Madeleine Orr
Encyclopedia
Madeleine Grace Orr was an Australian-born film, stage and TV actress who worked for many years in London. She is best known as the first person to portray Madge Allsop
, bridesmaid and companion to Barry Humphries
' most popular and enduring comic character, Dame Edna Everage
.
in 1914, Madeleine Grace Orr was the daughter of Charles Hugh Orr (1883–1932) and his wife Madeleine, nee Walsh, (1888–1961). Charles Orr was a caterer and hotelkeeper by profession, and he and his wife ran a succession of inner city hotels in the early twentieth century including the City Court Hotel and Tattersall's Hotel, both in Russell Street, Melbourne
. After Charles' death in 1932, his widow continued as licensee of the latter hotel for some years thence.
During the 1930s, Charles and Madeleine's like-named daughter maintained a high profile in Melbourne's social circles, with her name often recorded in the women's column of the daily newspapers as a guest at parties, balls and dances. The younger Madeleine Orr was reported present, for example, at a 1934 junior auxiliary dance for the District Nurses' Society, a 1935 charity ball aboard the troopship Duntroon and a 1937 German-themed beer garden party. Such connections inevitably gained her entree into Melbourne's theatrical community. In 1935, Orr was noted as one of several young women who sold programmes and sweets at a special fundraising performance that was held at Her Majesty's Theatre.
's Dark of the Moon, "an unusual folk play with music", which opened at the Comedy Theatre in 1952. For many years, Orr was also associated with the St Martin's Theatre, a small independent playhouse in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. She appeared there in productions of several Australian plays including The Tower by Hal Porter
(1964) and The Jabberwock (1966) by Patricia Napper, as well as the Australian premiere of The Physicists (1964) by Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt
.
Like many Australian actors of her generation, Orr intended to travel to the United Kingdom to further her professional experience and, after several proposed but postponed trips, finally arrived in early 1965 She spent more than seven months in London, living with Australian-born opera singer Sylvia Fisher
and her husband Ubaldo Gardini in their Bayswater
home. During that time, Orr was briefly employed by the BBC and appeared in the television play Verdict. Otherwise, she spent much of her time attending West End shows, including productions of Ivanov (with John Gielgud
) and Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad
(with Hermione Gingold
). She also attended a controversial "late night show" performed by Elizabeth Seal
and her husband Zach Matalon, which closed after that one performance. On her return to Melbourne in December 1965, Orr informed the local press that "I was disappointed by the general standard of theatre in London's West End".
Orr's next major role was in the Australian premiere of the stage musical Robert and Elizabeth
, which opened at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne
, on 21 May 1966, and ran for six months. She reprised her role in the subsequent Sydney production, which was not as successful; it opened on 19 November 1966, but closed less than four weeks later. Orr remained in Sydney for two weeks' rest, returning to Melbourne in January 1967. Her next appearance on the musical stage was in an original Australian show entitled Razza-ma-tazz (and all that Jazz), co-written by John-Michael Howson
, which was produced at the Southland Theatre in 1968.
In a 1966 theatre programme biography, Orr was also described "a composer of popular ballads", whose compositions had been used on many occasions by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
.
During the 1960s, she also appeared on a number of Australian television series including Homicide, and Division 4
. In 1968, she appeared in a pilot for a new TV series entitled Once upon a Twilight, which, inspired by the popularity of The Monkees
, was to depict the semi-fictitious adventures of a real-life local band, The Twilights. Despite much publicity in the local music paper, Go-Set
, the series was cancelled after its principal sponsor, Ford Motor Company, withdrew its backing.
Orr subsequently performed in a new production of Shakespeare's All's well that ends well
, directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie
, which opened at Melbourne's Princess Theatre. On 21 October 1970, for a limited three-week season.
By the early 1970s, Madeline Orr had settled permanently in London, where she appeared in two episodes of Crossroads (1973) and the TV mini-series adaptation of David Copperfield
(1974). She then performed the role of Mrs McFudd in the West End revival of the stage musical Irene
(1976). The latter show included, in the title role, fellow Australian actress Julie Anthony
, who had won acclaim in the 1974 Australian production of the same show. Although Orr had not appeared in that production, her role of Mrs McFudd was played by Australian actress Connie Hobbs, who, ironically, would take over the role of Madge Allsop after Orr's death in 1979.
Madeleine Orr first appeared as Dame Edna Everage's long-suffering bridesmaid and companion in the BBC TV series The Barry Humphries Show (1976). Several photographs of Orr, in character as Madge, were subsequently included in Humphries' book, Dame Edna's Coffee Table Book, which was published in London later that year. In June 1978, Orr returned to Australia to help Humphries publicise his latest LP release, The Sound of Edna. At the record launch, Orr (again in the guise of Madge Allsop) arrived in the back of a panel van and then recited a poem that was purportedly written for the occasion by Dame Edna herself. As Madge explained to the press, "Dame Edna wrote it because I'm a bit of an idiot". A newspaper article describing the event was accompanied by a photograph of Dame Edna (in her punk outfit) with bridesmaid Madge, both straddling a huge motorcycle. One of the songs on the album, titled "My Bridesmaid and I", was dedicated to Madge Allsop; a photograph of Orr, in character, was subsequently included in Humphries' accompanying publication The Sound of Edna: Dame Edna's Family Songbook (1979)
Madeleine Orr then returned to London, where, in her last TV appearance before her death, she played Mrs Hemmings in a 1979 episode of the Arthur Lowe
vehicle Potter.
Orr died of cancer in London on 29 June 1979. A portion of her estate was bequeathed to the University of Melbourne
for the establishment of a scholarship in her memory. The Madeleine Orr Scholarship, which is still awarded annually, is open to full-time students of the Faculty of Music enrolled in a degree course for pianoforte.
Madge Allsop
Madge Allsop is a fictitious character invented by satirist Barry Humphries as the long-time companion of his most popular and enduring character, Dame Edna Everage. First mentioned in Edna's monologues in the 1960s, Madge was subsequently depicted on stage, TV and film, over three decades, by...
, bridesmaid and companion to Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
' most popular and enduring comic character, Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna is a character created and played by Australian dadaist performer and comedian, Barry Humphries, famous for her lilac-coloured or "wisteria hue" hair and cat eye glasses or "face furniture," her favorite flower, the gladiola and her boisterous greeting: "Hello Possums!" As Dame Edna,...
.
Early life
Born in West MelbourneWest Melbourne, Victoria
West Melbourne is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
in 1914, Madeleine Grace Orr was the daughter of Charles Hugh Orr (1883–1932) and his wife Madeleine, nee Walsh, (1888–1961). Charles Orr was a caterer and hotelkeeper by profession, and he and his wife ran a succession of inner city hotels in the early twentieth century including the City Court Hotel and Tattersall's Hotel, both in Russell Street, Melbourne
Russell Street, Melbourne
Russell Street is a north-south street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837. At its southern end it intersects with Flinders Street and Federation Square, while at its northern end it becomes Lygon Street, a street famous for its...
. After Charles' death in 1932, his widow continued as licensee of the latter hotel for some years thence.
During the 1930s, Charles and Madeleine's like-named daughter maintained a high profile in Melbourne's social circles, with her name often recorded in the women's column of the daily newspapers as a guest at parties, balls and dances. The younger Madeleine Orr was reported present, for example, at a 1934 junior auxiliary dance for the District Nurses' Society, a 1935 charity ball aboard the troopship Duntroon and a 1937 German-themed beer garden party. Such connections inevitably gained her entree into Melbourne's theatrical community. In 1935, Orr was noted as one of several young women who sold programmes and sweets at a special fundraising performance that was held at Her Majesty's Theatre.
Professional life
Madeleine Orr started her professional career as a singer, but soon moved into radio productions and repertory and commercial theatre. Her earliest recorded stage appearances, dating back to 1937, included a production of J B Priestley's Duet in Floodlight at the Tivoli Theatre and in a one act-play, Pedlar's Progress, at the Melbourne Little Theatre. In the early 1940s, she was a cast member of two radio serials, Bright Horizons and Golden Sanctuaries, produced by 2CH in Sydney. She went on to appear in the Melbourne season of Doris FittonDoris Fitton
Doris Alice Fitton Mason, DBE was an Australian actress and theatrical director who founded and for 35 years headed Sydney's Independent Theatre, staging a diverse range of local and international dramas, many for the first time in Australia, including Sumner Locke-Elliott's wartime comedy, Rusty...
's Dark of the Moon, "an unusual folk play with music", which opened at the Comedy Theatre in 1952. For many years, Orr was also associated with the St Martin's Theatre, a small independent playhouse in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. She appeared there in productions of several Australian plays including The Tower by Hal Porter
Hal Porter
Harold Edward Porter was an Australian novelist, playwright, poet and short-story writer.Porter was born in Albert Park, Victoria, grew up in Bairnsdale, Victoria and worked as a journalist, teacher and librarian. A car accident just before the outbreak of war prevented him from serving in World...
(1964) and The Jabberwock (1966) by Patricia Napper, as well as the Australian premiere of The Physicists (1964) by Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire...
.
Like many Australian actors of her generation, Orr intended to travel to the United Kingdom to further her professional experience and, after several proposed but postponed trips, finally arrived in early 1965 She spent more than seven months in London, living with Australian-born opera singer Sylvia Fisher
Sylvia Fisher
Sylvia Fisher was an Australian operatic soprano whose stage career was made in England, who was especially distinguished in German opera, and who created the role of Miss Wingrave in Benjamin Britten's Owen Wingrave in 1971....
and her husband Ubaldo Gardini in their Bayswater
Bayswater
Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the west . It is a built-up district located 3 miles west-north-west of Charing Cross, bordering the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens and having a population density of...
home. During that time, Orr was briefly employed by the BBC and appeared in the television play Verdict. Otherwise, she spent much of her time attending West End shows, including productions of Ivanov (with John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
) and Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad: A Pseudoclassical Tragifarce in a Bastard French Tradition was the first play written by Arthur L. Kopit. The play opened off-Broadway at the Phoenix Repertory Theatre in New York City in 1962 and moved to the Morosco Theatre...
(with Hermione Gingold
Hermione Gingold
Hermione Gingold was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric persona, an image enhanced by her sharp nose and chin, as well as her deepening voice, a result of vocal nodes which her mother reportedly encouraged her not to remove. She starred on stage, on radio, in films, on...
). She also attended a controversial "late night show" performed by Elizabeth Seal
Elizabeth Seal
Elizabeth Seal is a British actress. In 1961, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance in the title role of Irma La Douce.-Career:...
and her husband Zach Matalon, which closed after that one performance. On her return to Melbourne in December 1965, Orr informed the local press that "I was disappointed by the general standard of theatre in London's West End".
Orr's next major role was in the Australian premiere of the stage musical Robert and Elizabeth
Robert and Elizabeth
Robert and Elizabeth is a musical with music by Ron Grainer and book and lyrics by Ronald Millar. The story is based on an unproduced musical titled The Third Kiss by Judge Fred G. Moritt, which in turn was adapted from the play The Barretts of Wimpole Street by Rudolph Besier...
, which opened at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne
Princess Theatre, Melbourne
The Princess Theatre is a 1488-seat theatre in Melbourne, Australia.It is listed by the National Trust of Australia and is on the Victorian Heritage Register.-History:...
, on 21 May 1966, and ran for six months. She reprised her role in the subsequent Sydney production, which was not as successful; it opened on 19 November 1966, but closed less than four weeks later. Orr remained in Sydney for two weeks' rest, returning to Melbourne in January 1967. Her next appearance on the musical stage was in an original Australian show entitled Razza-ma-tazz (and all that Jazz), co-written by John-Michael Howson
John-Michael Howson
John Michael Howson OAM, born in Melbourne, Australia in 1936, is an Australian writer, reporter and entertainer and 3AW commentator...
, which was produced at the Southland Theatre in 1968.
In a 1966 theatre programme biography, Orr was also described "a composer of popular ballads", whose compositions had been used on many occasions by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
.
During the 1960s, she also appeared on a number of Australian television series including Homicide, and Division 4
Division 4
Division 4 was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 300 episodes....
. In 1968, she appeared in a pilot for a new TV series entitled Once upon a Twilight, which, inspired by the popularity of The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
, was to depict the semi-fictitious adventures of a real-life local band, The Twilights. Despite much publicity in the local music paper, Go-Set
Go-Set
Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble...
, the series was cancelled after its principal sponsor, Ford Motor Company, withdrew its backing.
Orr subsequently performed in a new production of Shakespeare's All's well that ends well
All's Well That Ends Well
All's Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1604 and 1605, and was originally published in the First Folio in 1623....
, directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie
Tyrone Guthrie
Sir William Tyrone Guthrie was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, at his family's home, Annaghmakerrig, in County Monaghan, Ireland.-Life and career:Guthrie...
, which opened at Melbourne's Princess Theatre. On 21 October 1970, for a limited three-week season.
By the early 1970s, Madeline Orr had settled permanently in London, where she appeared in two episodes of Crossroads (1973) and the TV mini-series adaptation of David Copperfield
David Copperfield (1974 TV serial)
David Copperfield was a six-part television serial version of the Charles Dickens novel first shown on BBC1 in 1974, a co-production with Time-Life Television Productions. It starred David Yelland as David Copperfield, Martin Jarvis as Uriah Heep, and Arthur Lowe as Wilkins Micawber...
(1974). She then performed the role of Mrs McFudd in the West End revival of the stage musical Irene
Irene (musical)
Irene is a musical with a book by James Montgomery, lyrics by Joseph McCarthy, and music by Harry Tierney.Based on Montgomery's play Irene O'Dare, it is set in New York City's Upper West Side and focuses on immigrant shop assistant Irene O'Dare, who is introduced to Long Island's high society when...
(1976). The latter show included, in the title role, fellow Australian actress Julie Anthony
Julie Anthony (Australian singer)
Julie Moncrief Lush OBE AM , better known as Julie Anthony, is an Australian entertainer. She sang the Australian National Anthem at the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics with Human Nature....
, who had won acclaim in the 1974 Australian production of the same show. Although Orr had not appeared in that production, her role of Mrs McFudd was played by Australian actress Connie Hobbs, who, ironically, would take over the role of Madge Allsop after Orr's death in 1979.
Madeleine Orr first appeared as Dame Edna Everage's long-suffering bridesmaid and companion in the BBC TV series The Barry Humphries Show (1976). Several photographs of Orr, in character as Madge, were subsequently included in Humphries' book, Dame Edna's Coffee Table Book, which was published in London later that year. In June 1978, Orr returned to Australia to help Humphries publicise his latest LP release, The Sound of Edna. At the record launch, Orr (again in the guise of Madge Allsop) arrived in the back of a panel van and then recited a poem that was purportedly written for the occasion by Dame Edna herself. As Madge explained to the press, "Dame Edna wrote it because I'm a bit of an idiot". A newspaper article describing the event was accompanied by a photograph of Dame Edna (in her punk outfit) with bridesmaid Madge, both straddling a huge motorcycle. One of the songs on the album, titled "My Bridesmaid and I", was dedicated to Madge Allsop; a photograph of Orr, in character, was subsequently included in Humphries' accompanying publication The Sound of Edna: Dame Edna's Family Songbook (1979)
Madeleine Orr then returned to London, where, in her last TV appearance before her death, she played Mrs Hemmings in a 1979 episode of the Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
vehicle Potter.
Personal life
In September 1952, Madeline Orr announced her engagement to John Reed Hearly of Elwood.Orr died of cancer in London on 29 June 1979. A portion of her estate was bequeathed to the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
for the establishment of a scholarship in her memory. The Madeleine Orr Scholarship, which is still awarded annually, is open to full-time students of the Faculty of Music enrolled in a degree course for pianoforte.
Stage Plays and Musicals
- Duet in Floodlight (Melbourne, 1937)
- Pedlar's progress (Melbourne, 1937)
- Dark of the Moon (Melbourne, 1952)
- The Tower (Melbourne, 1964) – as "Aunt Hester"
- The Physicists (Melbourne, 1964) – as "Doktor Mathilde von Zahnd"
- The Jabberwock (Melbourne, 1966) – as "Moira Charleton"
- Robert and Elizabeth (Melbourne and Sydney, 1966) – as "Wilson"
- Razza-ma-tazz (and all that Jazz) (Melbourne, 1968)
- All's well that ends well (Melbourne, 1970)
- Irene (London, 1976) - as "Mrs McFudd"
Television
- Verdict (BBC, 1965)
- Hey, you! (Australia, 1967)
- Good morning, Mrs Doubleday (Australia, 1969)
- Division 4 (Australia, 1969–70)
- Crossroads (ATV, 1973)
- The Barry Humphries Show (BBC, 1976)
- Potter (BBC, 1979)
Radio
- Bright Horizons (Radio 2CH, 1942)
- Golden Sanctuary (Radio 2CH, 1942)
- David's Children (Radio 3DB, 1952) - as "Eve Hamilton"