Charles Herbert Workman (5 May 1872[1] – 1 May 1923) was a singer and actor best known as a successor toGeorge Grossmith in the comicbaritone roles inGilbert and Sullivan operas. He was variously credited asCharles H. Workman, C. Herbert Workman andC. H. Workman.
Workman joined theD'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1894 and played several roles with the company in London before becoming principal comedian, for nearly a decade, with D'Oyly Carte touring companies. He was cast in the comic leads for the two London repertory seasons of Gilbert and Sullivan at theSavoy Theatre in 1906−07 and 1908−09, earning mostly enthusiastic reviews. After this, he left the company and took on the management of the Savoy Theatre. He soon fell out withW. S. Gilbert over his production of the dramatist'sFallen Fairies; Gilbert banned Workman from appearing in his operas in Britain.
Workman subsequently had leading roles in severalWest Endmusical comedies and operettas. In 1914 he relocated to Australia, where he spent much of his later career in his old Gilbert and Sullivan roles with theJ. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, and in a few parts in musicals. At the age of 50 he died at sea near Hong Kong while returning from a Williamson tour.
Charles Herbert Workman was born inBootle, on the outskirts ofLiverpool, Lancashire, the son of Charles Workman and his wife, Sarah,née Forrest.[2] He was educated at Waterloo College, Liverpool, and studied singing under his brother, Albert Edward Workman.[2]
A newcomer to the stage, Workman joined theD'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1894 as Calynx in a provincial tour ofUtopia, Limited, making his debut at theShakespeare Memorial Theatre,Stratford-upon-Avon.[2] In 1895 he played the roles of Pedrillo inThe Chieftain, Bunthorne's Solicitor inPatience and Pennyfather inAfter All!, the curtain raiser for a revival ofThe Mikado. He then created the small part of Ben Hashbaz inThe Grand Duke at theSavoy Theatre, London (1896). He later created the part of Adam inF. C. Burnand andR. C. Lehmann'sHis Majesty (1897; appearing briefly as King Ferdinand when George Grossmith abandoned the part, untilHenry Lytton took over). Workman was Simon inOld Sarah, the companion piece for the first revival ofThe Yeomen of the Guard (1897). InThe Grand Duchess of Gerolstein that year, he played Carl.
Beginning in 1897, Workman was promoted to principal comedian in D'Oyly Carte touring companies, appearing as the Lord Chancellor inIolanthe, Ko-Ko inThe Mikado, and Jack Point inYeomen.[3] He toured with D'Oyly Carte until 1906, appearing as John Wellington Wells inThe Sorcerer, Sir Joseph Porter inH.M.S. Pinafore, Major-General Stanley inThe Pirates of Penzance, Reginald Bunthorne inPatience, the Lord Chancellor, King Gama inPrincess Ida, Ko-Ko, Jack Point, the Duke of Plaza-Toro inThe Gondoliers, and Scaphio inUtopia.[3] He also appeared as Hassan inThe Rose of Persia (1901) and as the Learned Judge inTrial by Jury beginning in 1904. After a brief tour of South Africa with his own company[4] he returned to theSavoy Theatre in 1906 and played the principal comedian roles created byGeorge Grossmith for the company's repertory seasons there and on tour with the company, until 1909, except that he never played a role inRuddigore, as that opera was not in the D'Oyly Carte repertory during his tenure.[5]
In 1907The Times commented, "As the Duke of Plaza-Toro, Mr. Workman surpasses both his predecessors".[6] Of his Jack Point, the paper said: "His patter is delivered with a clearness that neither of the older performers could surpass; he dances as lightly as either, and has as spontaneous a sense of fun. His was the chief triumph of Saturday night."[7] However,The Times warned Workman, "inPatience [he] makes the grave mistake of trying to add fun of his own by clowning to the part of Bunthorne. He is too clever an actor to be allowed to go on in this path without warning."[8] Workman redeemed himself inIolanthe: "The Lord Chancellor of Mr. Workman is a masterpiece, and the whole audience were of one mind as to the double encore for the dancing trio, and the 'Nightmare' song was sung with marvellous glibness."[9]
InYeomen, when Workman was playing Jack Point, in one scene he stood between the ladies portraying Elsie Maynard and Phoebe Meryll. Workman wrote: "I used to kiss the cheek of first one and then the other, quickly and repeatedly, and Sir William thought there was too much kissing for a Savoy audience. 'You would cut the kissing, then?' I said. 'I would not', he returned drolly, 'but I must ask you to.'"[10]
Workman then left the D'Oyly Carte organisation and became anactor-manager. He leased the Savoy and produced two comic operas: Eden & Somerville'sThe Mountaineers (1909), appearing as Pierre, andW. S. Gilbert andEdward German'sFallen Fairies (1909), appearing as Lutin. He then produced anEdwardian musical comedy,Two Merry Monarchs (1910), appearing as Rolandyl, and an opera,Gluck'sOrpheus, (1910).
None of these was a financial success. The production ofFallen Fairies was particularly disappointing, leading to a serious battle between Workman and Gilbert. Workman expected Gilbert's libretto, based on Gilbert's successful earlier playThe Wicked World, to be followed by more works with the dramatist.[11] However, Workman and his financial backers quarrelled with Gilbert over the casting of the librettist's protégée,Nancy McIntosh, as Selene, the Fairy Queen. At the end of the first week of the run, Workman replaced McIntosh. Gilbert angrily forbade Workman from ever again appearing in any of his works on stage in the United Kingdom, although Gilbert could not enforce a prohibition elsewhere or in the recording studio.[12] In 1910 and 1911, Workman recorded songs, mostlypatter songs, for Odeon. Nineteen of these songs were re-issued by Pearl in 1974.[13] It is likely that, but for this conflict, Workman would have continued as principal comedian for the D'Oyly Carte company.[14]
Workman continued his acting career in London, earning good notices, inThe Chocolate Soldier (1910–11, running for 500 performances),Nightbirds (1911) andThe Girl in the Taxi (1912–13).[2] In 1914 he travelled to Australia where he once again appeared in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with theJ. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company (1918 and thereafter). In 1919Rupert D'Oyly Carte wrote to Workman asking him to return to the D'Oyly Carte company: "We intend to present Gilbert and Sullivan at the Savoy again, and if we knew you would be coming to London, we would await your arrival, so that your reappearance and the revival of Gilbert and Sullivan opera might be made two important simultaneous events. You will, of course, play all your old parts. Excellent news, this, if it materialises."[15][16][n 1] In the event Workman did not return and the comic roles were played by Henry Lytton.[15]
In Australia in 1920, Workman appeared in the "mystery musical comedy"F.F.F.[18] He also played Ali Baba in the first Australian production ofChu Chin Chow (1920–21) alongsideLouie Pounds as Alcolom.[19] In 1922–23, he led a tour of India and east Asia with his wife, Bessel Adams, a former D'Oyly Carte singer, playing in Gilbert and Sullivan, again withJ. C. Williamson's company. Adams died suddenly of heart failure on that tour in Calcutta in February 1923. Workman died in May of the same year, just short of his 51st birthday, in a steamer outside Hong Kong, returning from the same tour.[20]
From the Savoy operas, Workman recorded 19 numbers for theOdeon label:Trial by Jury – "When I, good friends, was called to the bar" (1910);The Sorcerer – "My name is John Wellington Wells" (1910);H.M.S. Pinafore – "When I was a lad I served a term" (1910);The Pirates of Penzance – "I am the very model of a modern major general" (1910) and "Sighing softly to the river" (1911–12);Patience – "If you're anxious for to shine" (1910);Iolanthe – "Love, unrequited, robs me of my rest" (1910), "When I went to the bar as a very young man" (1911–12) and "The Law is the true embodiment" (1911–12);Princess Ida – "If you give me your attention" and "Whene'er I spoke sarcastic joke" (1910);The Yeomen of the Guard – "A private buffoon" (1910) "I've jibe and joke" (1910) and "I have a song to sing, o" (withElsie Spain, soprano)" (1911–12);The Gondoliers – "In enterprise of martial kind" and "I stole the prince" (1910);Utopia Limited – "First you're born, " (1911–12);The Rose of Persia – "There was a small street arab" (1911–12). These recordings have been reissued by Pearl on LP and CD. His other recordings are five numbers fromOscar Straus'sThe Chocolate Soldier: "That would be lovely" (with Evelyn D'Alroy, soprano), "Sympathy" (with D'Alroy), "The letter song", "The tale of a coat" (with D'Alroy,Amy Augarde, mezzo-soprano, and Lemprière Pringle, bass) and the Finale, Act II (with D'Alroy, Augarde and Pringle).[21]
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