|
Henry Pottinger Stephens, also known as Henry Beauchamp (1851 – 11 February 1903),〔Cleeve, Brian & Anne Brady, ''A Dictionary of Irish Writers'' (Dublin: Lilliput 1985) quoted at () give Stephens's year of birth as 1850〕 was an English dramatist and journalist. After beginning his career writing for newspapers, Stephens began writing Victorian burlesques in the 1870s in collaboration with F. C. Burnand and the composer Edward Solomon. Stephens and Solomon wrote several comic operas together that briefly rivalled the Savoy Operas in popular esteem, including ''Billee Taylor'' (1880) and ''Claude Duval'' (1881). He also collaborated with Meyer Lutz at the Gaiety Theatre on burlesques including ''Little Jack Sheppard'' (1885). He worked again with Solomon on one of the first pieces considered a musical comedy, ''The Red Hussar'' (1889). He also wrote novels, plays and pantomimes, and acted in some of these. ==Life and career== "Pot" Stephens was born in Barrow-on-Soar, Leicestershire.〔Cleeve, Brian & Anne Brady, ''op. cit'', give Stephens's place of birth as Dublin.〕 He started his career as a journalist, working for ''The Daily Telegraph'' and ''Tit-Bits'', among others, and was the first editor of ''Topical Times''. He began writing for the stage, and in 1873 his "comedietta" ''Rosebud's Rose'' was presented by an amateur company in Bournemouth.〔''The Era'', 5 January 1873, p. 2〕 He wrote his first burlesque, ''Back from India'', in 1879 under the aegis of German Reed's management at St. George's Hall. The piece, with music by Cotsford Dick, was judged a "decided success" by ''The Era''.〔''The Era'', 29 June 1879, p. 4〕 Stephens soon wrote lyrics for F. C. Burnand's burlesque of ''Rob Roy'', ''Robbing Roy'', at the Gaiety Theatre and collaborated with Burnand on a couple of other burlesques, ''Balloonacy, a New and Original Musical Extravaganza'', with music by Edward Solomon,〔'' The Era'', 9 November 1879, p. 6〕 and ''The Corsican Brothers and Co, Limited''.〔'' The Graphic'', 30 October 1880, p. 427〕 After Gilbert and Sullivan's ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' became a hit, Stephens was inspired to collaborate with Solomon on a comic opera, ''Billee Taylor'' (1880), which played in London at the same time as ''The Pirates of Penzance''. ''Billee Taylor'' received favourable comparisons with Gilbert and Sullivan's piece in the press and caused its authors to be hailed briefly as the equals of Richard D'Oyly Carte's prized writing team. Solomon and Stephens also had a success in ''Claude Duval'' (1881).〔("''Claude Duval'' Produced", ) ''The New York Times'', September 11, 1881, p. 5, accessed 26 October 2009〕 Carte produced successful tours of ''Claude Duval'' and ''Billee Taylor'' in America. In 1882, Stevens obtained Anthony Trollope's permission to adapt the latter's novel, ''Doctor Wortle's School'' for the stage.〔''The Graphic'', 18 February 1882, p. 171〕 In the same year Stephens married, but in 1887 his wife, Elizabeth Alice, divorced him for adultery. There were two children of the marriage.〔''The Era'', 7 May 1887, p. 8〕 Also in 1882, Stephens and Solomon wrote two comic operas, ''Virginia and Paul'', for the rising star Lillian Russell,〔''Glasgow Herald'', 25 September 1882, p. 5〕 and ''Lord Bateman'' for the Gaiety Theatre.〔(Henry Pottinger Stephens ) at Ricorso, accessed 14 October 2009〕 Stephens returned to burlesque with ''Galatea, or Pygmalion Reversed'' in 1883, with music by Meyer Lutz. In the same year he collaborated with the composer Florian Pascal〔Florian Pascal was a pseudonym for Joseph Williams, Jr. (1847–1923), a music publisher and composer. See (Florian Pascal ) at The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive and ("A Thirty-ninth Garland of British Light Music Composers" ) at MusicWeb International〕 on a comic opera, ''The Black Squire''.〔''The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post'', 30 October 1888, p. 3〕 Stephens had further successes with ''The Vicar of Wide-awake-field'' and ''Little Jack Sheppard'' (both 1885, with music by Lutz) under George Edwardes's management at the Gaiety Theatre.〔Parker, J. ("Farren, Ellen (1848–1904)" ),''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 23 Oct 2009〕 In 1884, Solomon and Lillian Russell sued Stephens for libel,〔''The Era, 9 August 1884, p. 8〕 but by 1889 Solomon and Stephens were friendly enough to collaborate on a successful musical comedy, ''The Red Hussar'' (1889), starring Marie Tempest and Arthur Williams.〔'' The Penny Illustrated Paper and Illustrated Times'', 30 November 1889, p. 419〕 Stephens also wrote novels, plays, pantomimes, and an 1899 revue, ''A Dream of Whitaker's Almanack'', with Walter Slaughter, Pascal, Georges Jacobi and Walter Hedgecock.〔''The Era'', 10 June 1899, p. 8〕 He also acted in some of these. Stephens died in London in 1903, aged 51. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Henry Pottinger Stephens」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|