Rosy Rapture

Examiner of Plays' Summary:

Sir J Barrie pokes fun at all sorts of plays in this production. Appreciation of it must depend a good deal on interest in the things burlesqued, but there are a great many funny touches, chiefly of detail and in comical 'effects' which should amuse anybody. The idea running through the whole and giving it such coherence as it has, is that Rosy, once an actress and now married to a peer, is always unhappy at 8pm: the problem is to discover what other such couples do at that time and meanwhile she wants to go back to the stage and it is suggested that she is not good enough for the chorus but can only be a leading lady. (A slightly hackneyed joke, I am afraid). With this as the main idea we have in scene I a burlesque of the play with the wardrobe occupied by the husband, therefore innocent, and in scene II, a burlesque of the old 'triangle play' with the lover, now out of his job. Scene III is chiefly cinematograph imitations, with Rosy seeking to return to the stage and the lover of Scene II cropping up in disguises. In it there is interpolated a slightly burlesque of the German officer sketch. He disappears very soon, however, and the rest of this episode is an English soldier flirting with a French girl, both hampered by language and the dubious about Lord Kitchener’s famous instructions in such matters. This, of course, might have been done in a way which could not have been allowed, but done, as it is, with Barrie's lightest touch and complete innocence. I do not think anyone could find in it disrespect to Lord Kitchener. (Scene III, pages 5 seq). Scene IV is the 'receding chin's club) with a burlesque of comic opera or revue chorus business. Scene V burlesques both old-fashioned melodrama and 'David Copperfield'. Scene VI is real cinematograph with Rosy's baby touring about in her 'pram' to find out the secret of 8pm, and in scene VII we have the secret disclosed, which turns out to be the guests and servants doing a musical comedy chorus, and the final extinguishing of the old conventional lover. It is all good fun and at times ingeniously humorous. I have mentioned the soldier-French-girl-Kitchener's-instructions episode, in my opinion harmless, but the only thing I think should be altered is, scene IV, page 3. 'The Hon Mrs Lasceles' as the name of a chorus lady, as that is an actual aristocratic name. Songs, not given, are occasionally mentioned, and these, as a matter of rule, should be sent, though I do not doubt they are innocent. Recommended for license. G. S. Street. Handwritten after 'the songs have now come and are pretty and amusing' GSS.

Researcher's Summary:

Daily 22/3/1915 – 29/5/1915 except 25/5/1915. Matinees Thursday and Saturday. Search “Rosy Rapture” produced over 500 citations in National Newspaper Archive between 10 March 1915 and 1 May 1948. Notices of first planned performance to take place Tuesday 16 March 1915 in multiple publications 10-14 March 1915 (eg Westminster Gazette - Wednesday 10 March 1915 p8, includes cast). First performance postponed to Monday 22 March 1915 (Westminster Gazette - Monday 15 March 1915 p10). Purported interview with Gaby Deslys syndicated across several publications (eg Dundee Evening Telegraph - Monday 15 March 1915 p5). Suggestion of artistic differences between Gaby Deslys and Sir James Barrie behind opening night postponement (Aberdeen Press and Journal - Tuesday 16 March 1915 p5). Caricature of Gaby Deslys (The Sketch - Wednesday 17 March 1915 p3). Reports of “storm of criticism” before opening night (eg Stonehaven Journal - Thursday 18 March 1915 p3). “The of Duke of York’s theatre will not be open to the public on the occasion of the production of Sir J. Barrie’s new play Rosy Rapture.” (London Evening Standard - Saturday 20 March 1915 p8). Sir J.M. Barrie absent from opening night owing to the news that one of his adopted sons, Lieut. G. Llewellyn Davies, had been killed the front (Leeds Mercury - Monday 22 March 1915 p4). Duke of York’s. This evening. Charles Frohman presents Mdlle. Gaby Deslys in Rosy Rapture, The Pride of the Beauty Chorus, by J. M. Barrie. Preceded by The New Word by J. M. Barrie. The curtain will rise at 7:30 prompt, and on subsequent evenings at 8:15. First Matinée Thursday next, March 25th at 2:15 and every Thursday and Saturday following (Westminster Gazette - Monday 22 March 1915 p7). Over twenty near universally negative reviews in publications throughout the country following the opening night eg “At a few minutes after 8 o’clock began the Barrie revue, called “Rosy Rapture, the Pride of the Beauty Chorus” and it lasted without intermission for more than two hours. Here and there it exhibited amusing, whimsical touches such as one expects from its distinguished author, but most of it was quite commonplace, and much very tedious. Unfortunately, too, the principal actress, Miss Gaby Deslys, has far too much to do. … On the whole “Rosy Rapture” is a tiresome entertainment, and painfully disappointing, having regard to the name of its author”. The preceding play “The New Word” much better received. (The Scotsman - Tuesday 23 March 1915 p5). However: “Everybody who is anybody in the theatrical world paid their tributes to Miss Deslys after her triumph in the new Barrie revue, "Rosy Rapture," at the Duke of York's Theatre” (Dundee Evening Telegraph - Wednesday 24 March 1915 p5). The costumes impressed as did the (presumably invited) first night audience: Monday – We Rosy-raptured at the Duke of York’s Theatre, wondering to find nearly all the best people in the worst seats, the finest milliners, the greatest drapers and the professional financiers occupying the front rows. However, we agreed not to grumble as we sat in gloom beneath the projecting circle to realise our near neighbours were Arnold Bennett with his wife, who was exploiting a new hair ornament of leaves and a gardenia; Lady Mond, with a diamond and emerald pendant on her forehead; Lady Lewis, whose greying hair perfectly matched her chinchilla scarf; and Mrs. Gatti, beautifully becoming a Brobdingnagian white fox boa. In a box above us I saw the Duchess of Rutland with two fair daughters, both prettily proclaiming the heredity of the head bandage, and facing them was Ethel Levey, with her brow festooned in jewels. Beyond these, Gaby engrossed me in gowns of amazing reticence and headgear extraordinarily magnificent, although the inaugural lace candle-shaped cap was bewitchingly simple. The super-chorus dress of Rose du Barri (?) and champagne brocade, with elegance in its every pleat, was crowned with black sprouting ospreys whose quality was not strained; her dancing frock of silver gauze and tangerine ribbons was surmounted by thick plumes of tangerine tone, and she learnt her lesson in domesticity whilst gracing diamanté net. Amongst other noteworthy incidents on the stage was the coiffure Japanes, slightly whiskered, above a dress of yellow velvet and satin with a large black blossom for its sole adornment; and a slim maiden in gold-embroidered petticoat gleaming through skirts of cerise and purple (Truth - Wednesday 24 March 1915 p35). Many critics seemed confused about the intended audience, eg “it would be quite a good revue if we had not expected something so superlatively good from a Barrie revue” (Illustrated London News - Saturday 27 March 1915 p2). The delicate and not very strenuous dramatic talent of Sir James Barrie is little suited to the slap-dash work of revue making. … Rosy Rapture is, instead, in the style of a mild imitation, even to the dressing, which gives us a liberal display of bare back in the case of the beauty chorus, a concession to the nude that, in revues as we have come to know their license in this respect, is here kept within very modest bounds. … an audience that was evidently suffering from general disappointments. (Detailed list of entire cast including all members of the chorus and supporting roles and full exposition of the scenes and plot) (The Stage - Thursday 25 March 1915 p20). “Rosy Rapture” quickly entered the popular culture, at political meetings (Labour Leader - Thursday 25 March 1915 p11), in the motoring press (Sporting Times - Saturday 27 March 1915 p5) and parodies, eg “burlesque at Alhambra which included parody of Rosy Rapture that was enthusiastically received by audience made up mainly of servicemen, many recovering from wounds” (The Bystander - Wednesday 31 March 1915 p28). Rosy Rapture became a long-standing popular name for dogs and racehorses. . “… it was not the Barrie parts that, as a rule, went very well. The chief successes of the evening were a kind of Sister Susie song about telephoning to Ipswich, very cleverly sung by Mr. Jack Norworth a typical Gaby Deslys dance, obviously quite out of the character of Rosy and the cinematograph pictures, supposed to represent a baby and her adventure with gipsies” (The Sketch - Wednesday 31 March 1915 p30). … Since the first night an interval has been arranged, which takes place at 9.45. … (Sporting Times - Saturday 03 April 1915 p5) More thoughtful lengthy review: “It seems to be generally acknowledged that the new Barrie revue does not quite get over the footlights, as it were. I have seen it, and ever since I have been wondering why. It is infinitely more amusing than most of the other revues now running successfully in London. But the humour is of the kind you chuckle over rather than roar at. Yet, perhaps, its real failure lies in the fact that its wit is all on one note … “(The Tatler - Wednesday 07 April 1915 p10) Picture: MLLE. COLETTE DORIGNY Who is understudy to Mile. Gaby Deslys in Rosy Rapture, the Pride of the Beauty Chorus," at the Duke of York's Theatre (The Tatler - Wednesday 07 April 1915 p26) R. H. Burnside has arrived In London, Eng., vested with authority from Charles Dillingham to close negotiations with Gaby Deslys for an American tour, if mutually agreeable terms can be reached. Gaby has set her American tour figure at $4,000 weekly. Dillingham has offered her $3,000 a week. These amounts were named by cables between the parties before Burnside sailed. Gaby opened last week in "Rosy Rapture," the J. M. Barrie revue, at the Duke of York's. Mr. Barrie has been informing his friends the show had the biggest first week's business of anything he has ever written (Hamilton Daily Times - Saturday 10 April 1915 p14). Picture of Miss Biddy de Burgh, the baby in the cinematographic sequence tied to a tree (Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News - Saturday 01 May 1915 p19). Review of 50th performance with undercurrent of misogyny and xenophobia: “There have been great changes … it seems a pity that someone has not been engaged who possesses a real sense of humour, can act better, and is able to speak our tongue more intelligibly.” (Westminster Gazette - Thursday 06 May 1915 p2) Death of Charles Frohman, leaseholder of the Duke of York’s Theatre and producer of “Rosy Rapture” drowned in the sinking of the Lusitania (Globe - Tuesday 11 May 1915 p6). Duke of York’s closed on Tuesday 25th May 1915 out of respect for Mr Frohman’s funeral in the USA that day. On the Saturday following (May 29) Rosy Rapture will finish its run at the Duke of Yorks (The Stage - Thursday 20 May 1915 p18, 19). GABY DESLYS FOR PROVINCES. Mlle. Gaby Deslys. who has never yet visited professionally any or the provincial cities, has just signed a contract to appear at the principal theatres controlled by Empires. Mr. Harry Pilcer will accompany her, and she will take part in the “Soldier Scene” she plays with Mr. Jack Norworth in "Rosy Rapture." (London Evening Standard - Saturday 22 May 1915 p9). Duke of Yorks today at 3.15 and 9. (LAST TWO PERFORMANCES) CHARLES FROHMAN presents Mdlle. GABY DESLYS in ROSY RAPTURE. Preceded at 2.30 and 8.15 by THE NEW WORD. Both plays by J. M. BARRIE (London Evening Standard - Saturday 29 May 1915 p6). Death announced of Gaby Deslys after operation following serious illness (Nottingham Evening Post - Thursday 12 February 1920 p3). Funeral of Sir James Barrie: … while another wreath, also composed of - country flowers, was from "The Rosy Rapture Baby." (Miss Biddy de Burgh) (Gloucestershire Echo - Thursday 24 June 1937 p8). No other information: Miss D. Greenwood was responsible for the entertainment part of the programme, which concluded with farce “Rosy Rapture.” The characters were taken by the Misses M. Crutchley and R. M. Hudson, Messrs. E. Hudson, R. J. Hemingway, J. Nichols, and H. Steward (Staffordshire Advertiser - Saturday 30 June 1934 p9) Osbert Sitwell’s autobiography: Among the many items of half-forgotten things, it is amusing to be reminded that the late Sir James Barrie wrote an entire revue entitled Rosy Rapture for Gaby Deslys which was produced at His Majesty's Theatre (sic) in 1915. These, indeed, were enchanted years and firmly, decisively, yet with an overlaying lightness of touch, Sir Osbert Sitwell has recaptured them in prose of a quality which cannot be over-praised. (The Sphere - Saturday 01 May 1948 p30)