No 43 -- 1995 Edited by Michael Walters
To answer your question about Harry Norris's tradition of playing "O Canada" at the beginning, "God save the Queen" at the end of a performance. I know that he did do it, because my mother and her mother attended some of Montreal West's performances back in the 1940s (before I was born) and my mother told me that Harry Norris did the National Anthems at every performance. She is not sure why he did this, but thinks it was probably to keep up a certain patriotic morale during the very troublesome and worrying war years. Then, after the war was over, he kept it going, probably as a tribute to the men and women who fought for victory. I admit that I missed it when Knight [the present conductor] dropped the anthems last year, but I remember thinking at the time my first Montreal West performance that I attended with my mother, that it was a bit wierd having the National Anthem. I remember asking her at that time why they did it, and she just said it was tradition.
ADRIAN WILLISON
Mrs. Alice Gregory, Elwes House, Westgate-on-Sea, Kent.
12 July 1972
Dear Madam, I have had your address from my friend George Baker, who tells me that you are Alice Lilley, soprano formerly with Columbia. I am a collector of records of Gilbert and Sullivan and have admired you greatly; I am also interesrws in contacting anyone in any way connected with the performance of G&S. I wonder if I might be so impertinent as to ask you to tell me something about your career with Columbia and how you came to make the various G&S records; for I know nothing about you apart from your name and your beautiful voice.
17 July 1972.
Dear Mr. Walters. Re my career which has been very varied, & always studied privately. I played all the leads in all the G&S operas with the Hampstead Operatic Society "18 years old playing Yum-Yum". I then became a professional. The late Joseph Batten who was the head of Columbia recording Dept. rang me to deputise for a recording that morning of the Drury Lane, ent[ertainment?] "The Blue Moon" after which I did much of the solo work including all the G&S works which I enjoyed for so many years with them and singing with our mutual friend George Baker who became a very dear friend of my late husband Frederic Gregory Baritone and myself.
Many thanks for your kind remarks about my singing. Nice to be remembered now I've turned 80. Good wishes, Yours sincerely, Alice Gregory.
I wrote again in 1986, on the offchance, but, as I expected, the letter came back undelivered.
The Stage 2 April 1970.
GOLDEN WEDDING. Arthur Lucas and Catherine Ferguson celebrate their Golden Wedding this week. They were married in Manchester in 1920 when on tour with the D'Oyly Carte company immediately before the opening at the Savoy Theatre for a London season. Catherine Ferguson played soubrette parts in the operas and made a notable success, particularly, as Iolanthe. Arthur Lucas was leading tenor and later played leading parts in other musical productions, including Bitter Sweet, The Beggar's Opera, Rose Marie and, as the Red Shadow, for more than 2,000 performances of The Desert Song.
Sherlock Hotel, Brunswick Terrace, Hove, BN3 1HJ.
Dear Mr. Walters. Thank you for your very kind letter - it was nice of you to write. I am an old lady now & a very deaf one - that was the reason for me giving up my stage career - but I am very cheerful & and don't feel my great age - 76!
My husband and I will be very pleased to see you anytime you are down this way - if you could let us know when to expect you - we can then be sure of you finding us in. Although I was leading soubrette in the No 1. company for 7 and a half years & became quite famous (word illegible in brackets) - but the Company did not make any records during my time. We had a house outside London - which we called "Iolanthe" we lived there 40 years - but sold it & contents, 2 years ago, as it was getting too much for us.
We came here to live then & have a suite in this Private hotel. Again thank you for your kind letter.
Yours sincerely, Catherine Lucas
The Stage 1 June 1972.
The funeral of Catherine Ferguson, soubrette of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the early 20s, took place at the Downs Crematorium, Brighton, on May 25. She died in hospital at Hove in her 78th year. She is survived by her husband, Arthur Lucas, leading men in many musicals for some thirty years and for the last 20 years prior to his retirement to Hove, secretary of the Stage Golfing Society. Catherine Ferguson is well remembered by many Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiasts, a number of whom wrote to her on the fiftieth anniversary of her marriage two and a half years ago. She is particularly remembered in her favourite part, Iolanthe.
8/7/91
At the time of writing this, I must admit that I've had time only to leaf through the magazine rather than to study it properly, my free time having been taken up with some fiddly art commissions. However, I did notice that you are anxious to get some response from readers regarding GG. What can one say? - it seems impertinent to offer any criticism - in the pejorative sense of the word - regarding such a fine and all-embracing labour of love which, apart from being informative, reinforces the fraternal feeling among Gilbert and Sullivan lovers from all parts. I must say that my own chief interest is in the historical snippets - obituaries on deceased Savoyards, biographical items, and all those things which are generally lumped under the heading of "trivia" - a word which has an unfortunately dismissive implication which it doesn't necessarily deserve. I must honestly say that I am not really interested in reports of countless productions - good or otherwise - of the operas; but that is naturally only my own response, and does not mean that reports should be omitted (which would, after all, result in a very thin GG each time!). However, being a traditionalist, I have my own definitive ideas on the operas as such, and therefore the way in which such-and-such an opera company decides to do a standard G&S work is of little interest to me - besides which, the performers are only mere names to me. [They wouldn't be to anyone who followed the reviews of a particular company, as the names will recur. Ed.] If the production is adequately "traditional" (I think we all know what this word generally means, allowing for intelligent flexibility) - there's not much added to my knowledge of, or enjoyment of Gilbert and Sullivan as an art form. If the interpretation is "experimental", I lose interest immediately, or else - should it be bizarre - get angry. However, these remarks, as I said, are purely personal, and I can't really think of anything else to say. I repeat that my remarks are not a criticism - only a response. It's like saying that I prefer jelly and cream to plum pudding and custard, I suppose. All I can conclude with is to say, keep up the good work, Michael. Your lovely bulletins of Gilbertian news and chat really do shine like a "good deed in a naughty world".
DAVID THOMAS
Web page created 26 July 1998