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Howard Vernon (20 May 1848 – 26 July 1921) was an Australian actor best known for his performances in comic roles of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the J. C. Williamson company. In 1872, Vernon began to perform in a variety of operettas with several companies, including Alice May's company, in Australia and on tour in Asia and as far away as England and America. He joined the Williamson company in 1881, where he remained for 25 years, playing comic roles. After 1906, he toured and performed, mostly in England, retiring to Australia in 1914. ==Early life and career== Vernon was born in Collins Street, Melbourne, and grew up in that city. His name was originally John Lett, and he was the son of Richard Lett, a brickmaker, and his wife Jane Catherine, née Williamson. He worked as a clerk at the age of 15 and the next year as a tea-taster and blender. He made his stage debut at the age of eighteen, at Ballarat, Victoria, in a farce, ''Turn Him Out''.〔("Mr. Howard Vernon" ), ''Australian Town and Country Journal'', 28 October 1882, p. 17〕 On 2 February 1870, as Norman Letville, he married an actress, Mary Jane Walker (d. 1905). They had nine children.〔Maslen, Joan. ("Howard Vernon", ) ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 12, Melbourne University Press, 1990, pp. 319–20, accessed 14 June 2012〕 Vernon developed a pleasing light tenor voice. In 1872–73, he played in a season of opera bouffes in Australia with the Alice May company. In their production of ''Cox and Box'', he played Mr. Box.〔Simpson, p. 35〕 With that company, he then toured New Zealand and India. In 1874, with the Lyster Opera Company, he was successful as Myles na Coppaleen in a production of ''The Lily of Killarney''.〔Simpson, p. 37〕 Wellington's ''Evening Post'' said, "Mr Vernon's performance as Myles would suffice to stamp him as an actor of the first order and a very excellent tenor singer."〔(Editorial ), ''The Evening Post'', 8 October 1874, p. 2〕 Later that year, he organised a company of his own, Royal English Opera Company, which went to China. In 1876, in Singapore, Vernon helped to produce Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Trial by Jury'', accompanied by the band of the 74th Highlanders who were stationed there. They repeated the production, as well as mounting ''The Sorcerer'', in India.〔 In 1877 his company travelled to Japan, where he was one of the earliest actors of European descent to appear on the Japanese stage.〔("Howard Vernon" ), ''Dictionary of Australian Biography'', accessed 15 June 2012〕 He later played Ange Pitou in ''La fille de Madame Angot'' and Fritz in ''The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein'' in England with Alice May's company. Vernon then crossed to America and played with Emilie Melville's company in San Francisco.〔〔 He returned to Australia and took parts in light operas such as Gaspard in ''Le Cloches de Corneville'' and Pippo in ''La Mascotte''.〔 His reputation was, however, not fully established until he began to play in Savoy operas with the J. C. Williamson company, with whom he remained for thirty years. In 1881 he played his first such role, taking over the principal comic part of Major-General Stanley in ''The Pirates of Penzance''. He next played Sir Joseph in the company's revival of ''H.M.S. Pinafore''.〔Moratti, Mel. ("Down Under in the 19th Century: Instant Success" ), ''Gilbert and Sullivan Down Under'', accessed 14 June 2012〕 He originated the part of Bunthorne in ''Patience'' later the same year to glowing reviews.〔Moratti, Mel. ("Down Under in the 19th Century: Non-stop Hits" ), ''Gilbert and Sullivan Down Under'', accessed 14 June 2012〕〔Moratti, Mel. (Original Australian production, 1881 ), ''Gilbert and Sullivan Down Under'', accessed 14 June 2012〕 ''The Brisbane Courier'' said of his Bunthorne, "Competent judges say that he is the best representative of the part who has ever appeared, and that his appreciation of the grotesque humour of it is better from an artistic point of view than that of the original performer."〔Moratti, Mel. ("Down Under in the 19th Century: Big Box Office" ), ''Gilbert and Sullivan Down Under'', accessed 14 June 2012. ''The Brisbane Courier'' continued to maintain that Vernon was the finest exponent of the role. After a revival in 1889, its critic wrote, "Mr. Vernon has the credit of being the best man who has appeared in the part, superior even to Grossmith, and he did every justice to his reputation." (("The Opera House" ), ''The Brisbane Courier'', 16 November 1889, p. 5)〕 In addition to Gilbert and Sullivan productions, in 1882, he appeared as Captain Flapper in the comic opera ''Billie Taylor'',〔("Princess's Theatre" ), ''The Argus'', 28 August 1882, p. 4〕 and in the title role in ''Rip van Winkle'' in 1883.〔("Opera House" ), ''The Argus'', 22 December 1883, p. 16〕 Vernon's first Ko-Ko in ''The Mikado'' was in Williamson's 1885 production.〔Moratti, Mel. (Original Australian ''Mikado'', 1885 ), ''Gilbert and Sullivan Down Under'', accessed 14 June 2012〕 He played Sir Marmaduke in the company's ''The Sorcerer'' in 1886 and King Hildebrand in ''Princess Ida'' in 1887.〔〔Moratti, Mel. ("Theatre in Melbourne 1886" ), ''Gilbert and Sullivan Down Under'', accessed 14 June 2012〕 ''The Otago Daily Times'' wrote in 1887 of his Ko-Ko that he "specially shines in his treatment of those lyrics which depend much upon enunciation and bye-play for their effect."〔("The Mikado" ), ''Otago Daily Times'', 10 March 1887, p. 3〕 He also finally played the Lord Chancellor in ''Iolanthe'' in 1887. The same paper commented, "Nothing could be more refinedly humorous than Mr Vernon's Lord Chancellor. ... His conscientious gravity was alternated ... with a wild friskiness that would have appalled Chancery Lane. His excruciating glance supplied ''the'' funny element in the trio 'If you go in'."〔("Iolanthe" ), ''Otago Daily Times'', 19 March 1887, p. 3〕 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「Howard Vernon (Australian actor)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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