Florence Perry (13 July 1869 – 19 December 1949) was an English

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

singer and actress best known for her performances 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 ...

Biography

Florence Julia Perry was born in London in 1869. Her first professional appearance was in 1887 as Phyllis Tuppitt in ''

Dorothy Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Characters *Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum * Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...

'' 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 ...

. She then toured in ''

The Red Hussar ''The Red Hussar'' is a comedy opera in three acts by Edward Solomon, with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens, concerning a young ballad singer who disguises herself as a Hussar to follow her penniless beloved to France. By a feat of gallantry ...

'' and '' Doris''. Shortly after her return to London, she was hired by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Perry toured with the company from 1890 to 1893, appearing as 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 ...

'', 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 ...

'', 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 ...

'', Winifred in ''

The Vicar of Bray The Vicar of Bray is a satirical description of an individual fundamentally changing his principles to remain in ecclesiastical office as external requirements change around him. The religious upheavals in England from 1533 to 1559 (and then from ...

'' and Phoebe Fairleigh in ''

Billee Taylor ''Billee Taylor, or The Reward of Virtue'' is "a nautical comedy opera" by Edward Solomon, with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens. The piece was first produced at the Imperial Theatre in London on 30 October 1880, starring Arthur Williams ...

''. Her elder sister, Beatrice (1865-1944), also performed with the company beginning in 1892.Stone, David
Beatrice Perry (1891–98)
Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 6 July 2020, accessed 26 July 2020 Florence Perry

Perry then joined the London company in 1893 to create the role of Milly (later taking over the role of Bab) in ''

Jane Annie ''Jane Annie, or The Good Conduct Prize'' is a comic opera written in 1893 by J. M. Barrie and Arthur Conan Doyle, with music by Ernest Ford, a conductor and occasional composer. When the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership disbanded after the p ...

'' 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 ...

. She continued performing at the Savoy for the next two years, creating the role of Princess Kalyba in ''

Utopia Limited ''Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress'', is a Savoy opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's fourteen collaborations, premiering on 7 October 1893 for a ...

'' (1893–94), Bianca in '' Mirette'' (1894) and Dolly Grigg in ''

The Chieftain ''The Chieftain'' is a two-act comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and F. C. Burnand based on their 1867 opera, ''The Contrabandista''. It consists of substantially the same first act as the 1867 work with a completely new second act. It premiered at ...

'' (1894–95). Perry left the D'Oyly Carte organisation in 1895 to appear as Clementine in ''

Baron Golosh ''Baron Golosh'' is an operetta adapted from the 1891 French opérette ''L'oncle Célestin'' by Edmond Audran with some of the original music replaced with songs composed by Meyer Lutz and Leslie Stuart. After a tryout in Swansea, it premiered fro ...

'' at the

Trafalgar Square Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt (singer), Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death i ...

. That same year, she returned to D'Oyly Carte on tour as 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 ...

'', Yum-Yum in ''The Mikado'' and both Dolly Grigg and Rita in ''The Chieftain''. Returning to London, she took over for

Marie Tempest Dame Mary Susan Etherington, (15 July 1864 – 15 October 1942), known professionally as Marie Tempest, was an English singer and actress. Tempest became a famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. Later, sh ...

as Adele in ''

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 Dal ...

'' at the Lyric Theatre during the summer of 1895. Owenperry

Perry returned to the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in London in 1895 and stayed for the next three years. During this time, she appeared as Yum Yum in a revival of ''The Mikado'', she created the role of Lisa in ''

The Grand Duke ''The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel'', is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 March 1896, and ran for 12 ...

'' (1896), also singing the role of Julia Jellicoe at some performances, and created the role of Princess Lucilla Chloris in '' His Majesty'' (1897). Later that year, she played Phoebe Meryll in the first revival of ''

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 ...

'' and portrayed Wanda in ''

The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. In 1898, Perry appeared as The Plaintiff in the

Nellie Farren Ellen "Nellie" Farren (16 April 1848 – 29 April 1904) was an English actress and singer best known for her roles as the "principal boy" in musical burlesques at the Gaiety Theatre. Born into a theatrical family, Farren began acting as a ch ...

Benefit performance of ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significant ...

''. At the end of that year and into 1899, Perry traveled to Australia, playing ''Iolanthe'' in Sydney, among other roles on tour. She made her final London stage appearances in 1901 in ''The Thirty Thieves'' at

Terry's Theatre Terry's Theatre was a West End theatre in the Strand, in the City of Westminster, London. Built in 1887, it became a cinema in 1910 before being demolished in 1923. History The theatre was built in 1887, near Fountain's Court, on the site of a ...

and ''H.M.S. Irresponsible'' at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

. Perry died in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, South Africa at the age of 80.

Notes

References

Sources

* * Introduction by

Martyn Green William Martin Green (22 April 1899 – 8 February 1975), known by his stage name, Martyn Green, was an English actor and singer. He is remembered for his performances and recordings as principal comedian of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, in t ...

.
Florence Perry at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Florence 1869 births 1949 deaths English opera singers English stage actresses Singers from London Actresses from London