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Violet Melnotte (2 May 1855–17 September 1935), was a stage performer and actress-manager and theatre owner of the late 19th century and early 20th century. She was the wife of Gilbert and Sullivan performer Frank Wyatt, whom she met when they both appeared in the hit operetta ''Erminie''. Melnotte performed in comic opera and pantomime in London and the British provinces for eight years before venturing into theatre management in 1885. After this, she continued to perform while managing several West End theatres. She and her husband built the Duke of York's Theatre in 1892, and she owned the theatre for four decades. In 1910 she built the Duke of York's Picture House in Brighton, a state-of-the-art facility. ==Early life and career== Born in Birmingham in 1855 as Emma Solomon, the daughter of Henry Solomon (born 1831), a general dealer, and later a traveller in jewellery, and his wife Ellen (''née'' Coley), in 1872 she married Thomas Hopkins in Birmingham and had a daughter, Ellen 'Nellie' (born c. 1876). Melnotte made her professional debut in a pantomime at the Theatre Royal in Hull in the mid-1870s. She made her London debut in October 1876 as Fezz in ''Bluebeard'' at the Folly Theatre. In early 1877 Melnotte appeared as a Tittlebat-fisher in Richard D'Oyly Carte's operetta ''Happy Hampstead'' at the Royalty Theatre.〔 She performed in comic opera and pantomime in London and the British provinces for eight years before venturing into theatre management with the Avenue Theatre in 1885.〔("Miss Violet Melnotte: Death of London Theatre Owner" ), ''The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser'', 30 September 1935, p. 11〕 She was manager of the Comedy Theatre when her Miss Violet Melnotte's Comic Opera Company launched the original British production of Edward Jakobowski's comic opera ''Erminie'' (1885), which went on to become an international sensation.〔("''Erminie''" ), Victoria and Albert Museum, East London Theatre Archive Collection, accessed 25 April 2014〕 Melnotte played the role of Cerise Marcel in the production. In 1886 she secured the British rights to Ivan Caryll's first theatre piece, ''Lily of Léoville'', which she also presented at the Comedy Theatre and appeared in as Turlurette. Also in 1886 she married the future D'Oyly Carte Opera Company actor Frank Wyatt.〔Stone, David. (''Violet Melnotte (1855–1935)'' ), Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, (Boise State University), accessed 25 April 2014〕 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「Violet Melnotte」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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