''Mr Cinders'' is a 1928

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with music by

Vivian Ellis Vivian John Herman Ellis, CBE (29 October 1903 – 19 June 1996) was an English musical comedy composer best known for the song "Spread a Little Happiness" and the theme " Coronation Scot". Life and work Ellis was born in Hampstead, London in 1 ...

and

Richard Myers Richard Bowman Myers (born March 1, 1942) is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force who served as the 15th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As chairman, Myers was the highest ranking uniformed officer of the United Stat ...

and a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Clifford Grey Clifford Grey (5 January 1887 – 25 September 1941) was an English songwriter, librettist, actor and screenwriter. His birth name was Percival Davis, and he was also known as Clifford Gray. Grey contributed prolifically to West End and Br ...

and

Greatrex Newman Greatrex Newman (3 July 1892 – 27 January 1984) was an English writer, song-writer and screenwriter. He was born in Manchester, England and died in Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the sout ...

. The story is an inversion of the Cinderella fairy tale with the gender roles reversed. The

Prince Charming Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, incl ...

character has become a modern (1928) young and forceful woman, and Mr Cinders is a menial.

History

''Mr Cinders'' was originally produced under the management of

Julian Wylie Julian Wylie (1 August 1878 – 6 December 1934), originally Julian Ulrich Samuelson Metzenberg, was a British theatrical agent and producer. He began as an accountant and took an interest in entertainment through his brothers, Lauri Wylie and ...

at the

Opera House Theatre, Blackpool The Opera House Theatre is a theatre in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located within the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, Winter Gardens, a large entertainment complex in the town centre and originally opened in 1889, although it has been re ...

on 25 September 1928 for two weeks, and toured through

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, Edinburgh,

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, and

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

until 26 January 1929. It opened in London 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 ...

under the management of J. C. Williamson Ltd. on 11 February 1929, transferring to the

Hippodrome, London The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survi ...

on 15 July 1929. It closed on 29 March 1930 after a total of 529 performances.

Roles and original cast

*Jim Lancaster –

Bobby Howes Bobby Howes (4 August 1895 – 27 April 1972) was a British entertainer who was a leading musical comedy performer in London's West End theatres in the 1930s and 1940s. Biography Born in Battersea, Surrey, his parents were Robert William H ...

*Jill Kemp –

Binnie Hale Beatrice "Binnie" Mary Hale-Monro (22 May 1899 – 10 January 1984) was an English actress, singer and dancer. She was one of the most successful musical theatre stars in London in the 1920s and 1930s, able to sing leading roles in operetta a ...

*Lumley Lancaster – David Hutcheson /

Jack Melford John Kenneth George Melford Smith (5 September 1899 – 22 October 1972) was a British stage, film and television actor. Biography Melford was the younger brother of screenwriter and film director Austin Melford. On stage from the age of 12, ...

*Minerva Kemp – Eileen Redcott / Reita Nugent *Guy Lancaster – Basil Howes *Phyllis Patterson –

Betty Ann Davies Betty Ann Davies (24 December 1910 – 14 May 1955) was a British stage and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1950s. Davies made her first stage appearance at the Palladium in a revue in 1924. The following year she joined Cochran's Youn ...

(as Betty Davies) / Lorna Hubbard *Sir George Lancaster – Jack Heller /

Sebastian Smith ''Sebastian Smith'' (3 October 1869 – 15 January 1948) was a British stage and film actor. He was born in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. Filmography * '' Rescued by Rover'' (1905) * ''Prehistoric Peeps'' (1905) * ''The Tramp's Dream'' (1906 ...

*Lady Lancaster –

Ruth Maitland Ruth Maitland (born Emma Christian Ruth Erskine; 3 February 1880 – 12 March 1961) was an English actress. She is known for her roles in '' The Faithful Heart'' (1922), ''The Farmer's Wife'' (1928), '' The Only Girl'' (1933), and '' At the Villa ...

*Lucy Smith – Rene Mallory *Henry Kemp – Charles Cautley *Smith the Butler – Harry Pringle / Thorp Devereux *P.C. Merks – A. G. Poulton / Paddy Dupres *Donna Lucia D'Esmeralda – Edith Savile *Hodgins – Phil Lester ::Source: ''The British Musical Theatre'' (Volume 2).

Synopsis

Jim is the adopted and put-upon son of Sir George Lancaster and his snobbish and cruel wife, Lady Agatha Lancaster, the widow of Sir General Bloodwing Beardsley. Jim works as a menial at Merton Chase, their elegant home. Lady Agatha dominates her weak husband and plots to marry her two foppish sons, Lumley and Guy (from her previous marriage) to wealthy girls, since the Lancasters have lost their fortune. Guy, however, is in love with a woman named Phyllis Patterson, whom Agatha rejects because of her lack of money. Jim keeps his spirits high, with the philosophy that one should ''

Spread a Little Happiness Spread a Little Happiness" is a song by the musical comedy composer Vivian Ellis and writer Clifford Grey from their 1929 West End musical ''Mr. Cinders''. In the original production it was sung by Binnie Hale as the character Jill Kemp;Gänzl a ...

.'' Jill is an American heiress who lives next door at a stately home, The Towers, with her wealthy father Henry Kemp and her cousin Minerva (who, like Jim, is the poor relation of her family). When Guy is credited with saving Henry from drowning (a task which Jim actually accomplished, unbeknownst to anyone but him and Guy), all at Merton Chase are invited to a costume ball at The Towers, but Jim is not allowed to attend. Jill, meanwhile, has disguised herself as a servant girl, Sarah Jones, in order to hide from a police officer who has accused her of physical assault on him. Minerva pretends to be Jill, and every man at Merton Chase is captivated by her beauty. Jim, with the help of Jill, gatecrashes the ball disguised as a famous South American explorer, the Earl of Ditcham. Lumley reveals that Jim is an imposter. Also, Jill's priceless necklace is found in Jim's pocket, leading everyone at the ball to believe that he stole it. Jill helps Jim escape, and they capture Smith the butler, the real thief, and leave him tied up for the authorities to arrest. After the ball, a hat is found that belongs to the valiant person who captured the thief (instead of the glass slipper). A search for the owner shows that it fits only Jim. He wins the £1,000 reward and learns that the maid "Sarah" is actually Jill, and she and Jim agree to get married. Lumley and Guy, meanwhile, announce their engagements to Minerva and Phyllis, respectively. All ends happily.

Musical numbers

The principal musical numbers in the 1929 version were: * True to Two – Lumley * I'm a One Man Girl – Jill, Jim * On with the Dance – Minerva (Lumley's girlfriend) * "

" – Jill * She's My Lovely – Kemp * Ev'ry Little Moment – Minerva, Lumley * I've Got You, You've Got Me – Jill, Jim * The Swan – (instrumental) ::Source: Faber Music. Gänzl and Lamb's survey of Musical Theatre also mentions "The Seventeenth Century Rag", "Please, Mr Cinders", "On the Amazon" and "A Honeymoon for Four". Several songs written for the show were dropped during the pre-London tour: "Paradise Bound", "Where's Jim?", "Oh, What You Can Do to Me", and "I Could Get Used to You". The numbers in the 1983 revival were: 1. Tennis - Lady Lancaster, Guy, Lumley & Ensemble 2. Blue Blood - Lady Lancaster, Guy, Lumley & Ensemble 3. True To Two - Lumley, Enid, & Cynthia 4. I Want The World To Know - Guy & Phyllis 5. One-Man Girl - Jim & Jill 6. On With the Dance - Minerva, Lumley, Guy & Ensemble 7. Dying Swan - Instrumental 8. At The Ball - Jim, Guy, Lumley 9. Spread A Little Happiness - Jim 10. Spread A Little Happiness (Reprise) - Jill 11. The 18th Century Drag - Minerva 12. On The Amazon - Jim 13. 18th Century Drag (Reprise) - Jim, Sir George & Ensemble 14. Please, Mr. Cinders - Jill 15. She's My Lovely - Jim 16. Every Little Moment - Minerva & Lumley 17. I've Got You - Jim & Jill 18. Honeymoon For Four - Guy, Phyllis, Lumley & Minerva 19. Spread a Little Happiness (Finale) - Full Cast (minus Lady Lancaster) from The Guide To Musical Theatre

Revivals

An Australian production opened at

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, ...

, Sydney in July 1930. A German production, under the title ''Jim und Jill'' was given at the

Bürgertheater The Bürgertheater was a theatre in Vienna. The Wiener Bürgertheater was erected in 1905 in the Third District (3 Bezirk), at Vordere Zollamtsstraße 13. It was designed by the architects Franz von Krauss and Josef Tölk. The official opening ...

, Vienna in February 1931. The show was revived in 1982 in London in a revised version, under the supervision of Ellis and Newman. It opened on 31 December at the

King's Head Theatre The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...

and was transferred to the

Fortune Theatre The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre on Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. Since 1989 the theatre has hosted the long running play ''The Woman in Black''. History The site was acquired by author, playw ...

on 27 April 1983.

Denis Lawson Denis Stamper Lawson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of ''Bleak House (2005 TV serial), Bleak House'', as Gordon Urquhart in the film ''Local Hero (f ...

starred as Jim Lancaster, with Julia Josephs (later succeeded by Christina Matthews) as Jill, Diana Martin as Minerva, Graham Hoadly as Lumley, and

Philip Bird Philip Bird is an English actor who has appeared in several British shows such as Peter Birch in ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2006. He has also appeared in BBC's ''Doctors'', ITV's '' Heartbeat'' and ''Coronation Street''. He also appeared in ...

(succeeded by

Steven Pacey Steven Pacey (born 5 June 1957) is an English actor, best known for his role as Del Tarrant in the 3rd and 4th series of the science fiction series ''Blake's 7'' from January 1980 to December 1981. Personal life Pacey was born in Leamington Spa ...

) as Guy.Gänzl and Lamb, p. 128 The hit song from the score, "Spread a Little Happiness", was given to Jim, rather than to Jill who sang it in the original version. The song "She's My Lovely" from Ellis's show ''Hide and Seek'' was interpolated, and "Please, Mr Cinders", was written by Greatrex Newman and Vivian Ellis (in collaboration over the telephone) especially for the revival's transfer to the West End. Two cast recordings were made of these London revivals. The King's Head version with two-piano accompaniment, was recorded in February 1983, and the Fortune version with full orchestral accompaniment, in July of that year. The latter has been re-issued on CD. The American premiere of ''Mr Cinders'' was in April 1986, at the Forum Theatre,

Metuchen, New Jersey Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along wit ...

Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...

revived the piece in 1988. It was also revived in 1996 by the

Shaw Festival The Shaw Festival is a not-for-profit theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest repertory theatre company in North America. The Shaw Festival was founded in 1962. Originally, it only featured production ...

in Canada.

Film version

A screen adaptation of the show was filmed in 1934 at

British International Pictures Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

with

Clifford Mollison Clifford Lely Mollison (30 March 1897 – 4 June 1986) was a British stage, film and television actor. He made his stage debut in 1913. He was married to the actress Avril Wheatley. His younger brother was the actor Henry Mollison. Mollison ac ...

Zelma O'Neal Zelma O'Neal (May 29, 1903 – November 3, 1989) was an actress, singer, and dancer in the 1920s and 1930s. She appeared on Broadway and in early sound films, including the Paramount Pictures films ''Paramount on Parade'' and ''Follow Thru ...

Henry Mollison Evelyn Henry Mollison (21 February 1905 – 19 July 1985) was a British theatre and film actor. He was the brother of the actor Clifford Mollison. During World War II, he was held as a Prisoner of War for five years by the Nazis, after his ...

and the Western Brothers among the cast."Mister Cinders"
British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 October 2018

References

Sources

* * * {{Cinderella (Fairy tale)

External links

at The Guide to Musical Theatre. 1928 musicals British musical films British musicals Films shot at British International Pictures Studios Musicals based on secular traditions Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties West End musicals