''Mr. Jericho'' is a
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 ...
in one act with words by
Harry Greenbank
Harry Greenbank (11 September 1865 – 26 February 1899) was an English author and dramatist best known for contributing lyrics to the successful series of musicals produced at Daly's Theatre by George Edwardes in the 1890s.
Life and career
Harr ...
and music by
Ernest Ford
Albert Ernest Alsor Clair Ford (17 February 1858 – 2 June 1919) was an English composer of operas and ballet music and a conductor.
Life and career
Ford was born in Warminster, Wiltshire, England, the son of Edward Ford, the vestry clerk a ...
.
The work was first performed 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 ...
, London, on 18 March 1893 as a
curtain raiser
A curtain raiser is a short performance, stage act, show, actor or performer that opens a show for the main attraction. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain. The first person on stage has "raised the curtain".
The fashio ...
to
Arthur Sullivan's ''
Haddon Hall
Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, a former seat of the Dukes of Rutland. It is the home of Lord Edward Manners (brother of the incumbent Duke) and his family. In form a medieval manor house, it ...
'' in March and April 1893, and to Ford's ''
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 ...
'' in June and July 1893, for a total of 45 performances.
A production of the work was given by
Glimmerglass Opera
The Glimmerglass Festival (formerly known as Glimmerglass Opera) is an American opera company. Founded in 1975 by Peter Macris, the Glimmerglass Festival presents an annual season of operas at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake eight ...
in 1989. A recording (omitting the spoken dialogue) was issued by Dutton Epoch in 2020 together with the first professional recording of ''Haddon Hall'', featuring the BBC Singers and
BBC Concert Orchestra
The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale sym ...
, conducted by John Andrews.
Background
When the
Gilbert and Sullivan partnership disbanded after the production of ''
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 ...
'' in 1889, impresario
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte (; 3 May 1844 – 3 April 1901) was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer, and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era. He built two of London's theatres and a hotel empire, while also establi ...
needed new works to fill the Savoy Theatre. He asked Sullivan to write additional operas, and one of these was ''Haddon Hall''.
The fashion in the late
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so producer
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte (; 3 May 1844 – 3 April 1901) was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer, and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era. He built two of London's theatres and a hotel empire, while also establi ...
preceded his
Savoy opera
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 ...
s with
curtain raisers.
W. J. MacQueen-Pope
Walter James MacQueen-Pope (11 April 1888 – 27 June 1960), known familiarly as Popie, was an English theatre historian and publicist. From a theatrical family which could be traced back to contemporaries of Shakespeare, he was in management for ...
commented, concerning such curtain raisers:
:This was a one-act play, seen only by the early comers. It would play to empty boxes, half-empty upper circle, to a gradually filling stalls and dress circle, but to an attentive, grateful and appreciative pit and gallery. Often these plays were little gems. They deserved much better treatment than they got, but those who saw them delighted in them. ...
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
served to give young actors and actresses a chance to win their spurs ... the stalls and the boxes lost much by missing the curtain-raiser, but to them dinner was more important.
''Mr. Jericho'' was successful enough as a
curtain raiser
A curtain raiser is a short performance, stage act, show, actor or performer that opens a show for the main attraction. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain. The first person on stage has "raised the curtain".
The fashio ...
to ''Haddon Hall'' that it was selected again to precede ''Jane Annie''. To create the piece, Carte had selected a composer that he knew could get the job done: Ford had studied under
Arthur Sullivan and written several operas up to that point. Greenbank was also a known quantity, having supplied the theatre with another curtain raiser, ''
Captain Billy
''Captain Billy'' is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by Harry Greenbank and music by François Cellier. It was first performed at the Savoy Theatre on 24 September 1891 until 16 January 1892, as a curtain raiser to ''The Nautch Girl'', and f ...
''. Greenbank also collaborated on ''
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 1893, a piece that would become a hit and establish his reputation.
Roles and cast
*Michael de Vere, Earl of Margate – George de Pledge and later W.H. Leon
*Horace Alexander de Vere, Viscount Ramsgate (An Omnibus Driver) – Bates Maddison and later Sidwell Jones
*Mr. Jericho (A Jam Manufacturer) – J. Bowden Haswell
*Lady Bushey – Agnes Scott
*Winifred (Her Daughter) –
Florence Easton
Florence Easton (25 October 1882 – 13 August 1955) was a popular English dramatic soprano in the early 20th century. She was one of the most versatile singers of all time. She sang more than 100 parts, covering a wide range of styles and ...
and later Edith Farrow
Note: Edith Farrow began playing the role of Winifred in April when Easton took over the role of Dorothy in ''Haddon Hall''. The other two cast changes occurred when the piece played with ''Jane Annie.''
Musical numbers
*No. 1. When Sunny Summer Ripens Corn – Horace
*No. 2. My Heart Goes Pit-a-Pat – Winifred and Horace
*No. 3. My Smelling Salts Get – Winifred, Lady Bushey and Horace
*No. 4. Jericho's Jams – Mr. Jericho
*No. 5. There Came to Maiden Innocence – Lady Bushey and Mr. Jericho
*No. 6. Who, Alas! Would Be A Peer? – Quintet
*No. 7. Soon There Shall Ring (Finale) – Company
Synopsis
Michael de Vere, the Earl of Margate, has squandered his money, and so he lives in a small cottage and must do his own gardening, while his son Horace, Viscount Ramsgate, is reduced to working ''incognito'' as an omnibus driver.
[Following a French innovation, in 1829 ]George Shillibeer
George Shillibeer (11 August 1797 – 21 August 1866) was an English coachbuilder.
Biography
Shillibeer was born in St Marylebone, London the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Shillibeer. Christened in St Marys Church, Marylebone on 22 October ...
introduced a public 3-horse carriage in London. In 1832, the Stage Carriage Act specifically authorised the vehicles for hire. Initially the horse bus was a single-deck vehicle, but during the rush hour, passengers would climb onto the roof, and soon roof seating was added. A ticketing system was devised by the 1880s to reduce conductor fraud. After he crashes his bus one day, he and his father commiserate over their troubles. Horace believes that he will never be able to win the love of Winifred, Lady Bushey's daughter, one of his regular passengers. Winifred arrives at the cottage and reveals to Horace that she loves him too. Lady Bushey appears and, seeing the humble cottage, is appalled that Winifred loves "a commoner", although she acknowledges Horace's good looks. She drags Winifred away, and Horace is heartbroken.
A world-famous jam manufacturer, Mr. Jericho, shows up looking for a lady friend whom he hasn't seen for a long time. Horace tells him that his father is very fond of Jericho's Jams. Jericho offers to pay Horace's father handsomely for this customer testimonial, to use it in advertising the jams. Jericho's lady friend turns out to be Lady Bushey. Now it is Winifred's turn to be appalled. Jericho encourages Lady Bushey to look favourably upon the romance of Horace and Winifred, but Lady Bushey repeats that her daughter must marry a
peer. When they meet, Jericho recognizes the Earl and is delighted to offer him a generous allowance in return for his statement about his love for the jam. Jericho also suggests that Horace become a partner in the jam firm, giving Horace the financial means to marry Winifred, and all ends happily as Jericho and Lady Bushey come to a very satisfactory arrangement.
See also
Savoy Opera
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 ...
Notes
References
''Mr. Jericho'' homepage at the G&S Archive
External links
Vocal scoreof
Savoy opera
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 ...
companion pieces
Review of ''Mr. Jericho'' in ''The Times'', 27 March 1893{cbignore, bot=medic
English comic operas
1893 operas
Operas
English-language operas