''The Beauty of Bath'' is a musical comedy 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 ...

and

Cosmo Hamilton Cosmo Hamilton (29 April 1870 – 14 October 1942), born Henry Charles Hamilton Gibbs, was an English playwright and novelist. He was the brother of writers Arthur Hamilton Gibbs, Francis William Hamilton Gibbs, Helen Katherine Hamilton Gibbs an ...

, lyrics by C. H. Taylor and music by Herbert Haines; additional songs were provided by

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

(lyrics and music), F. Clifford Harris (lyrics) 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 ...

(lyrics). Based loosely on the play '' David Garrick'', the story concerns a young woman from a noble family, who falls in love with an actor. She then meets a sailor who appears identical to the actor and mistakes him for the latter. Her father objects to a marriage with the actor, but when it turns out that she really loves the sailor, all objections fall away. The piece 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 ...

, opened at the

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 19 March 1906, moved on 26 December 1906 to the newly built Hicks Theatre and ran for a total of 287 performances. It starred Hicks 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 ...

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 ...

later joined the cast, replacing Terriss.

Roles

*Betty Silverthorne - ''The Beauty of Bath'' -

*Richard Alington - ''Lieutenant, R.N.'' -

*Mr Beverley - ''An Actor'' - Stanley Brett (from July 1906, Tom Terriss) *Mrs Alington - ''Richard's Mother'' - Rosina Filippi *Lord Bellingham - ''Betty's father'' - William Lugg *Miss Truly St Cyr - ''An Actress'' - Maudi Darrell *Sir Timothy Bun - Murray King *Lady Bun - Mollie Lowell *Mrs Goodge - Sydney Fairbrother *Lemon Goodge - Master Valchera *Jane -

Topsy Sinden Harriet Augusta Sinden (1877–1950), known professionally as Topsy Sinden, was an English dancer, actress and singer. She was best known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedy and pantomime, both in London and on tour. Sinden was an ...

*Tatersall Spink - Bert Sinden

Notable musical numbers

*"The Beauty of Bath" *"The Things you Never Learn at School" *"The Frolic of the Breeze"

Synopsis

At the interval of a play, the fashionable audience mill about in the foyer, complimenting the new hit play and its leading actor, Mr. Beverley. Sir Timothy Bun, Lady Bun, and their large family of "adopted" daughters, "the twelve Bath Buns", are part of the crowd. An actress, Miss Truly St. Cyr, is courted by a young lord. Mrs. Alington, a widow, is eagerly anticipating the return of her naval lieutenant son, Richard, whom she has not seen for ten years. The lovely Betty Silverthorne has fallen in love with the dashing Beverley during Act I, to the chagrin of her father, Lord Bellingham. Six months before the present time, Mrs. Alington had sent her son a photograph of Betty, and the young lieutenant had fallen in love with the girl depicted. It turns out that Lieutenant Richard Alington, R.N., is identical in appearance to the actor, Mr Beverley. Richard arrives at the theatre in his sailor's undress uniform. He meets Betty and instantly recognises the girl he has loved since seeing her photograph. Betty also recognises the man she loves, mistaking him for Beverley, who has been playing a sailor's part and wearing the same uniform. Lord Bellingham next meets Richard, also mistaking him for Beverly. He objects to an actor's courting his daughter, and he invites the young lieutenant to a ball to be given the next night at his mansion, on condition that "Beverly" must pretend to be tipsy, in order to cure his daughter's love. "Beverley" creates an embarrassing disturbance at the ball and does his utmost to draw Betty's ire. However, Betty outsmarts her father, having already figured out the likeness and true identity of Dick Alington. In addition, it happens that the man she really loves is Dick, not Beverley. This is a good thing, because her friend is already engaged to Beverly. Dick, meanwhile, has inherited five million pounds, and Lord Bellingham is delighted with the match.

Gaiety Girls' marriages

As often happened with

Gaiety Girls Gaiety Girls were the chorus girls in Edwardian musical comedies, beginning in the 1890s at the Gaiety Theatre, London, in the shows produced by George Edwardes. The popularity of this genre of musical theatre depended, in part, on the beautifu ...

who appeared in

Edwardian musical comedies 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 Ame ...

, a chorus girl in ''The Beauty of Bath'' went on to marry a nobleman: Sylvia Lillian Storey (1890–1947) married William Poulett, 7th Earl Poulett. Another chorus girl in the show, May Gates, married a man calling himself Baron Von Ditton, of Norway, although the title appears to have been fictitious."From Java to Burma: Alleged Bogus Baron"
''The Straits Times'', 15 December 1906, p. 7

Notes

References

External links

Information about the musical
from '' The Play Pictorial''
Cast list, review, photos and other information
at Stage Beauty

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beauty of Bath, The Beauty of Bath, The West End musicals Original musicals British musicals