Hippodrome, Rotherhithe

‘Designed solely to amuse, and with little or no attempt to realise its title or develop a story, Stop Press is causing plenty of amusement at the Rotherhithe Hippodrome this week, where it was presented for the first time on Monday by a cast under the direction of Magini and Company. It is described as a new burlesque in five columns, and the book has been written by James and Robert Hargreaves, to music composed, selected, and arranged by Magini, the orchestration being by Caffyn Baxter. The scenery includes some taking sets by Leolyn Hart, and the dainty ladies’ costumes have been designed by Katrina Lavinia to notable effect; while some indication of the range of the piece may be gathered when it is recorded that the scenes show Country Life in Summer, A Firelight Study, A Morning Rehearsal, A Wardrobe Mistress’s Salon, and Country Life in Winter. Beyond this, little description of the piece is necessary, or indeed possible. It contains several amusing scenes and dainty episodes, but, as has already been said, there is no story to speak of. Prominent in the cast are Tom and Kitty Major, who act and sing cleverly in the several characters allotted to them, the whole production being under the supervision of Mr. Major. The other principals are Jack Warman, Edna Clyde, George Laurence, and Gladys Ainsley, and there is a capital chorus of well-trained and attractive ladies. Some of the dialogue in the first scene, by the way, calls for revision, and there is little profit to be made nowadays out of antiquated jokes about Mr. Ford and his peace crusade, or our American cousins. One of the characters, that of a tramp, does exceedingly well with a sympathetic rendering of the clever song “When I leave the world behind,” but whatever sympathy is enlisted for the character is very soon dispelled when the tramp afterwards appears as an incorrigible old scoundrel – an example of eccentric character drawing which occurs more than once. Detailed criticism of the various work of the artists cannot be given with any degree of accuracy, on account of the lack of programme information – an injustice to artists we have more than once protested against in these columns. With some necessary overhauling, Stop Press should do well'. The Stage, 6 April 1916.

Performed from 22 May to around 28 May alongside 'The Man Who Came Back', Bioscope, &c’; also Lotto, Lilo & Otto; Two Vestas; Arthur Young; and Harry Champion.

Advertised in The Era, 19 December 1917.

This performance (theatre and start date) is included in a list of forthcoming performances of “Married on Leave” in The Stage of Thursday 1 August 1918. The Stage of Friday 27 December 1918 carried an advertisement for ‘Lew Lake’s Married on Leave by Dorothy Mullord’ which included the statement, 'Last week Hippo., Rotherhithe, Gross £447 12s 11d without tax’.

When Jack Murtagh inserted a theatrical card in The Stage, 22 May 1919, he was the juvenile lead in The Unmarried Mother at the H., Rotherhithe; next Bordesley. Oswald Cray claimed in an advertisement in The Stage, 29 May 1919, that £643 4s 9d was ‘the exact amount I took last week without tax, heat included, at the Hippodrome, Rotherhithe with my Record Breaker’ The Unmarried Mother.

Performed at 845 and 9pm by the East London Players under the direction of Miss Dorothy Mullord.

Twice nightly

Advertised in The Era, 12 September 1925, performed by the South London Players (direction, Dorothy Mullord) with Michael Woods as Lieut. Dennis Allan and Winifred Felix Pitt as Eileen Liscombe.

The South London Players. Direction Dorothy Mullord ('The Era', 10 February 1926, p. 16)

South London Players ('The Era', 22 June 1927, p.13)