![WSGyounger](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/WSGyounger.jpg)
''No Cards'' is a "musical piece in one act" for four characters, written 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 fam ...
, with music composed and arranged by
German Reed. It was first produced at the
Royal Gallery of Illustration
The Royal Gallery of Illustration was a 19th-century performance venue located at 14 Regent Street in London. It was in use between 1850 and 1873.
The gallery was built in the 1820s by the architect John Nash as part of his own house, to displa ...
, Lower Regent Street, London, under the management of German Reed, opening on 29 March 1869 and closing on 21 November 1869. The work is a domestic farce of mistaken identities and inept disguises, as two men desperately compete to marry a wealthy young lady. One is young and poor, and the other is a rich miser. Each disguises himself as her guardian.
''No Cards'' was the first of Gilbert's six pieces for the Gallery of Illustration. It was also Gilbert's first libretto with prose dialogue and the first stage work for which he wrote lyrics to be set to music, rather than lyrics to pre-existing music. ''No Cards'' was played on a double bill with
Arthur Sullivan and
F. C. Burnand's ''
Cox and Box
''Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers'', is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce '' Box and Cox'' by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic o ...
'', although Gilbert and Sullivan did not meet until later that year. After a successful 139 performances, the bill toured the British provinces.
[Kidd, Patrick]
"Revival of a long-lost Gilbert but no Sullivan "
''The Times'', 14 November 2009, p. 16[Ainger, pp. 81–82] Gilbert liked German Reed's setting of the Babbetyboobledore song enough to reuse it later in 1879 in his next show, ''
The Pretty Druidess
''The Pretty Druidess; Or, The Mother, The Maid, and The Mistletoe Bough'' is an operatic burlesque by W. S. Gilbert. It was produced at the opening of the new Charing Cross Theatre on 19 June 1869 and ran until September of that year.
The wor ...
''.
Music publisher Joseph Williams & Co. reissued "No Cards" in 1895 with a score by "Lionel Elliott", which appears to be a pseudonym.
[ A production mounted at St. George's Hall in London in 1873 appears to have been the first to use this "Elliott" score, and a revival took place at St. George's Hall in 1902. The Royal Victorian Opera Company of Boston, Massachusetts made a video of the piece in 1996 using the Elliott score.][Shepherd, Marc and Donald Smith]
"No Cards (1869)"
''A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography'', 7 November 2001, accessed 14 November 2009 The first British revival in over a century was produced by the Centenary Company at the Greenwich Theatre
Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London.
Theatre first came to Greenwich at the beginning of the 19th century during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair at which the Ric ...
from 18 to 21 November 2009 (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 ''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. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...
'') using Elliott's score retrieved from the British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
.[
]
Background
At the time that 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 fam ...
began writing plays:
To fill this gap, German Reed opened his German Reed Entertainments
The German Reed Entertainments were founded in 1855 and operated by Thomas German Reed (1817–1888) together with his wife, Priscilla German Reed (née Horton) (1818–1895). At a time when the theatre in London was seen as a disreputa ...
at the Gallery of Illustration. Seeing the quality of Gilbert's early burlesques, he brought in Gilbert to write a series of six one-act operettas.[ The Gallery of Illustration was a 500-seat theatre with a small stage that only allowed for four or five characters with accompaniment by a piano, harmonium and sometimes a harp.][Stedman (1996), pp. 66–68]
Gilbert's libretto, his first with lyrics written to be set by a composer, instead of written to existing melodies, gives hints of some elements of his later works.[ For instance, the "uncivilised" island of Babbetyboobledore is an early look at a Gilbertian utopia, such as in the Gilbert and Sullivan opera '']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 ...
'', written 25 years later. Compare these lyrics from ''No Cards'':
:Civilization takes no stride....
:There's nothing like self-respect or pride
:In Babbletyboobledore.
:"They've little regard for money or birth –
:Unless it's allied to genuine worth"
with these from ''Utopia'':
:e are
E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plur ...
little better than half-clothed barbarians....
:"The Brewers and the Cotton Lords no longer seek admission,
:And literary merit meets with proper recognition."
There is also a verse on the subject of disguises, with reference to Paddington Pollaky
Ignatius Paul Pollaky (po'laki; 1828 – 25 February 1918) also known as "Paddington" Pollaky, born in Hungary, became one of the first and best-known professional private detectives in Britain. He also worked with London's Metropolitan Police, s ...
, who was later mentioned 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 face ...
''. In addition, the libretto of ''No Cards'', as in Gilbert's later works, includes topical references to subjects like siamese twins
Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are twins joined ''in utero''. A very rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence ...
. It also includes the interpolated Bab Ballad
''The Bab Ballads'' is a collection of light verses by W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911), illustrated with his own comic drawings. The book takes its title from Gilbert's childhood nickname. He later began to sign his illustrations "Bab". Gilbert w ...
"The Precocious Baby" and the interpolated music hall numbers " Champagne Charlie"[ and Gilbert's 1868 song "Thady O'Flynn".][Bond, Ian]
Introduction to ''No Cards''
Ian Bond, 1996, accessed 14 November 2009
In the accompanying presentation of ''Cox and Box
''Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers'', is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce '' Box and Cox'' by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic o ...
'', Reed played Cox, Arthur Cecil
Arthur Cecil Blunt (1 June 1843 – 16 April 1896), better known as Arthur Cecil, was an English actor, comedian, playwright and theatre manager. He is probably best remembered for playing the role of Box in the long-running production of ''Cox a ...
played Box, and J. Seymour was Bouncer.[ The production marked the stage debut of Cecil.][
]
Roles and original cast
*Miss Annabella Penrose, ''An Heiress, Niece of Mrs. Pennythorne'' – Rosa D'Erina
Rosa D'Erina (22 February 1848– 13 April 1915), born Rose Anna O'Toole and known as the "Irish prima donna", was an Irish soprano, pianist and organist. She was the "vocalist by command to the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Irish court." ...
( soprano)
*Mrs. Pennythorne, ''A lady of considerable matrimonial experiences, with strong opinions and convictions on "Women's Rights."'' – Priscilla Horton German Reed
Priscilla Horton, later Priscilla German Reed (2 January 1818 – 18 March 1895), was an English singer and actress, known for her role as Ariel in W. C. Macready's production of ''The Tempest'' in 1838 and "fairy" Victorian burlesque, burlesque ...
(contralto
A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...
)
*Mr. Ellis Dee, ''A wealthy old bachelor'' – Thomas German Reed
Thomas German Reed (27 June 1817 – 21 March 1888), known after 1844 as simply German Reed was an English composer, musical director, actor, singer and theatrical manager of the Victorian era. He was best known for creating the German Ree ...
( baritone)
*Mr. Churchmouse, ''A poor young bachelor'' – Arthur Cecil
Arthur Cecil Blunt (1 June 1843 – 16 April 1896), better known as Arthur Cecil, was an English actor, comedian, playwright and theatre manager. He is probably best remembered for playing the role of Box in the long-running production of ''Cox a ...
(tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...
)
*A servant (silent)
Synopsis
In her boudoir, Mrs. Pennythorne opines to her niece, Annabella Penrose, who has inherited 25,000 pounds from her aunt, Salamanca Trombone, that marriage is a very positive institution, despite her own marriage to a man who promptly ran off with all her money. Annabella doesn't fancy marrying the much older and infelicitous Mr. Dee, despite his wealth. The young Mr. Churchmouse, on the other hand, is painfully shy (as Robin Oakapple would be in Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Ruddigore
''Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse'', originally called ''Ruddygore'', is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written tog ...
'' almost two decades later), except when he is portraying a role on stage. But, in any case, she cannot marry until she can locate her guardian, Mrs. Pennythorne's rogue of a husband, Mr. Coodle, who hasn't been heard from for 20 years.
Mr. Dee arrives, soon followed by Mr. Churchmouse, who has a toothache. Dee and Churchmouse both undertake to find Mr. Coodle. Mrs. Pennythorne shows them a portrait. Dee goes off, and Churchmouse stays to converse rather nonsensically with Annabella and then leaves. Dee re-enters disguised as Coodle's best man at the wedding of so long ago, but has no calling card. Mrs. P is not fooled but plays along. The disguised Dee says that Coodle is on his way to confer the hand of his niece upon Mr. Dee. Then Churchmouse enters, disguised as Coodle, also with no card. His disguise is even worse than Dee's.
Dee reappears, still disguised. He is left alone with Churchmouse, and they each sound out the other, each suspecting that the other is a phony. Mrs. P reenters, now disguised as Salmanca Trombone, and says that she has been to the Indian archipelago, where the locals elected her the queen of Babbetyboobledore. She asks which of the two is Mr. Coodle. Dee speaks up, and Mrs. P immediately draws a revolver and declares, "I've come to shoot Coodle". Dee then says that Churchmouse is Coodle, but Churchmouse loses his disguise. She also says that Annabella does not have 25,000 pounds. Dee then says that he is too old for Annabella and loses his disguise. Churchmouse, however, says that she is not too poor for him. She hands Churchmouse a slip announcing his wedding to Annabella.
Musical numbers
*No. 1. – Mrs. Pennythorne. "A great deal of experience in life I've had"
*Sometimes an interpolated song was added here for Miss Penrose: "Thady O'Flinn"
*No. 2. – Mr. Ellis Dee, Mr. Churchmouse, Miss Penrose. "From this pretty bower hence"
*No. 3. – Mr. Churchmouse. "An elderly person, a prophet by trade"
*No. 4. – Mrs. Pennythorne. "You ask me what species of people I met"
*No. 5. Finale – "Believe me, as far as with me it remains"
Notes
References
* Chapter 6.
*
*
* Stedman, Jane W. ''Gilbert before Sullivan'', London: Routledge & Kegan Paul (1967)
* {{cite book, last=Stedman, first=Jane W., Ed., year=1969, title=Six comic plays by W. S. Gilbert, publisher=Chicago: University of Chicago Press; London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, Ltd (with an introduction by Stedman)
External links
Information about ''No Cards'' and link to libretto
1985 score to ''No Cards'' by Lionel Elliott
Works by W. S. Gilbert
English comic operas
English-language operas
1869 operas
Operas
Operas by Thomas German Reed