Florence Easton (singer)
Encyclopedia
Florence Easton was a British singer and actress who sang with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
in the early 1890s.
Easton appeared in several small roles, and one large one, in the Savoy Opera
s between May 1892 and June 1894. She was Polly in Captain Billy
, the one-act curtain raiser that accompanied The Vicar of Bray
, in May and June 1892. She created the part of Deborah in Haddon Hall
in September 1892, and in April 1893 she succeeded Lucille Hill as Dorothy Vernon for the last several nights of that opera's run. She also appeared in 1893 as Winifred in Mr. Jericho
, by Harry Greenbank
and Ernest Ford
, another one-act piece that preceded Haddon Hall and Jane Annie
on the Savoy Theatre
bill for a portion of their runs. In 1893, she was supposed to create the small part of Phylla in the first production of Gilbert and Sullivan
's Utopia, Limited
, but her understudy, Miss Howell-Hersee sang the role from 7 October until 7 November 1893, when Easton took over the part.
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
in the early 1890s.
Easton appeared in several small roles, and one large one, in the Savoy Opera
Savoy opera
The Savoy Operas denote a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house...
s between May 1892 and June 1894. She was Polly in Captain Billy
Captain Billy
Captain Billy is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by Harry Greenbank and music by François Cellier. It was first performed at the Savoy Theatre on 24 September 1891 until 16 January 1892, as a curtain raiser to The Nautch Girl, and from 1 February 1892 to 18 June 1892, as a curtain raiser to...
, the one-act curtain raiser that accompanied The Vicar of Bray
The Vicar of Bray (opera)
The Vicar of Bray is a comic opera by Edward Solomon with a libretto by Sydney Grundy which opened at the Globe Theatre, in London, on 22 July 1882, for a run of only 69 performances. The public was not amused at a clergyman's being made the subject of ridicule, and the opera was regarded by some...
, in May and June 1892. She created the part of Deborah in Haddon Hall
Haddon Hall (opera)
Haddon Hall is an English light opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by Sydney Grundy. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on September 24, 1892 for a modestly successful run of 204 performances...
in September 1892, and in April 1893 she succeeded Lucille Hill as Dorothy Vernon for the last several nights of that opera's run. She also appeared in 1893 as Winifred in Mr. Jericho
Mr. Jericho
Mr. Jericho is a comic opera in one act with words by Harry Greenbank and music by Ernest Ford.The work was first performed at the Savoy Theatre, London, on 18 March 1893 as a curtain raiser to Arthur Sullivan's Haddon Hall in March and April 1893, and to Ford's Jane Annie in June and July 1893,...
, by Harry Greenbank
Harry Greenbank
Harry Greenbank was an English author and dramatist best known for contributing lyrics to the successful series musicals produced at Daly's Theatre by George Edwardes in the 1890s.-Life and career:...
and Ernest Ford
Ernest Ford
Ernest A. Claire Ford was an English composer of operas and ballet music and a conductor.-Life and career:Ford was born in Warminster, Wiltshire, England, the son of the vestry clerk and organist there. From 1868-73, he sang in the chorus at Salisbury Cathedral...
, another one-act piece that preceded Haddon Hall and Jane Annie
Jane Annie
Jane Annie, or The Good Conduct Prize is an opera written in 1893 by J. M. Barrie and Arthur Conan Doyle, with music by Ernest Ford, a conductor and occasional composer....
on the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
bill for a portion of their runs. In 1893, she was supposed to create the small part of Phylla in the first production of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's Utopia, Limited
Utopia, Limited
Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's fourteen collaborations, premiering on 7 October 1893 for a run of 245 performances...
, but her understudy, Miss Howell-Hersee sang the role from 7 October until 7 November 1893, when Easton took over the part.