (1893) (295 performances) *''

'' (1894) (129 performances) *''

'' (1894) (546 performances) *'' Mirette'' revised English version (1894) (total of 102 performances in both versions) *''Bobbo'' (1895) *''Biarritz'' (1896) (71 performances) *''My Girl'' (1896) (183 performances) *'' Weather or No'' (1896) (209 performances) *'' The Circus Girl'' (1896) (497 performances) *'' His Majesty, or The Court of Vignolia'' (1897) (61 performances) *''The Ballet Girl'' (1897) *'' The Grand Duchess'' (1897) (104 performances) *''The Transit of Venus'' (1898) *''Billy'' (1898) *'' A Greek Slave'' (1898) (349 performances) *''Milord Sir Smith'' (1898) (82 performances) *''

'' (1899) (143 performances) *''

'' (1899) (768 performances) *'' The Messenger Boy'' (1900) (429 performances) *'' The Toreador'' (1901) (675 performances) *'' Kitty Grey'' (1901) (220 performances) *''

'' (1902) (729 performances) *''

'' (1903) (432 performances; 236 performances on Broadway) *''

'' (1903) (559 performances) *'' The Cingalee'' (1904) (365 performances) *'' The Spring Chicken'' (1905) (401 performances) *''The Little Cherub'' (1906) (114 performances) *''Naughty Nero'' (1906) *''

The New Aladdin ''The New Aladdin'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and W. H. Risque, with music by Ivan Caryll, Lionel Monckton, and additional numbers by Frank E. Tours, and lyrics by Adrian Ross, Percy Greenbank, W. H. Risque, ...

'' (1906) (203 performances) *''See-See'' (1906) (152 performances). *'' Les Merveilleuses'' (1906) (196 performances) *''

'' (1907) (303 performances) *''

'' (1907) (778 performances; 416 performances on Broadway, and many revivals) *''

'' (1908) (146 performances) *''

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

'' (1908) (221 performances; 231 performances on Broadway) *'' King of Cadonia'' (1908) (333 performances) *''

'' (1909) (428 performances) *''The Antelope'' (1909) *''

'' (1909) (636 performances) *''The Dashing Little Duke'' (1909) (101 performances) *'' The Arcadians'' (1910, 809 performances; Broadway production: 201 performances) *''Captain Kidd'' (1910) *'' The Girl in the Train'' (1910) (340 performances) *''

'' (1911) (536 performances; 248 performances on Broadway) *''Madame Sherry'' (1911: 231 performances on Broadway) *''Castles in the Air'' (''Frau Luna'') (1911) *''

'' (1911) (240 performances) *''Gipsy Love'' (1912) (299 performances) *''The Wedding Morning'' (1912) *''Tantalising Tommy'' (1912) *''

The Dancing Mistress ''The Dancing Mistress'' is a Edwardian musical comedy, musical comedy with music by Lionel Monckton, book by James T. Tanner and lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank. It depicts the fortunes of a school dancing mistress who is dismissed and ...

'' (1912) (241 performances) *'' The Girl on the Film'' (''Filmzauber'') (1913) (232 performances) *''

'' (''Lednyedsdr'') (1913) *'' The Girl from Utah'' (1913) (195 performances) *''The Belle of Bond Street'' revised version of ''

'' (1914) *''

'' (1915) (391 performances) *''The Light Blues'' (1915) *''

The Happy Day ''The Happy Day'' is a musical comedy in two acts by Seymour Hicks, with music by Sidney Jones and Paul Rubens, and lyrics by Adrian Ross and Rubens. It was produced by George Edwardes's company (by the estate's executor, Robert Evett) and was ...

'' (1916) (241 performances) *''

'' (1916) (503 performances) *''Oh! Caesar'' (1916) (toured only) *''The Happy Family'' (1916) *'' Arlette'' (1917) *'' The Boy'' (1917) (801 performances) *''Three Cheers'' (1917) (revue) *'' Monsieur Beaucaire'' (1919) (400 performances) *''The Kiss Call'' (1919) *''Maggie'' (1919) *''The Eclipse'' (1919) *''Medorah'' (1920) *'' A Southern Maid'' (1920) (306 performances) *''The Love Flower'' (1920) *''

The Naughty Princess ''The Naughty Princess'' is an opéra bouffe with music by Charles Cuvillier, book by J. Hastings Turner, and lyrics by Adrian Ross. The work, adapted from ''La reine joyeuse'' by Cuvillier and Andre Barde, depicts a princess with very modern i ...

'' (1920) (280 performances – at the

) *''Faust on Toast'' (1921) *''Love's Awakening'' (1921) *'' Lilac Time'' (1922) (626 performances) *'' The Cousin from Nowhere'' (1922; ''Der Vetter aus Dingsda'', 1921, composed by Eduard Künneke) (105 performances)"Der Vetter aus Dingsda"
at Musical Theatre Guide *''Head Over Heels'' (1923) *''The Beloved Vagabond'' (1927) (107 performances) *''Frederica'' (''Friederike'') (1930) (music by

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; hu, Lehár Ferenc ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is ''The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life a ...

) *''The Toymaker of Nuremberg'' (1930) (32 performances)

Notes

References

* *Nicoll, A. ''English drama, 1900–1930'' (1973) *Parker, J. (ed.) ''Who's who in the theatre'' (1912) *Reeves, Ken: "The Life and Work of Adrian Ross" in ''The Gaiety'' Annual (2002) pp. 3–14 *''The Times'' obituary, 12 September 1933

External links

Listing of English musicals with links
*
Sheet music covers for Ross songs
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Adrian English lyricists English musical theatre lyricists People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan 1859 births 1933 deaths People from Lewisham English male dramatists and playwrights English horror writers