''Houp La!'' is an

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy is a genre of British musical theatre that thrived from 1892 into the 1920s, extending beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions. It began to dominate the English musical stage, and even the American musical ...

extravaganza, with music by Nat D. Ayer and

Howard Talbot Howard Munkittrick, better known as Howard Talbot (9 March 1865 – 12 September 1928), was an American-born, English-raised composer and conductor of Irish descent. He was best known for writing the music to several hit Edwardian musical comedi ...

, lyrics by

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 ...

and Hugh E. Wright, and a book by

Fred Thompson Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a Unite ...

and Hugh E. Wright. The story combines the comic financial troubles of a circus owner with a love triangle. The original production of the show was mounted by Charles B. Cochran at London's new

St Martin's Theatre St Martin's Theatre is a West End theatre which has staged the production of '' The Mousetrap'' since March 1974, making it the longest continuous run of any show in the world. The theatre is located in West Street, near Shaftesbury Avenue, i ...

, opening on 23 November 1916 and starring

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 ...

, George Graves,

Nat Ayer Nathaniel Davis Ayer (August 5, 1887 – September 19, 1952) was an American composer, pianist, singer and actor. He made most of his career composing and performing in England in Edwardian musical comedy and revue. He also contributed songs to B ...

and Ida Adams. It was the first production at the St Martin's, which was leased by Cochran.Cochran, Charles Blake. ''The Secrets of a Showman'' (1925), p. 224 Although the critics found the music innovative, and the cast included stars of the day, the show ran for only three months in London. A

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

production followed.

Plot

;Act I The owner of a struggling

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

, Marmaduke Bunn, has severe money troubles. In desperation, he has an accumulator bet on all the horse-races of the day, and when his fancies all romp home he is thrilled by the size of his winnings. A French girl, Liane de Rose, tries to teach Bunn some of the complications of her language. Meanwhile, Tillie Runstead, the star of the circus, is in love with her admirer Peter Carey, a rich young polo player, but is worried because to her dismay her beau's interest appears to be veering towards the circus's dancer Ada Eve.Findon, B. W. ''The Play-Pictorial'', issue no. 177 (vol. 29, 1917), p. 82 ;Act II Tillie makes good use of Ada's cloak and thus catches out her wandering lover. Sadly for Marmaduke Bunn, he finds he has made a mistake about the name of the winning horse in the day's last race, so he has won nothing, after all.

Songs

Tillie sings the title song "Houp La!", as well as "

Pretty Baby Pretty Baby may refer to: * ''Pretty Baby'' (1950 film), a comedy film featuring Dennis Morgan and Betsy Drake * ''Pretty Baby'' (1978 film), a drama film featuring Brooke Shields ** ''Pretty Baby'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film ...

" and "The Fool of the Family", and with Peter she sings the duets "You Can't Love as I Do" and "I've Saved all My Loving for You". Liane de Rose has the comic song "L'Amour est Bon".Theatre collections record view: Houp La!
at kent.ac.uk (

University of Kent The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...

) At least four songs from the show were recorded. "Oh! How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wacki Woo", an interpolated "Hawaiian" number by

Albert von Tilzer Albert Von Tilzer (born Albert Gumm, March 29, 1878 – October 1, 1956) was an American songwriter, the younger brother of fellow songwriter Harry Von Tilzer. He wrote the music to many hit songs, including, most notably, " Take Me Out to the B ...

, was sung in the 1916–1917 London production by Ida Adams. With a female choir and the St. Martin's Theatre Orchestra conducted by James Sale, Adams recorded the song for the

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

at the

Gramophone Company The Gramophone Company Limited was a British phonograph manufacturer and record label, founded in April 1898 by Emil Berliner. It was one of the earliest record labels. The company purchased the His Master's Voice painting and trademark righ ...

studios in

Hayes Hayes may refer to: * Hayes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th president of the United States * Hayes (given name) Businesses * Hayes Brake, an American designer and manufacturer of disc brakes * Hay ...

on 11 January 1917.Gänzl, Kurt. ''British Musical Theatre'' vol. 2 (Oxford University Press, 1986), p. 1153: "'I've Saved all My Loving for You' (Gertie Millar, Nat D. Ayer) HMV 04191 (1917)... 'You Can't Love as I Do' (Gertie Millar, Nat D. Ayer) HMV 04192 (1917)... 'Wonderful Girl, wonderful Boy, wonderful Time' (Gertie Millar, Ida Adams, Nat D. Ayer) HMV 04193 (1917)... 'Oh! How she could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wacki Woo' (Ida Adams w. chorus) HMV 03542 (1917)" On the same day, she recorded with

and Nat D. Ayer the trio "Wonderful Girl, Wonderful Boy, Wonderful Time", a song from the show by Paul Rubens, while Millar and Ayer recorded their two duets from the show.

Reception and aftermath

The play was well-received, and shared an issue of ''

The Play Pictorial ''The Play Pictorial'' was an English theatrical magazine that was published in London between 1902 and 1939. ''The Play Pictorial'' provided pictorial records of West End theatrical productions. Each issue described a single show, with descrip ...

'' with '' Potash & Perlmutter in Society'', but it failed to achieve a long run. It had its 100th performance in February 1917 and closed a week later. Cochran later presented it in Manchester.Cardus, Neville. "Theatre Royal", ''The Manchester Guardian'', 28 May 1918, p. 6 He wrote of ''Houp La!'' in ''The Secrets of a Showman'' (1925): "I had engaged Gertie Millar, George Graves, Ida Adams, Nat D. Ayer, Hugh E. Wright, a French actress new to London, Madeline Choiseuille – and perhaps the prettiest collection of girls ever seen on any stage in the world." He also noted that

Binnie Hale Beatrice "Binnie" Mary Hale-Monro (22 May 1899 – 10 January 1984) was an English actress, singer and dancer. She was one of the most successful musical theatre stars in London in the 1920s and 1930s, able to sing leading roles in operetta ...

had "got her first chance" in ''Houp-La'', as Ida Adams's understudy, but that she had a "harassing debut" because Adams, having insisted on paying for her own clothes, had also stipulated that no understudy should wear them. Reviewing the premiere, the critic of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' wrote: Of the provincial production,

Neville Cardus Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (2 April 188828 February 1975) was an English writer and critic. From an impoverished home background, and mainly self-educated, he became ''The Manchester Gua ...

wrote in ''

The Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' that the music "in its impudent rhythms, adapted from the music hall, and immensely free use of the orchestra, is characteristic of at D. Ayer who has displayed more instinct for the needs of popular music than any of our native musicians." Almost sixty years later, in 1975, a critic noted that "''Houp La'' ... did a lot towards elevating the chorus girl to something more than a grinning background to the stars." In 1977, a member of the 1916 cast recalled in '' The Listener'': "There was a wonderful American woman named Ida Adams in the cast. She was spectacular! They used to keep some staff on at the bank every night, so that she could put all her jewellery back after the show."

Original cast, November 1916

The opening cast included: *Tillie Runstead –

*Peter Carey – Nat D. Ayer *Christopher Blewitt –

Joseph Tozer Joseph Rose Tozer (1881 in Birmingham, Warwickshire – 1955) was a UK, British actor. Musical theatre *''Houp La!'' (1916) Partial filmography * ''The Brass Bottle (1914 film), The Brass Bottle'' (1914) * ''A Park Lane Scandal'' (1915) * ' ...

*Damocles – Hugh E. Wright *Liane de Rose – Madeleine Choiseuille *Ada Eve – Ida Adams *Aggie –

Daisy Burrell Daisy Burrell (born Daisy Isobel Eaglesfield Ratton; 16 June 1892 – 10 June 1982) was a British stage actress and Edwardian musical comedy performer who also appeared as a leading lady in silent films and in pantomime. In 1951 she appeared i ...

*Marmaduke Bunn – George Graves *George Kunstead – Rube Welch *Lady Irene Norbury – Margot Erskine *The Hon. Diana Datchet – Elsie Scott *Annette –

*Betty – Ivy Tresmand *An Ostler – Robert Vincent *An Arab Tumbler – Lucy Marshall *A Trapeze Artist – Olive Atkinson *A Bareback Rider – Cissie Lorraine *Joan – Elizabeth Beerbohm *Peggy – Mabel Buckley *Angela – Violet Leicester *Gladys – Pepita Bobadilla *Louie Owen – Clarice *A Lion Tamer – Mamie Whittaker *A Bear Trainer – Kathleen Gower *A Japanese Juggler – Daisy Davis *A Cockatoo Trainer – Molly Vere *Clowns – Dorothy St. Ruth, Amy Verity *The Compere and Commere – Vera Neville"Vera Neville, then Mrs. Tommy Graves and now Mrs. Hill" (from C. B. Cochran's ''Secrets of a Showman'' (1925), p. 224) and Valerie May

References

External links

Ida Adams sings "Oh! How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wacki Woo", 11 January 1917Nat D. Ayer sings "I Like a Place Where the Peaches Grow" from Houp La!, 1917
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Houp La! 1916 musicals West End musicals British musicals Musicals set in circuses