Sylvia Cecil
Encyclopedia
Sylvia Cecil was an English singer and actress. She began her career in the Gilbert and Sullivan
operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
. She soon moved on to musical comedy
, including the musicals of Ivor Novello
and Noël Coward
, as well as variety and radio. Her career spanned at least five decades.
.
to play the leading role of the Plaintiff in Trial by Jury
, as well as the smaller roles of the Lady Ella in Patience
, Peep-Bo in The Mikado
and Fiametta in The Gondoliers
. In 1919 she added the principal soprano
roles of Patience in Patience, the title role in Princess Ida
(recreating that role for the company's first London revival of the opera in 1919), Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Elsie Maynard in The Yeomen of the Guard
and Casilda in The Gondoliers
. In 1920, she added to her repertory the role of Rose Maybud in Ruddigore
, recreating that role when the opera was revived for the first time in Glasgow
and then in London. Critics from The Observer
praised Cecil for her performances as Patience, Princess Ida and Elsie, but Neville Cardus
in The Manchester Guardian thought her Yum-Yum, "not quite in the right key.... She sang rather finely but her song at the beginning of Act II does not ask for a full-blown concert method." Another critic of the same paper thought her voice "a little light" for Patience, but added that "she has gaiety and charm, and that is much."
Cecil left the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1921 and began to perform in musical comedy
. In 1922 she played Paula in Angel Face by Victor Herbert
. Cardus said of her performance in Katja the Dancer, that the piece "will not lose friends in Manchester
with Miss Sylvia Cecil in the cast; it will be considered a virtue in her manner that at times it is not unlike the manner of Miss José Collins
." In 1928, she played Flora Campbell in Blue Eyes at the then-new Piccadilly Theatre
. She rejoined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for the first half of 1930, playing the roles of Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore
, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance
, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Rose Maybud in Ruddigore and Gianetta in The Gondoliers.
Cecil performed with the Co-optimists troupe in 1931. She also performed in music hall
and variety in the early 1930s. In 1935, she starred in Shout for Joy at the Blackpool
Opera House. She also began singing on the radio in the 1930s.
Cecil rejoined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company again in 1936. During D'Oyly Carte's 36-week American tour, she played Ida, Patience, Josephine, Elsie, Gianetta and Yum-Yum. During that visit, she sang the duet "Prithee, pretty maiden" from Patience with Derek Oldham
at a White House
party before the presidential inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
. She continued with the company until mid-1937, playing the same roles as she had played on the American tour.
at the London Coliseum. Together with Martyn Green
, she toured Variety Halls during the early years of World War II
. They called their act Words with Music, featuring songs from Gilbert and Sullivan
. In the 1940s, Cecil continued to sing regularly on the radio with a variety of orchestras. In 1945 she appeared in Perchance to Dream
by Ivor Novello
. She next starred as Rosa Cariatanza in Pacific 1860
by Noël Coward
opposite Mary Martin
in 1946. Theatre World wrote of her performance, "it stirs the audience to a semblance of life". In 1948–49 she toured in a long-running revival of Novello's Glamorous Night
.
She starred as Rita in Coward's Ace of Clubs
with Pat Kirkwood and Graham Payn
in 1950. Theatre.com wrote of the cast album, "All three stars shine in this smart, sophisticated and amusing score." In 1953 she appeared in Novello's King's Rhapsody
. The Manchester Guardian said, "The production... is worth seeing for the performance of Sylvia Cecil. While all the rest of the cast are straining every sinew to put their parts over (and showing it), Miss Cecil gives the impression of playing with no effort at all. She makes no attempt to take the limelight, but succeeds in being more convincing than all the rest put together. It is a brilliant performance." In 1955, Cecil sang in a revival of Novello's The Dancing Years
staged on ice with a cast of 80 skaters.
Cecil appeared at the Savoy Theatre
in 1975 with other former members of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the chorus of Trial by Jury at the last night Centenary production of that opera. After the performance, she spoke before the curtain thanking the audience on behalf of the "old favourites" for their warm reception.
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...
operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
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...
. She soon moved on to musical comedy
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, including the musicals of Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
and Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
, as well as variety and radio. Her career spanned at least five decades.
Biography
Cecil was born in London, England. She attended the Guildhall School of Music and made her stage debut in 1914 playing Titania in a youth production of A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
.
Early career
In 1918, Cecil was engaged by the D'Oyly Carte Opera CompanyD'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...
to play the leading role of the Plaintiff in Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
, as well as the smaller roles of the Lady Ella in Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
, Peep-Bo in The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
and Fiametta in The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
. In 1919 she added the principal soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
roles of Patience in Patience, the title role in Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
(recreating that role for the company's first London revival of the opera in 1919), Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Elsie Maynard in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
and Casilda in The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
. In 1920, she added to her repertory the role of Rose Maybud in Ruddigore
Ruddigore
Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
, recreating that role when the opera was revived for the first time in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and then in London. Critics from The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
praised Cecil for her performances as Patience, Princess Ida and Elsie, but Neville Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
in The Manchester Guardian thought her Yum-Yum, "not quite in the right key.... She sang rather finely but her song at the beginning of Act II does not ask for a full-blown concert method." Another critic of the same paper thought her voice "a little light" for Patience, but added that "she has gaiety and charm, and that is much."
Cecil left the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1921 and began to perform in musical comedy
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
. In 1922 she played Paula in Angel Face by Victor Herbert
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer, cellist and conductor. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I...
. Cardus said of her performance in Katja the Dancer, that the piece "will not lose friends in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
with Miss Sylvia Cecil in the cast; it will be considered a virtue in her manner that at times it is not unlike the manner of Miss José Collins
Jose Collins
Jose Collins was an English actress and singer celebrated for her performances in musical comedies and early motion pictures.-Life and career:...
." In 1928, she played Flora Campbell in Blue Eyes at the then-new Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
. She rejoined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for the first half of 1930, playing the roles of Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Rose Maybud in Ruddigore and Gianetta in The Gondoliers.
Cecil performed with the Co-optimists troupe in 1931. She also performed in music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
and variety in the early 1930s. In 1935, she starred in Shout for Joy at the Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
Opera House. She also began singing on the radio in the 1930s.
Cecil rejoined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company again in 1936. During D'Oyly Carte's 36-week American tour, she played Ida, Patience, Josephine, Elsie, Gianetta and Yum-Yum. During that visit, she sang the duet "Prithee, pretty maiden" from Patience with Derek Oldham
Derek Oldham
Derek Oldham was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
at a White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
party before the presidential inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. She continued with the company until mid-1937, playing the same roles as she had played on the American tour.
Later years
Cecil continued to act both in London and on provincial tours for many years and appeared regularly in concerts. She performed in Les Folies des Paris et Londres at the Prince of Wales's Theatre in 1937. In 1941, she appeared in the film Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (released in the U.S. as Mail Train). In 1942, she starred in the title role of a revival of The Maid of the MountainsThe Maid of the Mountains
The Maid of the Mountains, called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W...
at the London Coliseum. Together with Martyn Green
Martyn Green
William Martyn-Green , better known as Martyn Green, was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his work as principal comedian in the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas, which he performed and recorded with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and other troupes.After army service in World War I,...
, she toured Variety Halls during the early years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. They called their act Words with Music, featuring songs from 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...
. In the 1940s, Cecil continued to sing regularly on the radio with a variety of orchestras. In 1945 she appeared in Perchance to Dream
Perchance to Dream (musical)
Perchance to Dream is a musical romance with book, lyrics and music by Ivor Novello. It was the only musical for which Novello wrote lyrics. The title is a quotation from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet...
by Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
. She next starred as Rosa Cariatanza in Pacific 1860
Pacific 1860
Pacific 1860 is a musical written by Noël Coward. The story is set in a fictional Pacific British Colony during the reign of Queen Victoria. It involves a visiting Prima Donna and her conflict between love and career...
by Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
opposite Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
in 1946. Theatre World wrote of her performance, "it stirs the audience to a semblance of life". In 1948–49 she toured in a long-running revival of Novello's Glamorous Night
Glamorous Night
Glamorous Night is a musical with a book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall, Novello's collaborator in six of the eight Novello musicals staged between 1935 and 1951...
.
She starred as Rita in Coward's Ace of Clubs
Ace of Clubs (musical)
Ace of Clubs is a 1950 musical written, composed and directed by Noël Coward. The show is set in a 1949 London nightclub called "Ace of Clubs". Nightclub singer Pinkie Leroy falls in love with a sailor. Pinkie and her lover get mixed up with gangsters, a lost package and a missing diamond necklace...
with Pat Kirkwood and Graham Payn
Graham Payn
Graham Payn was a South African-born English actor and singer, also known for being the life partner of the playwright Noël Coward. Beginning as a boy soprano, Payn later made a career as a singer and actor in the works of Coward and others...
in 1950. Theatre.com wrote of the cast album, "All three stars shine in this smart, sophisticated and amusing score." In 1953 she appeared in Novello's King's Rhapsody
King's Rhapsody
King's Rhapsody is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall.The musical was first produced at the Palace Theatre, London, on 15 September 1949 and ran for 841 performances, surviving its author, who died in 1951...
. The Manchester Guardian said, "The production... is worth seeing for the performance of Sylvia Cecil. While all the rest of the cast are straining every sinew to put their parts over (and showing it), Miss Cecil gives the impression of playing with no effort at all. She makes no attempt to take the limelight, but succeeds in being more convincing than all the rest put together. It is a brilliant performance." In 1955, Cecil sang in a revival of Novello's The Dancing Years
The Dancing Years
The Dancing Years is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall. The piece is one of Novello's most popular musicals...
staged on ice with a cast of 80 skaters.
Cecil appeared at 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,...
in 1975 with other former members of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the chorus of Trial by Jury at the last night Centenary production of that opera. After the performance, she spoke before the curtain thanking the audience on behalf of the "old favourites" for their warm reception.
External links
- Photos of Sylvia Cecil
- Postcards, including one of Cecil as Marta in Catherine
- Photos, including two of Cecil
- Photo of Cecil as "The Plaintiff"
- Photo of Cecil as Princess Ida
- Photo of Cecil as Patience
- Autographed photo of Cecil
- Royal Doulton figurine of Elsie Maynard by CJ Noke, first issued in 1924, series HN 639, based on Cecil.