![SybilGreyportrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/SybilGreyportrait.jpg)
Ellen Sophia Taylor (3 January 1860 – 20 August 1939), known professionally as Sybil Grey, was a British singer and actress during the
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 ...
best known for creating a series of minor roles in productions by 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. Th ...
, including roles in several of the famous
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
operas, from 1880 to 1888. Afterwards, she went on to a long West End theatre career, appearing in both musical theatre and plays.
Early life and career
Grey was born in London’s Conduit Street West, the second daughter of Henry Taylor, a linen draper, and his Exeter-born wife Susannah.
[ Gänzl, Kurt]
"The third little maid"
Kurt Gänzl's blog, 25 April 2018 Grey began her stage career 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. Th ...
in 1880 as a member of the chorus and understudy during the first London production of
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
's ''
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, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 ...
'' 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. ...
, appearing in the small role of Kate for a short period in July 1880. In the company's next opera, ''
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 faced ...
'', also 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. ...
, Grey was in the chorus but may also have understudied the role of Lady Saphir. After ''Patience'' moved to the new
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 Pala ...
in November 1881, Grey also played the non-singing role of Jane in the curtain raiser ''
Mock Turtles
The Mock Turtles are an English indie rock band, formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in 1985, who enjoyed some success in the early 1990s. Their most famous song " Can You Dig It?", which was released in the UK in 1991, charted at numb ...
'' by
Frank Desprez
Frank Desprez (9 February 1853 – 25 November 1916) was an English playwright, essayist, and poet. He wrote more than twenty pieces for the theatre, as well as numerous shorter works, including his famous poem, ''Lasca''.
Life and career
D ...
and
Eaton Faning
Joseph Eaton Faning (20 May 1850 – 28 October 1927), known as Eaton Faning, was an English composer and teacher. The son of a music teacher, he became the organist of a church at the age of twelve. He attended the Royal Academy of Music, whe ...
.
[Stone, David]
Sybil Grey
at ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', 27 August 2001, accessed 20 November 2009
![ThreelittlemaidsLondon1885](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/ThreelittlemaidsLondon1885.jpg)
Gilbert and Sullivan's ''
Iolanthe
''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...
'' followed at the Savoy in November 1882. Grey created the non-singing role of Fleta, while continuing as Jane in ''Mock Turtles''. When ''Mock Turtles'' was replaced by ''
A Private Wire
''A Private Wire'' is a one-act musical "vaudeville" operetta with a libretto by Frank Desprez and Arnold Felix and music by Percy Reeve. It was first produced at the Savoy Theatre on 31 March 1883 to 1 January 1884 as a companion piece to Gil ...
'' in March 1883, Grey played Mary, the maid. Later that year, she was given the singing role of Leila in ''Iolanthe''. She continued as both Mary and Leila until January 1884, when both operas closed. In the next Gilbert and Sullivan opera, ''
Princess Ida
''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 January 1884, for a ru ...
'', she created the role of Sacharissa. When that opera closed, she was in the chorus of the revival of ''
The Sorcerer
''The Sorcerer'' is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of ''The Sorcerer'' is based on a Christmas story, ''An Elixir of Lo ...
'' and played the minor role of First Bridesmaid in the accompanying ''
Trial by Jury
A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions.
Jury trials are used in a significant ...
''.
[
Grey created the role of Peep-Bo, one of the three ''Little Maids'', in the original production of '']The Mikado
''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...
'', with Jessie Bond
Jessie Charlotte Bond (10 January 1853 – 17 June 1942) was an English singer and actress best known for creating the mezzo-soprano soubrette roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas. She spent twenty years on the stage, the bulk of th ...
(Pitti-Sing) and 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 st ...
(Yum-Yum), for the show's entire run from 1885 to 1887.[ In an 1885 interview with the ''New York Daily Tribune'', author ]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 f ...
stated that the short stature of Braham, Bond and Grey "suggested the advisability of grouping them as three Japanese school-girls" referred to in the opera as the 'three little maids'".["The Evolution of The Mikado"]
''New York Daily Tribune'', 9 August 1885 ''The Theatre'' of April 1885 said, "Miss Sybil Grey is one of the valuable recruits above alluded to. She has a pretty voice, her intonation is correct and her appearance attractive."
After this long engagement, Grey withdrew from the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. After a short tour with May Holt's company,[ from December 1887, Grey had roles in two musical burlesques by composer ]Meyer Lutz
Wilhelm Meyer Lutz (19 May 1829 – 31 January 1903) was a German-born British composer and conductor who is best known for light music, musical theatre and burlesques of well-known works.
Emigrating to the UK at the age of 19, Lutz started as ...
at the Gaiety Theatre in London, then managed 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 ...
. One was Vanilla in ''Frankenstein, or The Vampire's Victim
''Frankenstein, or The Vampire's Victim'' (sometimes called ''Frankenstein, or The Model Man'') is a musical burlesque written by Richard Henry (a pseudonym of Richard Butler and Henry Chance Newton). The music was composed by Meyer Lutz. The ...
'', with a libretto by Richard Henry. The other was as Zillah in ''Miss Esmeralda, or The Maid and the Monkey'', By April 1888, she was also playing Polly in the farce ''Lot 49'',[ which she also played at a benefit for ]Nellie Farren
Ellen "Nellie" Farren (16 April 1848 – 29 April 1904) was an English actress and singer best known for her roles as the "principal boy" in musical burlesques at the Gaiety Theatre.
Born into a theatrical family, Farren began acting as a ch ...
. In June 1888, she returned to the Savoy for the first revival of ''The Mikado'', playing her old role of Peep-Bo. During this run, she took roles in two benefit performances of Gilbert's blank verse
Blank verse is poetry written with regular metrical but unrhymed lines, almost always in iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the 16th century", and P ...
"fairy plays". The first was Lady Amanthis in ''Broken Hearts
''Broken Hearts'' is a blank verse play by W. S. Gilbert in three acts styled "An entirely original fairy play". It opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 9 December 1875, running for three months, and toured the provinces in 1876. It wa ...
'' at a charity matinée at the Savoy, in a cast that included Julia Neilson
Julia Emilie Neilson (12 June 1868 – 27 May 1957) was an English actress best known for her numerous performances as Lady Blakeney in ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'', for her roles in many tragedies and historical romances, and for her portrayal of ...
, Richard Temple and Lewis Waller
William Waller Lewis (3 November 1860 – 1 November 1915), known on stage as Lewis Waller, was an English actor and theatre manager, well known on the London stage and in the English provinces.
After early stage experience with John Lawrence To ...
. The other was in ''The Wicked World
''The Wicked World'' is a blank verse play by W. S. Gilbert in three acts. It opened at the Haymarket Theatre on 1873 and ran for a successful 145 performances, closing on 1873. The play is an allegory loosely based on a short illustrated st ...
'', along with George Alexander and Lionel Brough
Lionel "Lal" Brough (10 March 1836 – 8 November 1909) was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s. He ...
. In September of that year, after the ''Mikado'' revival's run ended, she again left the D'Oyly Carte company, never to return.[
]
Later years
After leaving D'Oyly Carte, Grey enjoyed a long West End theatre career.[ She began with ]Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster.
Notable landmarks ...
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 ...
s, including playing one of the Merry Men
The Merry Men are the group of Outlaw (stock character), outlaws who follow Robin Hood in English literature and folklore. The group appears in the earliest ballads about Robin Hood and remains popular in modern adaptations.
History
The Merr ...
in ''Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood is a traditional English children's tale, as well as a popular pantomime subject. It has also been the name of some other unrelated works. The expression has passed into common language, referring to inexperienced innocents ent ...
'' in 1888 with Harry Payne, Dan Leno
George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall ...
as the Dame
The Dame was a music hall in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States. The venue hosted live music seven nights a week from local, regional, and national headlining acts. Nick Sprouse and Cole Skinner served as talent buyers.
The Dame traditi ...
, and Harriet Vernon as Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
. She and Rosina Brandram
Rosina Brandram (2 July 1845 – 28 February 1907) was an English opera singer and actress primarily known for creating many of the contralto roles in the Savoy operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.
Brandram joined the D'Oyly Carte compan ...
appeared in a musical version of ''Newport'' (''The Song of the Looking Glass'') in a vanity production at Devonshire House
Devonshire House in Piccadilly, was the London townhouse of the Dukes of Devonshire during the 18th and 19th centuries. Following a fire in 1733 it was rebuilt by William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, in the Palladian style, to designs ...
. In 1889–1890 Grey continued at Drury Lane as Deborah Wood in ''The Royal Oak'', the Royal Housemaid in ''Jack and the Beanstalk'', and, in ''Beauty and the Beast'' as the King of Diamonds.[ In 1891 she played Alice Ormerod in ''A Lancashire Sailor'', by ]Brandon Thomas Brandon Thomas may refer to:
*Brandon Thomas (playwright) (1848–1914), English actor and playwright who wrote the hit farce, ''Charley's Aunt''
*Brandon Thomas (musician) (born 1980), American rock band singer
*Brandon Thomas (American football), ...
, and Lily Eaton-Belgrave in ''A Pantomime Rehearsal'', both at the Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue.
History
The theatre was d ...
. She also played the title-role in ''Nan, the Good-for-Nothing'' and Lucy Morley in an unsuccessful tryout of a farce called ''Our Doctors'' 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 ...
.[ The following year, she starred as Sally in ''Crazed'' and appeared in ''Faithful James'' (by B. C. Stephenson), with ]Ellaline Terriss
Mary Ellaline Terriss, Lady Hicks (born Mary Ellaline Lewin, 13 April 1871 – 16 June 1971), known professionally as Ellaline Terriss, was a popular British actress and singer, best known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies. Sh ...
and Brandon Thomas Brandon Thomas may refer to:
*Brandon Thomas (playwright) (1848–1914), English actor and playwright who wrote the hit farce, ''Charley's Aunt''
*Brandon Thomas (musician) (born 1980), American rock band singer
*Brandon Thomas (American football), ...
, both at the Court Theatre. Among other roles, she appeared for Edwardes in his hit musical comedy
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 ...
''The 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 Lon ...
'' (1893) and created the part of Jane in the next 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 Dal ...
'', where she later took over the role of Madame Amélie (1895). She was next engaged 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 ...
in an English adaptation of the farce ''L'Hôtel du libre échange
''L'Hôtel du Libre échange'' (: ''Free Exchange Hotel'') is a comedy written by the French playwrights Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallières in 1894. The play takes place in Paris in the 19th century, and follows two Parisian households and ...
'' called ''A Night Out''. By August 1896 she had been promoted to the leading role of Mme Pinglet.[ In 1898, she appeared as the scheming servant-girl Durnford in ''The Dove-Cot'' (an adaptation of ''Jalouse'') at the ]Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...
, together with 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 st ...
and starring Seymour Hicks
Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (30 January 1871 – 6 April 1949), better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, actor-manager and producer. He became known, early in his career, for writing, starring in and p ...
. Subsequently, for Horace Lingard, she played Mrs Smith in ''Why Smith Left Home'', a French comedy, and toured for Edwardes in ''A Night Out''.[
In the 1901 census she was listed as an "actress and masseuse".][ Her acting appearances became fewer in the new century. She was Miss Deare, the postmistress, in a musical comedy, '']Three Little Maids
''Three Little Maids'' is an English musical by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens with additional songs by Percy Greenbank and Howard Talbot. The story concerns three simple curate#Anglican Communion, curate's daughters who go to London to ea ...
'', in 1902. In 1904, she played Denise in '' Véronique'', at the Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London. , together with some of her old Savoy colleagues. Her last role may have been as Miao-Yao and Poo–See in ''See-See'' in 1906 and in tours of that musical thereafter. In March 1930 Grey participated with Bond and Braham in a Gilbert and Sullivan Society reunion of the original "Three Little Maids from School". In her last years, she lived in Dulwich
Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...
.[
She died at the age of 79 in a nursing home in Forest Hill in 1939.][ Grey is portrayed in the 1999 film '']Topsy-Turvy
''Topsy-Turvy'' is a 1999 British musical period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Allan Corduner as Sir Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W.S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville and Ron Cook. The story ...
'' by Cathy Sara.[Shepherd, Marc]
''Topsy-Turvy''
at ''A Gilbert & Sullivan Discography'', accessed 20 November 2009
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Sybil
1860 births
1939 deaths
19th-century British women opera singers
British stage actresses
Singers from London
Actresses from London
19th-century British actresses
20th-century British women singers
20th-century British actresses