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The Boy (musical)
Encyclopedia
The Boy is a musical comedy
with a book by Fred Thompson
and Percy Greenbank
(based on Arthur Wing Pinero
's 1885 play, The Magistrate
), music by Lionel Monckton
and Howard Talbot
and lyrics by Greenbank and Adrian Ross
. It opened at the Adelphi Theatre
in London on 14 September 1917, directed by Robert Courtneidge
, under the management of Alfred Butt
, and ran for 801 performances – one of the longest runs of any musical theatre piece up to that time.
The musical was later later produced in Australia, starring Gladys Moncrieff
. It was also adapted for Broadway
as Good Morning, Judge in 1919, by the same creative team, at the Shubert Theatre
, running for 140 performances and then touring successfully. Two songs by George Gershwin
were added to the score, including "I am so Young," published as "I was so Young (You were so Young)." It starred George Hassell (as Mr. Meebles), Charles King
(as Hughie), Mollie King (as Joy Chatterton) and Edward Martindel
(as Col. Bagot).
Although the piece was revived several times by amateur British groups in the 1930s, it has not been seen since then.
, audiences, including servicemen on leave, wanted light and uplifting entertainment, and they flocked to theatres to see lighthearted musical comedies, a number of which broke box-office records. These included The Bing Boys Are Here
(1916), Chu Chin Chow
(1916), and The Maid of the Mountains
(1917). Almost as popular were The Boy and Yes, Uncle!
(1917). Greenbank had worked on a dozen shows with each of Monckton and Ross from 1900 to the time of The Boy, and Talbot and Thompson were also frequent collaborators of theirs in the first two decades of the 20th century.
The plot of The Boy closely follows that of The Magistrate
, although character names have been changed, and some of the original dialogue is retained. In the Play Pictorial feature, B.W. Findon's review of the musical praised the singing of Nellie Taylor and Peter Gawthhorne, and the comedy of W. H. Berry
, as well as the production in general.
Act I
Mrs. Millicent Meebles, a remarried widow, habitually understates the age of her son, Hughie Cavanaugh, to make herself appear several years younger. Consequently, the 19-year-old lad is taken for a 14-year-old boy and appears to be precocious. Hughie, that "Sporty Boy", flirts with astonishing skill with his beautiful music teacher.
Act II
Hughie also precociously introduces his step-father, Mr. Meebles, a magistrate, to the nightclub in the Cosmos Hotel. They are followed by Millicent, who wishes to warn a friend not to divulge the boy's true age. When the nightclub is raided by the police, Mr. Meebles escapes without capture, having a comically difficult time.
Mr. Meebles arrives at court just in time to hear the case that results from the raid and must, as magistrate, sentence his wife and sister-in-law, Diana Fairlie (whose lover is Albany Pope), to incarceration. Fortunately, a fellow magistrate, Mr. Burridge comes to the ladies' rescue by overruling the sentence on a technicality. At home, Millicent confesses that she has exaggerated Hughie's age. All is forgiven.
ACT II - Scene 1 - The Cosmos Hotel, Verrey Street, London W.C.
ACT II - Scene 2 - The Magistrate's Room, Bromley Street
ACT II - Scene 3 - The Garden of Meebles' House
Supplementary items:
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...
with a book by Fred Thompson
Fred Thompson (writer)
Frederick A. Thompson, usually credited as Fred Thompson was an English writer, best known as a librettist for about fifty British and American musical comedies from World War I to World War II. Among the writers with whom he collaborated were George Grossmith Jr., P. G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton and...
and Percy Greenbank
Percy Greenbank
Percy Greenbank was an English lyricist, 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 brother, lyricist Harry Greenbank, had a brilliant career in the 1890s that was cut short by his death at the...
(based on Arthur Wing Pinero
Arthur Wing Pinero
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was an English actor and later an important dramatist and stage director.-Biography:...
's 1885 play, The Magistrate
The Magistrate (play)
The Magistrate is a farce by the English playwright Arthur Wing Pinero. The plot concerns a respectable magistrate who finds himself caught up in a series of scandalous events that almost cause his disgrace....
), music by Lionel Monckton
Lionel Monckton
Lionel John Alexander Monckton was an English writer and composer of musical theatre. He was Britain's most popular musical theatre composer of the early years of the 20th century.-Early life:...
and Howard Talbot
Howard Talbot
Richard Lansdale Munkittrick, better known as Howard Talbot , was an American-born, English-raised conductor and composer of Irish descent...
and lyrics by Greenbank and 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...
. It opened at the Adelphi Theatre
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals...
in London on 14 September 1917, directed by Robert Courtneidge
Robert Courtneidge
Robert Courtneidge was a British theatrical manager-producer and playwright. He is best remembered as the co-author of the light opera Tom Jones and the producer of The Arcadians...
, under the management of Alfred Butt
Alfred Butt
Sir Alfred Butt, 1st Baronet was a British theatre entrepreneur, Conservative politician and racehorse owner and breeder...
, and ran for 801 performances – one of the longest runs of any musical theatre piece up to that time.
The musical was later later produced in Australia, starring Gladys Moncrieff
Gladys Moncrieff
Gladys Moncrieff OBE was an Australian singer who was so successful in musical theatre and recordings that she became known as 'Australia's Queen of Song' and 'Our Glad'.-Early years:...
. It was also adapted for Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
as Good Morning, Judge in 1919, by the same creative team, at the Shubert Theatre
Shubert Theatre
Shubert Theatre or Shubert Theater may refer to:Theatres*Shubert Theatre , New York City, built in 1913.*Shubert Theatre , Connecticut, built in 1914.*Shubert Theatre , California, demolished in 2002....
, running for 140 performances and then touring successfully. Two songs by George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
were added to the score, including "I am so Young," published as "I was so Young (You were so Young)." It starred George Hassell (as Mr. Meebles), Charles King
Charles King (vaudevillian)
Charles King was a vaudeville and Broadway actor who also starred in several movies. He starred as the leading actor in the hit MGM movie, The Broadway Melody , the first all-talking film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.-Early Life:Charles J...
(as Hughie), Mollie King (as Joy Chatterton) and Edward Martindel
Edward Martindel
Edward Martindel was an American stage and film actor. He appeared on Broadway and in 89 films between 1915 and 1946....
(as Col. Bagot).
Although the piece was revived several times by amateur British groups in the 1930s, it has not been seen since then.
Background
During the gloomy days of World War IWorld 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...
, audiences, including servicemen on leave, wanted light and uplifting entertainment, and they flocked to theatres to see lighthearted musical comedies, a number of which broke box-office records. These included The Bing Boys Are Here
The Bing Boys Are Here
The Bing Boys Are Here, styled "A Picture of London Life, in a Prologue and Six Panels," is the first of a series of revues which played at the Alhambra Theatre, London during the last two years of World War I. The series included The Bing Boys on Broadway and The Bing Boys are There. The music...
(1916), Chu Chin Chow
Chu Chin Chow
Chu Chin Chow is a musical comedy written, produced and directed by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, based on the story of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves...
(1916), and The Maid of the Mountains
The 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...
(1917). Almost as popular were The Boy and Yes, Uncle!
Yes, Uncle!
Yes, Uncle! is a musical comedy by Austen Hurgen and George Arthurs, with music by Nat D. Ayer and lyrics by Clifford Grey...
(1917). Greenbank had worked on a dozen shows with each of Monckton and Ross from 1900 to the time of The Boy, and Talbot and Thompson were also frequent collaborators of theirs in the first two decades of the 20th century.
The plot of The Boy closely follows that of The Magistrate
The Magistrate (play)
The Magistrate is a farce by the English playwright Arthur Wing Pinero. The plot concerns a respectable magistrate who finds himself caught up in a series of scandalous events that almost cause his disgrace....
, although character names have been changed, and some of the original dialogue is retained. In the Play Pictorial feature, B.W. Findon's review of the musical praised the singing of Nellie Taylor and Peter Gawthhorne, and the comedy of W. H. Berry
W. H. Berry
William Henry Berry , always billed as W. H. Berry, was an English comic actor. After learning his craft in pierrot and concert entertainments, he was spotted by the actor-manager George Grossmith Jr., and appeared in a series of musical comedies in comic character roles. His greatest success was...
, as well as the production in general.
Synopsis
Mrs. Millicent Meebles, a remarried widow, habitually understates the age of her son, Hughie Cavanaugh, to make herself appear several years younger. Consequently, the 19-year-old lad is taken for a 14-year-old boy and appears to be precocious. Hughie, that "Sporty Boy", flirts with astonishing skill with his beautiful music teacher.
Act II
Hughie also precociously introduces his step-father, Mr. Meebles, a magistrate, to the nightclub in the Cosmos Hotel. They are followed by Millicent, who wishes to warn a friend not to divulge the boy's true age. When the nightclub is raided by the police, Mr. Meebles escapes without capture, having a comically difficult time.
Mr. Meebles arrives at court just in time to hear the case that results from the raid and must, as magistrate, sentence his wife and sister-in-law, Diana Fairlie (whose lover is Albany Pope), to incarceration. Fortunately, a fellow magistrate, Mr. Burridge comes to the ladies' rescue by overruling the sentence on a technicality. At home, Millicent confesses that she has exaggerated Hughie's age. All is forgiven.
Roles and original cast
- Horatio Meebles (Magistrate of Bromley Street Police Court) – W. H. BerryW. H. BerryWilliam Henry Berry , always billed as W. H. Berry, was an English comic actor. After learning his craft in pierrot and concert entertainments, he was spotted by the actor-manager George Grossmith Jr., and appeared in a series of musical comedies in comic character roles. His greatest success was...
- Millicent Meebles (Late Cavanagh) – Maisie Gay
- Hughie Cavanagh (Her Son) – Donald CalthropDonald CalthropDonald Calthrop was an English stage and film actor. He starred as the title character in the hit musical The Boy in 1917. He then appeared in 63 films between 1916 and 1940, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.He was born in London and died in Eton from a heart attack.He was the...
- Diana Fairlie (Her Sister) – Nellie Taylor
- Colonel Bagot (From Bengal, Retired) – C. M. Lowne
- Albany Pope (of Lloyd's) – Peter GawthornePeter GawthornePeter Gawthorne was an Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in Will Hay films. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upon bit part actors during the 1940s and 50s....
- Joy Chatterton (a Flapper) – Billie CarletonBillie CarletonBillie Carleton was an English musical comedy actress. She began her professional stage career at age 15 and was playing roles in the West End by age 18. She appeared in the hit musical The Boy , which led to a starring role in The Freedom of the Seas in 1918...
(replaced in 1918 by Nellie BriercliffeNellie BriercliffeNellie Briercliffe was an English singer and actress best known for her performances in the mezzo-soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
) - Katie Muirhead (Hughie's Music Mistress) – Heather Thatcher
- Mr. Burridge (Magistrate of Bromley Street Police Court) – W. H. Rawlins
- Juniori Fratti (Proprietor of the Cosmos) – André Randall
- Napoleon (a Waiter) – T. Del Lungo
- Mr. Honeyball (Chief Clerk at Bromley Street) – George Elton
- Inspector Eason, Sergeant Dix, and Constable Styles (of the Metropolitan Police) – F. Russell, W. Matthews and George Wilson
- Cash (Servant at the Meebles') – Eddie Garr
- Turner (Maid at the Meebles') – Dorothy Munroe
- Cuthbert Sutton, Lyall Hewson-Galway, and an Elderly Lady (Guests at the Meebles') – R. G. Sydney, H. B. Lane and Marie Clavering
- Tich Ridley (a Young Man) – P. Madgewick
- Doris Cuddley and Winnie Sweet (Friends of Joy) – Gwen Hughes and Dora Fraser
- Principal dancers – Betty Blake and Jean Castaner
Musical numbers
ACT I - Mr. Meebles' House at West Hampstead- No. 1 - Introduction & Chorus - "We will finish the rub and we've only to pay"
- No. 2 - Joy & Chorus - "There are lots of games with childish names, and I know ev'ry one of them"
- No. 3 - Katie, Joy & Hughie - "When you see a lady talking to a friend, why d'you want to interfere?"
- No. 4 - Diana & Pope - "I'm kept busy all day in a general way"
- No. 5 - Millicent, Diana, Hughie, Burridge & Meebles - "This is the day of young folks"
- No. 6 - Millicent & Chorus - "When I used to go to school some time ago, no one thought I was a fool"
- No. 7 - Millicent & Meebles - "All my life through I have yearn'd for Romance"
- No. 8 - Diana & Chorus - "I've some news to tell - you will never guess!"
- No. 9 - Meebles - "When first I practised at the Bar, and earned my reputation"
- No. 10 - Chorus - "Oh, we now must say goodbye, for we really must be going"
- No. 11 - End of Act I
ACT II - Scene 1 - The Cosmos Hotel, Verrey Street, London W.C.
- No. 12 - Introduction and Dance - "Cheer O! Keep your toes a-wagging"
- No. 13 - Joy & Chorus - "It's hard to make my mind up when I am at a ball"
- No. 14 - Pope - "I'm absolutely fed up with all the female sex!"
- No. 15 - Meebles & Hughie, with Chorus - "When two young fellows like us go out upon the spree"
- No. 16 - Diana & Chorus - "There lived a little maid, and oh, her heart was light" ("Little Miss Melody")
- No. 17 - Dance
- No. 18 - Diana & Pope - "I fear I've been a bit of a fool, though as a rule I'm pretty cool" ("Have a Heart")
- No. 19 - Joy, Hughie & Meebles, with Chorus - "The girls all listen and their bright eyes glisten"
- No. 20 - Finale - Scene 1 - "We're stiff and stolid, large and solid representatives of the law"
ACT II - Scene 2 - The Magistrate's Room, Bromley Street
- No. 21 - Meebles - "Ah, can it be? A few short hours ago my heart was light" ("When the Heart Is Young")
ACT II - Scene 3 - The Garden of Meebles' House
- No. 22 - Chorus - "Pansy Day! Pansy Day! Here are some flow'rs for you"
- No. 23 - Meebles & Chorus - "I've not had so much as a wink all the night - it's distressing!"
- No. 24 - Millicent & Diana - "I am feeling quite a wreck ... Well, you are a trifle torn!"
- No. 25 - Finale Act II - "They'll be sporty boys! Rollicking rorty-torty boys!"
Supplementary items:
- No. 26 - Diana & Pope - "Why do you seem cold, uncaring, oh! you beautiful maid?"
- No. 27 - Meebles - "The years roll back; once more I seem to be a rosy-cheek'd and pudding-faced young urchin"
- No. 28 - Diana - "When a girl comes out and goes about to lots of dinners, and dances"
- No. 29 - Millicent & Meebles - "Horatio, do you remember? ... My dearest, how could I forget?"
- No. 30 - Joy & Hughie, with Chorus - "Little Dicky was a wonder at any sort of dance"