Robert Courtneidge (29 June 1859 – 6 April 1939) was a British theatrical manager-producer and playwright. He is best remembered as the co-author of the light operaTom Jones (1907) and the producer ofThe Arcadians (1909). He was the father of the actressCicely Courtneidge, who played in many of his early 20th century productions.
Courtneidge began as a comic actor in the late 1870s, working withKate Santley,George Edwardes and others. In the early 1890s, he toured in Australia with Edwardes andJ. C. Williamson companies. In 1896, he became a theatre manager inManchester and then a West End theatre producer. In the first years of the 20th century, he began to directmusical theatre pieces and to write or co-write the book for some of his productions, includingTom Jones (1907). His most popular productions includedThe Arcadians (1909),Princess Caprice (1912),Oh! Oh! Delphine (1913) andThe Cinema Star (1914). He directed the hit musicalThe Boy in 1917.
After the war, he presentedPaddy the Next Best Thing, which had a long run, and then took a touring company to Australia, presenting a repertory of comedies. In the 1920s, he returned to producing British provincial tours and became the lessee of theSavoy Theatre, presenting a mixture of productions ranging from Shakespeare to farce. A lifelong socialist, he joined with other managers in campaigning for fair pay and treatment of actors. He also returned briefly to acting. Later in the decade, he presented more West End musicals and operettas, producing his last show in 1930. In 1933 he wrote a novel,Judith Clifford.
Courtneidge was born inGlasgow, Scotland.[1] He appeared as an amateur actor inEdinburgh and later inManchester.[2] At Christmas 1878 he made his professional debut in thepantomimeBabes in the Wood at thePrince's Theatre in Manchester.[1] He toured with theCharles Dillon andBarry Sullivan companies,[3] and later withKate Santley playing Hamet Abensellah inVetah (1886).[4] In 1885 he played Mr. Drinkwater inH.J. Byron'sOpen House, a performance praised byThe Manchester Guardian as "a well-studied sketch of a vain and irritable old widower."[5] He made his London debut in 1887 at theAdelphi Theatre, inThe Bells of Haslemere.[1] His other roles included Pepin inRobert Reece's English version of Auguste Coedes'sGirouette (1889) and Major Styx in a Scots musicalPim Pom set in a monkey house at the zoo.[6]
Courtneidge's wife was Rosaline Maynée Adams (stage name Rosie Nott). She was the daughter of the singer and actressCicely Nott and the sister of three other actresses includingAda Blanche, a well-known pantomime star.[7] In 1892 Courtneidge and his wife went to Australia, where he played comic roles forGeorge Edwardes'sGaiety company in theburlesques,Carmen up to Data,Faust up to Date,Miss Esmeralda andJoan of Arc.[3] He and his wife remained in Australia during 1893 and 1894; he joined theJ. C. Williamson company, appearing inOn 'Change,La Mascotte,Sweet Lavender andPrincess Ida and in pantomime.[8] His daughterCicely was born while he and his wife were in Sydney.[7]
On returning to England, Courtneidge toured withKate Vaughan andMay Fortescue,[1] and in 1895 he played theGrossmith role of the Governor in a tour ofHis Excellency;The Manchester Guardian wrote, "Mr. Courtneidge … though with very little vocal power, knows how to sing a patter song."[9] By 1896 he had taken part in 19 Christmas pantomimes.[8]
In 1896 Courtneidge became manager of the Prince's Theatre in Manchester. The following year, reviewing his progress to date,The Manchester Guardian wrote:
Mr. Robert Courtneidge has made some engagements which promise to maintain the past prestige of the Prince's Theatre as the particular home in Manchester of comedy, light opera, and musical farce. Among the items may be mentionedCharley's Aunt,Morocco Bound,Monte Carlo,Newmarket,Gentleman Joe, a new play by Mr. George Dance,The New Barmaid,The Geisha,Dick Turpin à la Mode, Mr.Edward Terry's season, the visit of theCarl Rosa Company, MissOlga Nethersole's season,The Lady Slavey,Little Tich inLord Tom Noddy,The White Elephant,The Ballet Girl,The Circus Girl, Mr.Van Biene inThe Broken Melody, Mr.Arthur Roberts inDandy Dan the Lifeguardsman. Mr. J. H. McCarthy's new playMy Friend the Prince,Max O'Rell inOn the Continong, and Mr.Lewis Waller in a new play by Mr.Sydney Grundy."[10]
Courtneidge remained in charge of the Prince's Theatre until 1903, but he also gained a footing as a producer and director in the West End of London. In 1898, he produced the successfulGeorge Dance andCarl Kiefert musicalThe Gay Grisette.[3] Among his later productions in Manchester wasA Midsummer Night's Dream in 1901, in which Bottom was played byW.H. Denny and the tiny role of Peaseblossom was played by Courtneidge's eight-year-old daughter Cicely, making her stage debut.[7][11]
On leaving Manchester after seven years, Courtneidge was presented with a scroll inscribed by members of the theatrical profession headed byHenry Irving and the local community headed byC.P. Scott "to one who has done so much for the honour and dignity of the English stage".[12] His career as a producer-director continued in the West End.George Edwardes invited him to directIvan Caryll's comic opera,The Duchess of Dantzic, in 1903.[1] As an independent West End producer, Courtneidge began in 1905 withThe Blue Moon.[13] He soon began collaborating on the books of musicals that he produced, although in some cases he contributed only the minimum needed to allow him to claim an interest in the copyright and royalties of the piece.[3] Among the works credited to him as co-librettist areThe Dairymaids (1906) andTom Jones (1907).[3]
In 1909, Courtneidge became lessee of theShaftesbury Theatre.[1] In the same year, he had his biggest success, withThe Arcadians, which ran for more than 800 performances.[1] This was followed in 1911 byThe Mousmé, an oriental piece in a vein already familiar fromThe Mikado,The Geisha andSan Toy.[14] Despite a lavish production, including a spectacular earthquake scene,[15] it was only modestly successful.[3]
In 1912, Courtneidge joined several other theatre managers in opposing an attempt to abolish theatre censorship. The managers believed that a licence from theLord Chamberlain to present a piece insured them against legal action by the police, local authority or anyone else. Among those whom Courtneidge joined in this successful opposition were Edwardes,Herbert Beerbohm Tree,Charles Frohman,Gerald du Maurier andRupert D'Oyly Carte.[16] In the same year, Courtneidge presented an English version ofLeo Fall'sDer liebe Augustin, asPrincess Caprice, with a cast includingCourtice Pounds and Courtneidge's daughter Cicely.[17] There was some feeling in theatrical circles that Cicely's elevation to star status was due more to her being Robert Courtneidge's daughter than to any special talent.[7]
Of Courtneidge's two productions in 1913,Ivan Caryll's American musicalOh! Oh! Delphine received a strong reception, butThe Pearl Girl was only a moderate success.[3] In 1914 Cicely Courtneidge andJack Hulbert starred inThe Cinema Star, an adaptation by Hulbert andHarry Graham ofDie Kino-Königin, a 1913 German comic opera byJean Gilbert. It was a hit for Courtneidge and ran to full houses at theShaftesbury Theatre until Britain and Germany went to war in August 1914; anti-German sentiment brought the run to a premature and abrupt halt.[7] Courtneidge's next shows,My Lady Frayle,Oh, Caesar! andThe Light Blues (all 1916, the last of which included a youngNoël Coward in its cast)[18] all failed,[19] and the patriotic operettaYoung England was only a modest success.[3]
After these financial setbacks, Courtneidge next produced less expensiveextravaganzas in the provinces, includingOh, Caesar!Petticoat Fair,Fancy Fair (the last two of which he wrote) andToo Many Girls. He directed the hit musicalThe Boy (1917) at theAdelphi Theatre.[3]
In 1920, Courtneidge presented the non-musical comedyPaddy the Next Best Thing at theSavoy Theatre. The reviewer ofThe Times expressed the hope that people in Ireland would not hear of the show: "Ireland has enough grievances to go on with".[20] Nevertheless, the play was a popular success, and ran for 867 performances.[21] Following this, Courtneidge took a touring company to Australia, presenting a repertory of comedies includingThe Man from Toronto,Somerset Maugham'sHome and Beauty, and a work by an Australian author,Saving Grace. Among the company members was Courtneidge's younger daughter Rosaline.[22] He returned to England by way of the US, where he presented Paddy the Next Best Thing in New York.[1]Alexander Woollcott inThe New York Times was no more laudatory than his critical counterpart in London, but the play ran well.[23]
In the 1920s Courtneidge returned to producing British provincial tours, including the old-fashionedGabrielle (1921; composed byGeorge Clutsam,Archibald Joyce and others), which was successful for several years.[3] In 1923, he became the lessee of the Savoy, where his first production wasThe Young Idea by the 22-year-old Coward.[24] He followed this with a mixture of productions ranging from Shakespeare to farce.[25]
During the 1920s, Courtneidge, a lifelong socialist, joined with other managers includingArthur Bourchier in campaigning for fair pay for chorus members and players of small parts. Many other managements lagged behind in this, for instance not paying salaries during rehearsals. Courtneidge said in 1924, "There is a large section of theatrical managers who will not deal justly. The actor is again forced to the wall, and compelled to fight for his rights."[26] He had earlier resigned from the Actors' Association, of which he had been a founder member, disagreeing with itsclosed shop policy, but his indignation at a proposed new standard contract for actors led him to rejoin.[27]
In 1925, Courtneidge returned briefly to acting. After a tryout at his old Manchester theatre, the Prince's, he brought the old farceOn 'Change to the Savoy, winning good notices for his performance in the leading role of a vain and touchy Scottish professor, which he had first played in the 1880s.[28][29] Although Cicely had made her career away from his management since World War I, Courtneidge regularly featured his younger daughter Rosaline in his casts, in such plays asThe Sport of Kings (1924) andThe Unfair Sex (1925), until her early death in 1926 at the age of 23.[30]
Courtneidge returned to presenting West End musical shows in 1927, directingLehár'sThe Blue Mazurka (1927) with English lyrics by Harry Graham atDaly's Theatre.[31] His last London musical wasThe Damask Rose (1930), an attempt to emulate withChopin's music the success ofLilac Time, a piece written aroundSchubert's music. The adaptation was by Clutsam (who had adaptedLilac Time), with Courtneidge as co-author of the book. A strong cast includedWalter Passmore, and the piece won friendly notices.[32] His final production was at the Prince's and on tour, a musical,Lavender (1930), with music by Clutsam.[2][3] In the same year, Courtneidge published his memoirsI was an actor once, and in 1933 he wrote a novel,Judith Clifford.[1]
Courtneidge retired toBrighton, where he died in 1939 at the age of 79.[2]
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