Louisa Emma Amelia "Louie" Pounds (12 February 1872 – 6 September 1970) was an English singer and actress, known for her performances in
musical comedies
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...
and in
mezzo-soprano roles 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. The ...
.
Originally intended for a secretarial career, Pounds joined the chorus of a
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 ...
show in 1890 and quickly achieved advancement to leading roles in
burlesque and musical comedy. In 1899, she joined the D'Oyly Carte company, where she created several roles. She was the youngest of five siblings who appeared with D'Oyly Carte. Her older brother
Courtice was a principal tenor with the company in the 1880s and '90s, and her three sisters, Lily, Nancy and Rosy, also appeared with the company. After four years with D'Oyly Carte, Pounds resumed her career in musical comedies and non-musical plays, later switching from juvenile to character parts. Her career continued into the 1930s.
Life and career
Early days
Pounds was born in
Brompton, Kensington
Brompton, sometimes called Old Brompton, survives in name as a ward in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. Until the latter half of the 19th century it was a scattered village made up mostly of market gardens in the county o ...
, London.
[Stone, David]
"Louie Pounds"
''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Company'', 1 September 2007, accessed 3 January 2009 She originally studied to become a secretary, attending the Metropolitan School of Shorthand in
Chancery Lane
Chancery Lane is a one-way street situated in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. It has formed the western boundary of the City since 1994, having previously been divided between the City of Westminster and the London Boro ...
. In the early 1890s she suffered from the obsessional devotion of a man who had been at the shorthand school with her, and eventually he was imprisoned for threatening to kill her.
Pounds made her first professional stage appearance in 1890 as a chorus girl under the management of
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 ...
. After three months he gave her a small role in ''Joan of Arc'' 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. ...
in January 1891.
["Players of the Period – Miss Louie Pounds", ''The Era'', 21 May 1898, p. 10] The following year, she was in ''Blue-Eyed Susan'', by
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 ...
, as Daisy Meadows, in which she "had not much to do but wear smart costumes and look pretty, and so far succeeded". Later that year she played Lord Soho in the
burlesque ''
Cinder Ellen up too Late
''Cinder Ellen up too Late'' is a musical burlesque written by Frederick Hobson Leslie (writing under the pseudonym A. C. Torr) and W. T. Vincent, with music arranged by Meyer Lutz from compositions by Lionel Monckton, Sidney Jones, Walter Slau ...
'', with Edwardes's company, on tour and in London. In 1893 she appeared in Edwardes's musical, ''
In Town'', in London and on tour, and the following year she was one of the stars of the hit musical ''
A Gaiety Girl
''A Gaiety Girl'' is an English musical comedy in two acts by a team of musical comedy neophytes: Owen Hall (book, on an outline by James T. Tanner), Harry Greenbank (lyrics) and Sidney Jones (music). It opened at Prince of Wales Theatre in ...
''. In 1895 she appeared with
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, s ...
,
Leonora Braham
Leonora Braham (born Leonora Abraham; 3 February 1853 – 23 November 1931) was an English opera singer and actress primarily known as the creator of principal soprano roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas.
Beginning in 1870, Braham ...
and
Sybil Grey
Ellen Sophia Taylor (3 January 1860 – 20 August 1939), known professionally as Sybil Grey, was a British singer and actress during the Victorian era best known for creating a series of minor roles in productions by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Comp ...
in another Edwardes hit, ''
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' ...
'', in London, and appeared in the same show on a three-month tour in America.
[ She next played in '' Gentleman Joe (The Hansom Cabby)'' on a provincial tour. In 1896–98 Pounds played Dorothy Travers in '' The French Maid'' in a pre-London tour and then in the West End. In 1897, 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 ...
, she played in a series of special matinée performances of adaptations 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 ...
and Walter Slaughter of Hans Andersen fairy stories. Her major West End role in 1898 was in the breeches role
A breeches role (also pants role or trouser role, or Hosenrolle) is one in which an actress appears in male clothing. Breeches, tight-fitting knee-length pants, were the standard male garment at the time these roles were introduced. The theatric ...
of Prince Rollo in ''Her Royal Highness''.
D'Oyly Carte years
In 1899, while Pounds was performing in a 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 ...
, ''A Dream of Whitaker's Almanack'', at the Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
, Sir Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...
approached her about the forthcoming 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 P ...
.[ She joined 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. The ...
, creating the part of "Heart's Desire" in ''The Rose of Persia
''The Rose of Persia''; ''or, The Story-Teller and the Slave'', is a two-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by Basil Hood. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 29 November 1899, closing on 28 June 1900 after a profitabl ...
'' in 1899. She also appeared as the title character in the companion piece ''Pretty Polly Pretty Polly may refer to:
* "Pretty Polly" (ballad)
* ''Pretty Polly'' (film)
* ''Pretty Polly'' (opera)
* Pretty Polly (horse)
Pretty Polly (March 1901 – 17 August 1931) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and bro ...
'' (libretto by Basil Hood, music by François Cellier
François Arsène Cellier (14 December 1849 – 5 January 1914), often called Frank, was an English conductor and composer. He is known for his tenure as musical director and conductor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company during the original runs ...
that played with ''The Rose of Persia'' and later with the first revival of ''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 face ...
'').[ Pounds was at the Coronet Theatre in the summer of 1900 in Hood's ''The Great Silence''.
]
In 1901, also for D'Oyly Carte, she created the role of Molly O'Grady in ''The Emerald Isle
''The Emerald Isle''; ''or, The Caves of Carrig-Cleena'', is a two-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and Edward German, and a libretto by Basil Hood. The plot concerns the efforts of an Irish patriot to resist the oppressive "re-edu ...
.'' Her reviews were enthusiastic: "Miss Louie Pounds so far carries off the honours … that she is allotted the sweetest airs, and does justice to them with her dulcet contralto voice.… Pretty of face and comely of figure, she makes the most winsome of colleens, and 'tis a lucky … Mr. Henry Lytton to be the accepted sweetheart of such a purty lassie." Pounds next played Christina in another Savoy piece, ''Ib and Little Christina
''Ib and Little Christina'' refers to two theatrical adaptations by Basil Hood of the 1855 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, Hans Andersen of the same name: a play (1900) and an opera (1901).
Play
The first version was a play subtitled "A Pi ...
'', after which, she played the title role in the first revival of '' Iolanthe'' (1901–1902).[Rollins and Witts, pp. 18–20] Next at the Savoy were two original works by Hood and Edward German
Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of En ...
. Pounds played "Jill-all-alone" in '' Merrie England'' (1902), and Joy Jellicoe in '' A Princess of Kensington'' (1903). Following the latter's London run and subsequent provincial tour, Pounds left the D'Oyly Carte company, which vacated the Savoy Theatre at that time.[
]
Later career
Along with many of her colleagues from ''A Princess of Kensington'', Pounds next appeared 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 ...
in another hit Edwardian musical comedy
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 ...
, '' The Earl and the Girl'' (1903), and at the same theatre was the Princess in the pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
'' Little Hans Andersen'' (1903). Over the next twenty years she appeared in numerous musicals and plays, including '' The Catch of the Season'' at the Vaudeville Theatre
The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...
(1905). At the same theatre in 1906, Pounds starred with her brother Courtice in the hit musical ''The Belle of Mayfair
''The Belle of Mayfair'' is a musical comedy composed by Leslie Stuart with a book by Basil Hood, Charles Brookfield and Cosmo Hamilton and lyrics by George Arthurs. The story is inspired by the Shakespeare play ''Romeo and Juliet''.
The orig ...
''. A review in ''The Daily Graphic'' praised both siblings. Another reviewer wrote, "Miss Louie Pounds has never been seen to better advantage. She looks a typical English girl, and her singing of 'And the weeping willow wept' is quite inimitably artistic".
In 1908, Pounds played Lydia in a revival of the Victorian hit, '' Dorothy'', "a part which did not tax the qualities of this accomplished actress". In 1909, she played in ''The Dashing Little Duke'' (again with her brother), and then appeared on Broadway in ''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 ...
'' in 1909–1910, following which she toured in South Africa.[ Popular theatre stars of the period endorsed products, and Pounds was often photographed for this purpose. By 1910 she had started to appear in character roles, such as the wife and mother in '' The Girl in the Train'' and, in 1913, Patty in J.M. Barrie's '' Quality Street'', Madame Jollette in ''Toto'' in 1916, and another humorously manipulative wife in ''The Title'' in 1919. In 1920–21, she played the comic role of Alcolom in the first Australian production of '']Chu Chin Chow
''Chu Chin Chow'' is a musical comedy written, produced and directed by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, based (with minor embellishments) on the story of '' Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves''. Gänzl, Kurt"''Chu Chin Chow'' Musical Tal ...
'' alongside the Ali Baba of C. H. Workman.
Pounds retired in 1923 but reappeared on stage in 1926.[ She played Widow Windeatt in the 1928 Alfred Hitchcock film '']The Farmer's Wife
''The Farmer's Wife'' is a 1928 British silent romantic comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Jameson Thomas, Lillian Hall-Davis and Gordon Harker.
It is adapted from a 1916 play of the same name by British novelist, poet an ...
''. In 1937 she toured as Mrs Bennett with Angela Baddeley
Madeleine Angela Clinton-Baddeley, CBE (4 July 1904 – 22 February 1976) was an English stage and television actress, best-remembered for her role as household cook Mrs. Bridges in the period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. Her stage career ...
and Glen Byam Shaw
Glencairn Alexander "Glen" Byam Shaw, CBE (13 December 1904 – 29 April 1986) was an English actor and theatre director, known for his dramatic productions in the 1950s and his operatic productions in the 1960s and later.
In the 1920s and 1930 ...
in a stage adaptation of '' Pride and Prejudice''.[''The Manchester Guardian'', 10 February 1937.]
Pounds wrote an article, "Memories of an Earlier Iolanthe", that appeared in the March 1931 issue of ''The Gilbert & Sullivan Journal''.[
Pounds died in ]Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...
at the age of 98.
Notes
References
*
*
External links
Profile and photos of Pounds
Information about ''The Dollar Princess''
*
Postcard: "Prosperity attend you."
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pounds, Louie
English opera singers
English mezzo-sopranos
1872 births
1970 deaths
People from Kensington
Singers from London
Actresses from London
English stage actresses
English musical theatre actresses