Elsie Spain (1879 – 28 May 1970), born Elsie Rickets, was an English opera singer and actress, best known for her performances in

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

roles of the

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 impr ...

with the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. Th ...

from 1908 to 1910 and in operettas and

Edwardian musical comedies Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...

. She was one of the last leading ladies in the

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

roles personally trained by

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...

. Among her roles in musicals, she originated the part of Princess Mathilde in the long-running ''

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 ...

''.

Life and career

Early years

Spain was born in

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earlie ...

, Surrey. She studied at the

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

, after which, she began to perform on the concert stage. As an amateur with the

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...

Operatic Society in 1897, she played Theresa in ''

The Mountebanks ''The Mountebanks'' is a comic opera in two acts with music by Alfred Cellier and Ivan Caryll and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The story concerns a magic potion that causes the person to whom it is administered to become what he or she has pre ...

'' by

and

Alfred Cellier Alfred Cellier (1 December 184428 December 1891) was an English composer, orchestrator and conductor. In addition to conducting and music directing the original productions of several of the most famous Gilbert and Sullivan works and writing th ...

. She made her professional debut in 1907 as understudy to

Isabel Jay Isabel Emily Jay (17 October 1879 – 26 February 1927) was an English opera singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and in Edwardian musical comedies. During ...

as Sally in the musical ''

Miss Hook of Holland ''Miss Hook of Holland'' is an England, English musical theatre, musical comedy (styled a "Dutch Musical Incident") in two acts, with music and lyrics by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens with a book by Austen Hurgon and Rubens. The show was p ...

'' at the

Prince of Wales's Theatre The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street, London, off Tottenham Court Road. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was kn ...

, playing the role for two months in 1908."Elsie Spain"
Brockham History, accessed 29 June 2013

D'Oyly Carte

Spain joined the

in July 1908 in its second repertory season 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 Pala ...

, playing Josephine in ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whic ...

''.Rollins and Witts, p. 22 In September of that year, she left the company to play Bridgette in the musical ''The Hon'ble Phil'' at the Hicks Theatre.Stone, David
"Elsie Spain"
''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', 1 August 2012, accessed 29 June 2013 The show was not a particular success; it closed in December, by which time Spain had returned to the Savoy, taking over from Clara Dow as Phyllis in ''

Iolanthe ''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...

'' from November. She then reprised the role of Josephine and next played Yum-Yum in ''

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 ...

'' in December 1908. In January 1909, she first played Gianetta in ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

'' and in March of that year played Elsie Maynard in ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

''. ''

The Billboard The Billboard () is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. It was discovered in November 1934 by a Secon ...

'' commented that Spain was "the greatest discovery /nowiki>Helen_Carte.html" ;"title="Helen_Carte.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Helen Carte">/nowiki>Helen Carte">Helen_Carte.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Helen Carte">/nowiki>Helen Carte/nowiki> has made for many years. She has a beautiful voice, and her charm of face and figure, coupled with some very dainty acting, are making her one of the big hits of the present season." A reviewer wrote of Spain in ''The Times'': "Her voice is powerful and pleasing, and her high notes are effectively used." Spain and Clara Dow, the two sopranos who played leading roles in the 1908–09 season, were the last D'Oyly Carte principal sopranos personally trained by W. S. Gilbert. Spain left the D'Oyly Carte when its London season ended, but she had drawn the attention of

C. H. Workman Charles Herbert Workman (5 May 1872 – 1 May 1923) was a singer and actor best known as a successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas. He was variously credited as Charles H. Workman, C. Herbert Wo ...

, the principal comic of the company, and when he became the manager of the Savoy Theatre in late 1909, he engaged her to star as Clarice in '' The Mountaineers'', which ran into February 1910. The critics praised her performance. Workman also wished to engage her for the leading role of Selene in ''

Fallen Fairies ''Fallen Fairies''; ''or, The Wicked World'', is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Edward German. The story is an operatic adaptation of Gilbert's 1873 blank-verse fairy comedy, '' The Wicked World''. In Fairy ...

'', but W. S. Gilbert insisted on casting

Nancy McIntosh Nancy Isobel McIntosh (25 October 1866 – February 20, 1954) was an American-born singer and actress who performed mostly on the London stage. Her father was a member of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, which had been blamed in connec ...

instead. Spain rejoined the D'Oyly Carte on tour in November 1909, again succeeding Dow in the roles of Josephine, Mabel in ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 ...

'', the title role in ''

Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...

'', Phyllis, the title role in ''

Princess Ida ''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 January 1884, for a ru ...

'', Yum-Yum, Elsie and Gianetta. The-islander-scene

West End and Australia

In London's West End, she starred as Kitty Mclan in ''The Islander'' at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

in 1910; one critic commented: "Spain ... is an actress who can sing and a singer who can act". She next played Mascha in ''

The Chocolate Soldier ''The Chocolate Soldier'' (German: ''Der tapfere Soldat''

he courageous soldier He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

or ''Der Praliné-Soldat'') is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus (composer), Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, ''Arms and the Man' ...

'' at the

Lyric Theatre, London The Lyric Theatre is a West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It was built for the producer Henry Leslie, who financed it from the profits of the light opera hit, '' Dorothy'', which he transferred from its origina ...

(1910) and had a long run as Princess Mathilde in ''

'' at 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 ...

(1910–12). She then played Bella in ''

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 ...

'' at the Adelphi from 1912 to 1913. She travelled to Australia in 1914 to play in musicals and operetta with the J. C. Williamson Company but was back in London the next year as the Bride in ''The Best Man'' at the

London Pavilion The London Pavilion is a building on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Coventry Street on the north-east side of Piccadilly Circus in London. It is currently a shopping arcade and part of the Trocadero Centre. Early history The first buildi ...

and the New Theatre. In 1916, she appeared in ''Fun and Fancy'' at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...

, and she toured in

variety shows Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compèr ...

in 1919. Spain died in 1970 at age 91.Elsie Spain obituary in ''The Gilbert & Sullivan Journal'', September 1970, p. 326, The Gilbert and Sullivan Society: London

Recordings

Her only known recording is a duet of the song "I Have a Song to Sing, Oh" from ''The Yeomen of the Guard'', together with C. H. Workman, made in 1910. It was re-released on compact disc in ''The Art of the Savoyard'', Pearl GEMM CD 9991.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

"Elsie Spain"
at the Memories of the D'Oyly Carte website
Photograph of SpainAnother photo of Spain
* ttps://archive.today/20130630195859/http://www.theatrical-postcards.com/page39.htm Spain as Mascha in ''The Chocolate Soldier'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Spain, Elsie 1879 births 1970 deaths Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama English operatic sopranos Musicians from Surrey People from Reigate 20th-century British women opera singers