''The Gay Gordons'' is a 1907

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 ...

with a book by

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 ...

, music by Guy Jones and lyrics by

Arthur Wimperis Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more ...

, C. H. Bovill, Henry Hamilton and

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

, who wrote the lyrics to "Now That My Ship's Come Home" and "You, You, You". The title refers to both the

Clan Gordon Clan Gordon is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the most powerful Scottish clans. The Gordon lands once spanned a large territory across the Highlands. Presently, Gordon is seated at Aboyne Castle, Aberdeenshire. The Chief of the ...

and the famed Scottish regiment the

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gord ...

as the plot involves the heir to the clan and a soldier from the regiment.''The Gay Gordons'' in ''The Play Pictorial'', No. 63, Vol. 10, October 1907 The original production was produced by

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

and opened at London's

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

on 11 September 1907. The piece starred Hicks as Angus Graeme, and his wife

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 ...

as Peggy Quainton.

William Lugg William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

played Andrew Quainton.

Zena Dare Zena Dare (born Florence Hariette Zena Dones; 4 February 1887 – 11 March 1975) was an English singer and actress who was famous for her performances in Edwardian musical comedy and other musical theatre and comedic plays in the first half of ...

played Victoria Siddons, and when the show went on tour, she played Peggy Quainton.

Synopsis

The castle of the Scottish Gordon clan has been leased to a wealthy American, Andrew Quainton, whose daughter is the charming Peggy. Unfortunately, the heir to the clan's chief has been lost, and the castle will eventually have to be ceded to the Crown. Peggy has no interest in joining the British aristocracy and has sworn not to marry a nobleman. She disguises herself as a strolling fortune teller and soon meets a young private in the Gordon Highlanders, Angus Graeme. Angus woos Peggy and gains her affection, and she is delighted to fall in love with the humble Scottish soldier lad. News arrives that the long-lost heir to the Gordon titles and fortune is Angus. He is worried that this might cause Peggy to leave him, so he continues to pretend to be plain Angus until he can figure out a way to tell her that he is really an Earl. Peggy's brother is expected to arrive soon, and Angus intends to involve him in the deception. The plan goes awry, as Peggy impersonates her brother, and Angus tells her the secret. Peggy is annoyed at having been misled, but she is a practical American and loves Angus, so all ends happily.

Roles and original cast

*Andrew Quainton –

*Angus Graeme –

*Edmund Siddons – A.W. Baskcomb *Janet McLeod – Rosina Filippi *Mary McLeod – Barbara Deane *Nervy Nat –

Fred Emney Frederick Arthur Round Emney (12 February 1902 – 25 December 1980) was an English character actor and comedian. Emney was born in Prescot, Lancashire,GRO Register of Births Mar 1902 Frederick Arthur R Emney 8b 725 PRESCOT1901 Census: R ...

*Peggy Quainton –

*Victoria Siddons –

*Charlotte Siddons –

Sydney Fairbrother Sydney Fairbrother (31 July 1872 – 4 January 1941) was a British actress. Born Sydney Tapping on 31 July 1872 in London to actor/playwright Alfred B. Tapping and actress Florence Cowell, she was educated at Blackpool and Bonn. She made her sta ...

*The Corporal – Will Bishop

Reception

The reviewer for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', reviewing the London debut 11 September 1907 wrote:

this latest of London's musical plays differs in no essential particular from its predecessors of Hickian variety. Its best feature is that Ellaine Terriss has a part in which her winsome personality shows to advantage.

The ''New York Times'' reviewer praised Hicks's wife,

, the costumes and the "effective" use of the show's chorus, and thought that the score had "two excellent songs and a number of fetching dances" but says that dramatic interest lagged after the first act, with the second act being "at times ... very tedious." Unlike '' The Catch of the Season'' and ''

The Earl and the Girl ''The Earl and the Girl'' is a musical comedy in two acts by Seymour Hicks, with lyrics by Percy Greenbank and music by Ivan Caryll. It was produced by William Greet and opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London on 10 December 1903. It transferre ...

'', two Hicks musical comedies that transferred to

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 ...

in 1905, ''The Gay Gordons'' did not make it across the Atlantic, despite its achieving great success in London, but it did play in Australia. Between August 1898 and November 1906, seven Hicks shows had transferred from London to Broadway. No more Seymour Hicks productions were transferred to Broadway thereafter until ''The Matrimonial Bed'' in 1927.

Road show

Hicks and his company took the show on the road, playing the

Prince's 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 ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in the 1908–09 season and the Palace Theatre,

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

for three nights in January 1909. Terriss was replaced by

as Peggy Quainton on tour.Higgins, Sydney
"Zena Dare (1887-1975) "
, The Golden Age of British Theatre (1880-1920), 2009, accessed April 10, 2012

References

External links

Playbill for the musical on tour in LeedsPhoto of Terriss in the musicalPhoto of Maie Ash in the musical
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay Gordons, The 1907 musicals British musicals West End musicals