| The White Heather | |
|---|---|
 The climactic scene from The White Heather | |
| Written by | Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton |
| Date premiered | 16 September 1897 |
| Place premiered | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Melodrama |
The White Heather is an 1897 melodrama by playwrights Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton. The climactic scene of the play portrays a fight between two underwater divers.
The play debuted at Drury Lane on 16 September 1897, the first produced by new managing director Arthur Collins. Typical of Drury Lane shows of the period, the elaborate production ran for four hours, and included scenes set at the Stock Exchange, Battersea Park, Boulter's Lock, and the Devonshire House Ball of 1897. [1] [2] [3] [4] It had an initial run of 91 performances until 15 December 1897 and returned for 43 more performances from 12 May to 25 June 1898. [5] The Princess's Theatre revived the play in 1899 with Eily Malyon in the cast for 31 performances. [6]
Upon its debut in London, Charles Frohman's London representative William Lestocq immediately acquired the American rights. [7] The play had a successful 184-performance New York run at the Academy of Music from 22 November 1897 to 30 April 1898. [8] [9] [10] [11]
The play had its Broadway debut at the Academy of Music on November 22, 1897. It ran at that theatre for 187 performances; closing on April 30, 1898. [12] The production was directed by Joseph Humphreys and used sets by the painter Ernest Albert. [12]
It was adapted into a silent film of the same name in 1919.
The primary cast included Mrs. John Wood, Henry Neville, Beatrice Lamb, Patti Browne, Kate Rorke, Dawson Milward, and Robert Loraine. [2]
George Wild Galvin, better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall act, for his dame roles in the annual pantomimes that were popular at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, from 1888 to 1904.
Minnie Maddern Fiske, but often billed simply as Mrs. Fiske, was one of the leading American actresses of the late 19th and early 20th century. She also spearheaded the fight against the Theatrical Syndicate for the sake of artistic freedom. She was widely considered the most important actress on the American stage in the first quarter of the 20th century. Her performances in several Henrik Ibsen plays helped introduced American audiences to the Norwegian playwright.
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Julia Emilie Neilson was an English actress best known for her numerous performances as Lady Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel, for her roles in many tragedies and historical romances, and for her portrayal of Rosalind in a long-running production of As You Like It.
Ruth Vincent was an English opera singer and actress, best remembered for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the 1890s and her roles in the West End during the first decade of the 20th century, particularly her role as Sophia in Tom Jones.
Irene Rooke was an English theatre and film actress from Bridport, Dorset, England.
Amelia Swilley Bingham was an American actress from Hicksville, Ohio. Her Broadway career extended from 1896 until 1926.
The Manhattan Theatre was located at 102 West 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, directly across from Greeley Square at Sixth Avenue and 33rd Street. The 1,100-seat theatre opened in 1875 as the Eagle Theatre, and was renamed the Standard Theatre in 1878. All but destroyed by a fire in 1883, it was rebuilt in a more modern style and re-opened in December 1884. In 1898, the Standard was refurbished by architect Howard Constable and renamed the Manhattan Theatre. The theatre was demolished in 1909 for the construction of a flagship Gimbels department store, now the Manhattan Mall.
The Modern Husband is a play by Henry Fielding. It first ran on 14 February 1732 at the Royal Theatre, Drury Lane. The plot focuses on a man who sells his wife for money, but then sues for damages by adultery when the money is insufficient. The play also covers the stories of other couples and affairs and romantic pursuits.
Henry Hamilton was an English playwright, lyricist and actor. He is best remembered for his musical theatre libretti, including The Duchess of Dantzic (1903), The School Girl (1903), Véronique (1905) and The Little Michus (1907), often adapting foreign works for the British stage.
Robert Bilcliffe Loraine was a successful London and Broadway British stage actor, actor-manager, and soldier who later enjoyed a side career as a pioneer aviator. Born in New Brighton, his father was Henry Loraine and mother Edith Kingsley. Robert made his first stage appearance in the English provinces in 1889, prior to serving in the Second Boer War. He introduced the George Bernard Shaw play Man and Superman to Broadway in 1905.
Mabel Gwynedd Terry-Lewis was an English actress and a member of the Terry-Gielgud dynasty of actors of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Gerald Leslie Lawrence was a British actor and manager.
The Lyceum Theatre was a theatre in New York City located on Fourth Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets in Manhattan. It was built in 1885 and operated until 1902, when it was torn down to make way for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower. It was replaced by a new Lyceum Theatre on 45th Street. For most of its existence, the theatre was home to Daniel Frohman's Lyceum Theatre Stock Company, which presented many important plays and actors of the day.
The Madison Square Theatre was a Broadway theatre in Manhattan, on the south side of 24th Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway It was built in 1863, operated as a theater from 1865 to 1908, and demolished in 1908 to make way for an office building. The Madison Square Theatre was the scene of important developments in stage technology, theatre design, and theatrical tour management. For about half its history it had other names including the Fifth Avenue Theatre, Daly's Fifth Avenue Theatre, Hoyt's Madison Square Theatre, and Hoyt's Theatre.
Julie Opp was an American stage actress who was for a number of years popular on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. She was the wife of the Anglo-American actor William Faversham, whom she married shortly after the two co-starred in the 1902 Broadway production, The Royal Rival.
Adrienne Adele Augarde was an English actress and singer popular for nearly a decade on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, primarily for her roles in Edwardian musical comedy.
Isabella Hill, better known as Mrs Howard Paul, was an English actress, operatic singer and actress-manager of the Victorian era, best remembered for creating the role of Lady Sangazure in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Sorcerer (1877).
What Happened to Jones is an 1897 farce by George Broadhurst. It was his first successful play and remained popular for many years, and was also adapted into three silent films.
Florence Isabella Brandon, known by her stage name Florence West, was an English actress, who created roles in new plays by Oscar Wilde and Bernard Shaw. She married the actor Lewis Waller and frequently appeared with him in the West End and on tour until her retirement in 1905.
