''Our Miss Gibbs'' is an

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 ...

in two acts by 'Cryptos' and

James T. Tanner James Tolman Tanner (17 October 1858 – 18 June 1915) was an English stage director and dramatist who wrote many of the successful musicals produced by George Edwardes. Life and career Tanner began his theatre career as a set-painter and actor ...

, with lyrics by

Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes (23 December 1859 – 11 September 1933), better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

and

Percy Greenbank Percy Greenbank (24 January 1878 – 9 December 1968) was an English lyricist and librettist, best known for his contribution of lyrics to a number of successful Edwardian musical comedies in the early years of the 20th century. His older brothe ...

, music by

Ivan Caryll Félix Marie Henri Tilkin (12 May 1861 – 29 November 1921), better known by his pen name Ivan Caryll, was a Belgian-born composer of operettas and Edwardian musical comedies in the English language, who made his career in London and later N ...

and

Lionel Monckton Lionel John Alexander Monckton (18 December 1861 – 15 February 1924) was an English composer of musical theatre. He became Britain's most popular composer of Edwardian musical comedy in the early years of the 20th century. Life and career ...

. Produced by

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 ...

, it opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London on 23 January 1909 and ran for an extremely successful 636 performances. It starred

Gertie Millar Gertrude Ward, Countess of Dudley ( Millar; 21 February 1879 – 25 April 1952), known as Gertie Millar, was an English actress and singer of the early 20th century, known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies. Beginning her care ...

Edmund Payne Edmund James "Teddy" Payne (14 December 1863 – 15 July 1914), was an English actor, comedian and singer best known for creating comic roles in a series of extremely successful Edwardian musical comedies. He was often paired with the comic act ...

and

George Grossmith, Jr. George Grossmith Jr. (11 May 1874 – 6 June 1935) was an English actor, theatre producer and manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies. Grossmith was also an important inn ...

The young

Gladys Cooper Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, (18 December 1888 – 17 November 1971) was an English actress, theatrical manager and producer, whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television. Beginning as a teenager in Edwardian musi ...

played the small role of Lady Connie. The show also had a short

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

run in 1910. It was revived at the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

, London, in May 2006. This was the first professional London production since 1910. The piece was regularly revived by amateur theatre groups, particularly in Britain, from the 1920s into the 1950s but it has been produced only rarely since then.Bond, Ian
"Rarely Produced Shows"
. St. David's Players, accessed 22 July 2010 ''Our Miss Gibbs'' was revived by the Lyric Theatre in July and August 2011 at the

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts The Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts is located in downtown Mountain View, California, Mountain View, California. It is operated by the City of Mountain View and hosts a variety of art events. Its home theatre companies include Thea ...

and the Lesher Center for the Arts in

Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland. With a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, Walnut Creek ser ...

. The revival featured a cast of 22 and a 9-piece orchestra

Roles and original cast

*The Hon. Hughie Pierrepoint (An Amateur Criminal) –

*Slithers (A Professional Crook) – Robert Hale *Mr. Toplady (Manager at Garrod's) – Arthur Hatherton *Lord Eynsford (In Love with Mary) – J. Edward Fraser *Mr. Amalfy (The Director-General of the White City) – H. B. Burcher *Timothy Gibbs (Mary's Yorkshire Cousin) –

*Lady Elizabeth Thanet (Engaged to Lord Eynsford) –

Denise Orme Jessie Smither, Duchess of Leinster (25 August 1885 – 20 October 1960),Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd (2003), p. 2300 known by her stage name Denise Orme, was ...

*Madame Jeanne (Modiste at Garrod's) –

Jean Aylwin Jean Aylwin (10 October 18851964), also known as Jean Isabella Griffin Aitkin, was a Scottish actress and singer, often billed as "The Lady Harry Lauder". Aylwin was best known for creating character roles in successful Edwardian musical comedie ...

*Mrs. Farquhar (An Impecunious Woman of Fashion) –

Maisie Gay Maisie Ravier is a fictional character, the leading character of ten films (1939–1947) and the radio show '' The Adventures of Maisie'' (broadcast 1945–1947, 1949–1953). She was played by actress Ann Sothern (1909–2001). Eight of the ten ...

*Lady Connie –

*Miss Gibbs (Mary) –

*Lady Sybil Julia James -

Blanche Stocker Blanche Eleanor Stocker (20 July 1884 – 1950) was a British actress and singer, who played minor roles in a string of Edwardian musical comedies and other stage works early in the 20th century. She also played a film role. Life and career ...

Synopsis

;Act I Mary Gibbs is a

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

lass who, in 1908, has found work at Garrods in London as a shop girl, selling candy. The young men are making themselves ill eating the sweets they buy to gain the attention of the beautiful, but no-nonsense Mary, who disapproves of their attempts at familiarity. Miss Gibbs has fallen in love with a young bank clerk who is actually the son of an Earl, Lord Eynsford, in disguise. His father would not consent to his marrying a shop girl. When she discovers that young Eynsford has lied to her, she breaks up with him. Mary's cousin Timothy travels from Yorkshire to play in the town band for a contest at the Crystal Palace. He is a very unsophisticated country boy, and he has a variety of humorous big city adventures. Timothy gets entangled in a crime by mistakenly picking up a bag. Inside the bag is the Ascot Gold Cup (the trophy for Britain's most prestigious long-distance horse race). The cup has just been stolen by the Hon. Hughie Pierrepoint. ;Act II At the

Franco-British Exhibition The Franco-British Exhibition was a large public fair held in London between 14 May and 31 October 1908. The exhibition attracted 8 million visitors and celebrated the Entente Cordiale signed in 1904 by the United Kingdom and France. The chief ar ...

in White City, Timothy worries that the police will find him and accuse him of the crime. He disguises himself as a contestant in the Olympic

marathon race The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road running, road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also w ...

. When he staggers into the stadium, he is mistakenly declared to be the winner. The Gold Cup is eventually recovered and returned to its owner, who is coincidentally Lord Eynsford. He is now so enchanted with Mary that he is eager for her to become his daughter-in-law, and all ends happily.

Musical numbers

;Act I - Garrod's Stores *No. 1 - Chorus - "We'll be quick and do our shopping..." *No. 2 - Eynsford - "There's a girl at the stores called Mary..." *No. 3 - Bridesmaids - "We're the dear little ladies, selected..." *No. 4 - Jeanne and Chorus of Girls - "Some people say success is won..." *No. 5 - Betty - "Though I am not so unwilling..." *No. 6 - Dudes - "A fashionable band of brothers are we..." *No. 7 - Mary and Chorus of Dudes - "I'm a little Yorkshire lass..." *No. 8 - Hughie and Chorus - "Though I'm a man of noble birth..." *No. 9 - Mary and Timothy - "When the season's on the wane..." *No. 10 - Mary and Hughie - "I will confess that as a man..." *No. 11 - Concerted Number - "There's a City of palaces white..." *No. 12 - Finale - Act I - "Saturday afternoon..." ;Act II - Court of Honour at the Franco-British Exhibition *No. 13 - Chorus and Entrance of Irish Girls - "Palaces oriental..." *No. 14 - Mary - "Oh, London is really a wonderful town..." *No. 15 - Hughie, Toplady, Slithers, Amalfy, Eynsford and Timothy - "Though something has upset me..." *No. 16 - Betty and Chorus - "I am sure your education is not complete..." *No. 17 - Concerted Number - "Push the pram for baby..." *No. 18 - Mary and Timothy - "I'd like to tell you all about the farm..." *No. 19 - Chorus and Solo Dance - "Over the dome and steeple..." *No. 20 - Mary (dressed as

Pierrot Pierrot ( , , ) is a stock character of pantomime and '' commedia dell'arte'', whose origins are in the late seventeenth-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a diminutive of ''P ...

) and Chorus of Girls - "Moon, moon, mischief making moon..." *No. 21 - Hughie and Timothy - "If you'll come down to my place..." *No. 22 - Finale - Act II - "When country cousins come up to town..."

Notes

{{reflist

External links

Midi files, lyrics and cast listInformation about Millar in ''Our Miss Gibbs''
* ttp://lyrictheatre.org/jl/currentseason/missgibbs.html Details of an August 2011 Staged concert revival of ''Our Miss Gibbs'' in Californiabr>List of longest running plays in London and New York
1909 musicals West End musicals Original musicals British musicals