During the gloomy days ofWorld War I, 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 includedThe Bing Boys Are Here (1916),Chu Chin Chow (1916), andThe Maid of the Mountains (1917).[1] Almost as popular wereThe Boy,The Happy Day (1916) andYes, Uncle! (1917). Greenbank had worked on a dozen shows with each of Monckton and Ross from 1900 to the time ofThe Boy, and Talbot and Thompson were also frequent collaborators of theirs in the first two decades of the 20th century.[2]
The plot ofThe Boy closely follows that ofThe Magistrate, although character names have been changed, and some of the original dialogue is retained. In thePlay Pictorial feature, B.W. Findon's review of the musical praised the singing of Nellie Taylor and Peter Gawthhorne, and the comedy ofW. H. Berry, as well as the production in general.[3]
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 over-ruling the sentence on a technicality. At home, Millicent confesses that she has exaggerated Hughie's age. All is forgiven.
The Boy opened at theAdelphi Theatre in London on 14 September 1917, directed byRobert Courtneidge, under the management ofAlfred Butt. The production ran for 801 performances – one of the longest runs of any musical theatre piece up to that time.[4]
An Australian production opened at theTheatre Royal in Melbourne on 23 October 1920, starring Arthur Stigant, Lance Lister andGladys Moncrieff, where it ran until 22 January 1921.[5][6] The production later toured to Sydney, where it opened atHer Majesty's Theatre on 17 December 1921, and then Adelaide in November 1922.[7][8][9]
It was adapted for Broadway asGood Morning, Judge in 1919, by the same creative team, at theShubert Theatre, running for 140 performances and then touring successfully.[10] Two songs byGeorge Gershwin were added to the score, including "I am so Young", published as "I was so Young (You were so Young)."[11] It starred George Hassell as Mr. Meebles,Charles King as Hughie, Mollie King as Joy Chatterton andEdward Martindel as Col. Bagot.[12]
Although the piece was revived several times by amateur British groups in the 1930s, it has not been seen since then.[13]
^"Theatre Royal – the Boy".The Age. No. 20, 460. Victoria, Australia. 25 October 1920. p. 8. Retrieved27 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"At the Sign of Four O'".The Critic. Vol. XXXI, no. 1195. Adelaide. 19 January 1921. p. 20. Retrieved27 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"The Boy".The Sydney Mail. Vol. XX, no. 508. New South Wales, Australia. 21 December 1921. p. 15. Retrieved27 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
