Arthur Playfair
Encyclopedia
Arthur Wyndham Playfair (20 October 1869 – 28 August 1918) was an English actor and singer. Beginning in Victorian burlesque and comic opera
s, Playfair became known for his roles in Edwardian musical comedy
and, later, in musical revue
s.
, India. He first appeared on the London stage in December 1887. He went on to create roles in the Victorian burlesque Cinder Ellen up too Late
(1891); the comic opera
The Mountebanks (1892) by Alfred Cellier
and W. S. Gilbert
; as Sir Reddan Tapeleigh, with Jessie Bond
, in the musical comedy
Go-Bang
(1894) by Adrian Ross
and F. Osmond Carr; and the comic opera His Excellency
(1895) by Gilbert and Carr. He created the role of Butler in The Man from Blankley's
(1903 at the Prince of Wales Theatre
, reprising the role in the 1906 revival at the Haymarket Theatre
) to much success.
In 1911, he starred in the title role in Preserving Mr. Panmure. He then starred as Baron Dauvray in The Girl in the Taxi
(1912). He toured the United States in 1901 and 1903, in the latter year appearing in The Man from Blankley's at the Criterion Theatre in New York with Charles Hawtrey, and also appearing there as Bernard Mandeville in Letty in 1904.
During World War I
he appeared in a series of hit revues. In 1914, he played in the successful The Passing Show at the Palace Theatre, London
, followed the next year by Bric-a-Brac and in 1916 in Vanity Fair, both at the Palace. He appeared in the silent film
Judged by Appearances in 1916. In 1917, he appeared in another successful revue, Bubbly, at the Comedy Theatre, London, followed, in 1918–19, by another hit, Tails Up, at the same theatre.
Playfair married the actress Lena Ashwell
OBE
in 1896; he began divorce proceedings in 1903 following her adultery with Robert Taber
, the former husband of actress Julia Marlowe
. Playfair and Ashwell finally divorced in 1908. He was the cousin of the actor Nigel Playfair
.
Playfair died aged 48 in 1918 in Brighton
, England.
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
s, Playfair became known for his roles in Edwardian musical comedy
Edwardian Musical Comedy
Edwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...
and, later, in musical revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
s.
Biography
Playfair was born in EllichpurAchalpur
Achalpur , formerly known as Ellichpur and Illychpur, is a city and a municipal council in Amravati District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has a twin city known as Paratwada.-Geography:...
, India. He first appeared on the London stage in December 1887. He went on to create roles in the Victorian burlesque Cinder Ellen up too Late
Cinder Ellen up too Late
Cinder Ellen up too Late is a musical burlesque written by Frederick Hobson Leslie and W. T. Vincent, with music arranged by Meyer Lutz from compositions by Lionel Monckton, Sidney Jones, Walter Slaughter, Osmond Carr, Scott Gatti, Jacobi, Robertson, and Leopold Wenzel. Additional lyrics were...
(1891); the comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
The Mountebanks (1892) by Alfred Cellier
Alfred Cellier
Alfred Cellier was an English composer, orchestrator and conductor.In addition to conducting and music directing the original productions of several of the most famous Gilbert and Sullivan works and writing the overtures to some of them, Cellier conducted at many theatres in London, New York and...
and W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
; as Sir Reddan Tapeleigh, with Jessie Bond
Jessie Bond
Jessie Bond 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 them with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.Musical from an early age, Bond began a concert singing...
, in the musical comedy
Edwardian Musical Comedy
Edwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...
Go-Bang
Go-Bang
Go-Bang is an English musical comedy with words by Adrian Ross and music by F. Osmond Carr.The piece was produced by Fred Harris and opened at the Trafalgar Square Theatre on 10 March 1894. It ran for 159 performances. The show starred Harry Grattan, George Grossmith, Jr., Arthur Playfair,...
(1894) by Adrian Ross
Adrian Ross
For the NFL player see Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes , 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 F. Osmond Carr; and the comic opera His Excellency
His Excellency (opera)
His Excellency is a two-act comic opera with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by F. Osmond Carr. The piece concerns a practical-joking governor whose pranks threaten to make everyone miserable, until the Prince Regent kindly foils the governor's plans...
(1895) by Gilbert and Carr. He created the role of Butler in The Man from Blankley's
The Man from Blankley's
The Man from Blankley's was a 1930 history epic and comedy film by Alfred E. Green starring John Barrymore and Loretta Young. The film was based upon the 1903 play by F. Anstey, and was considered to be a major comedy masterpiece of the early sound era. The film was Barrymore's first feature...
(1903 at the Prince of Wales Theatre
Prince of Wales Theatre
The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre on Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in the City of Westminster. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner...
, reprising the role in the 1906 revival at the Haymarket Theatre
Haymarket Theatre
The Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...
) to much success.
In 1911, he starred in the title role in Preserving Mr. Panmure. He then starred as Baron Dauvray in The Girl in the Taxi
The Girl in the Taxi
The Girl in the Taxi is the English-language adaptation by Frederick Fenn and Arthur Wimperis of the operetta Die keusche Susanne , with music by Jean Gilbert. The German original had a libretto by Georg Okonkowski...
(1912). He toured the United States in 1901 and 1903, in the latter year appearing in The Man from Blankley's at the Criterion Theatre in New York with Charles Hawtrey, and also appearing there as Bernard Mandeville in Letty in 1904.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he appeared in a series of hit revues. In 1914, he played in the successful The Passing Show at the Palace Theatre, London
Palace Theatre, London
The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. It is an imposing red-brick building that dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus and is located near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road...
, followed the next year by Bric-a-Brac and in 1916 in Vanity Fair, both at the Palace. He appeared in the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
Judged by Appearances in 1916. In 1917, he appeared in another successful revue, Bubbly, at the Comedy Theatre, London, followed, in 1918–19, by another hit, Tails Up, at the same theatre.
Playfair married the actress Lena Ashwell
Lena Ashwell
Lena Ashwell, OBE was a British actress and manager, known as the first to organize large-scale entertainment for troops at the front, which she did during World War I....
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1896; he began divorce proceedings in 1903 following her adultery with Robert Taber
Robert Taber
Robert Schell Taber was an American Broadway actor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.-Biography:...
, the former husband of actress Julia Marlowe
Julia Marlowe
Julia Marlowe was an English-born American actress known for her interpretations of William Shakespeare.-Life and career:...
. Playfair and Ashwell finally divorced in 1908. He was the cousin of the actor Nigel Playfair
Nigel Playfair
Sir Nigel Playfair was the actor-manager of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London, in the 1920s. He studied at University College, Oxford....
.
Playfair died aged 48 in 1918 in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England.
External links
- Playfair in the National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Reviews of Playfair at the Footlight Notes site.