Great War Theatre

Address: London, UK

Performances at this Theatre

Date Script Type
4 Jan 1915 Secret Service Professional
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Review in 'The Stage' January 7 1915 "On Monday evening, January 4, 1915, was produced here a melodramatic War sketch, in one scene, by A.S. Hardy, entitled:- On Secret Service. Jean Jacques Bonheur - Mr. Henri de Vries Richard Bellamy - Mr. Kendrew Milson Carl Steiner - Mr. Juan D'Alberti Chris. Matthewson - Mr. R. Marius St. John Sergeant Taylor - Mr. A. Bowerman Batts - Mr. Charles Brooke Bob - Master Donald Buckley Moggs - Mr. H. Wrightson Sergeant Carter - Mr. G.R. Saunders Nurse Phillips - Miss Dorothy Drake Scene, Richard Bellamy's Flat. Period, August, 1914. Mr. Henri de Vries's latest music-hall sketch will exercise a certain grip upon those who are not too well acquainted with the methods of the deadly calm detective who plays his quarry with all the cool-blooded assurance of a cat with a mouse, but to the initiated, it is to be feared, it will prove to be nothing but a little piece of deft stage machinery with the inevitable pointing all one way. It is far too full of obvious devices, for one thing, and gives one the impression all along that the malefactors who are being pursued by the detective have left a trail of clues behind them with the express object of having them discovered and explained by him in order that he can prove what a smart fellow he really is. This detective is a certain Jean Jacques Bonheur, the chief of the International Secret Service, and his first exploit is to enter, by the wrong way, the flat occupied by an old man named Richard Bellamy, and to get himself and his accomplice, a real cracksman, arrested for burglary. Great is the surprise of Chris. Matthewson, a Scotland Yard man, when Bonheur whips off his burglar's disguise, and reveals himself as his, Matthewson's, hated rival sleuth; but there are greater surprised to follow. Bonheur, in fact, is after no smaller game than a gang of German spies who are arranging to blow up a whole host of high British Naval Military and Civil officials; but it would serve no useful purpose to explain at length how he emerges triumphant at the finish through a dense cloud of smoke, and with the inevitable cigar between his teeth. It is necessary to explain Bonheur's presence in the flat, however, and the reason for his being there at all will be apparent when it is stated that the flat is next door to a church, and that the said high British officials are to attend a wedding there in full force on the morrow - on the eve or the very day - of the declaration of War, in fact! The German spies have already managed to make a hole in the wall big enough for the passage of a bomb, and it is eventually by means of this bomb that Bonheur is able to raise an alarm - after neatly plugging the ring-leader of the gang, a German ex-valet named Carl Steiner, who with true Teutonic effrontery declares that he is really a naturalised Scotsman named McDonald! Mr. Henri de Vries plays capitally throughout as Bonheur, as do also Messrs. Juan D'Alberti and Kendrew Milsom, as the German spy and the elderly owner of the flat, while Miss Dorothy Drake, in the rest of the cast, is excellent as a nurse who has been "betrayed" by the German, but finally helps in his undoing. The piece is finely staged, but its author should not spoil its several good points by refraining to subject it to drastic revision. As may perhaps be gathered from the above description of the plot, it would gain immensely in probability if no references to the War were made in it at all." Review in 'The Standard' Tuesday January 5 1915 "There are more than the conventional number of thrills in the sketch, "On Secret Service," written by Mr. S.A. Hardy, and produced at the Pavilion yesterday. The story hinges on a plot to blow up the heads of the British Army, Navy, and Government. The audience is held in breathless suspense till M. Henri de Vries, like Hawkshaw, confronts the conspirators with conclusive evidence of their guilt. It is a clever playlet, acted with splendid skill and power."
22 Feb 1915 And a Good Judge, Too! [Not a Bad Judge] Unknown
3 May 1915 The Butterfly Unknown
14 Jun 1915 La Revue Tricolore Unknown
14 Jun 1915 La Revue Tricolore Professional
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‘It will be remembered that the Moulin Rouge was gutted by fire in January of this year [actually on 27 February], and the whole of the artistes and staff were thrown out of employment. Mr. Jean Fabert’s wife is an English lady, resident in London, and it is in accordance with her suggestion that on the 14th inst., Mr. Jean Fabert will present the first of a series of Moulin Rouge productions at the London Pavilion, opening on that day with the revue which was running successfully at the Moulin Rouge prior to the fire. If Mr. Jean Fabert finds that bright, sparkling Parisian productions appeal to the London audience, it is his intention to continue their presentation in London until his house in Paris has been reconstructed’ (Sporting Times, 12 June 1915; similarly The People, 13 June 1915). ‘Paris in London. I turned into the Pavilion last night, and there found a charming bit of Paris transported bodily from the Hill of Montmartre to Piccadilly-circus. It is the revue that was stopped at the Moulin Rouge by the fire that destroyed the theatre. The stage fairly bubbled with pretty Montmartre dancing girls, They are in nowise like London chorus girls, for they are as vivacious as birds, though, perhaps, they do not so sing well’ (Daily Mirror, 16 June 1915). 'It is announced that play and players have come direct from the Moulin Rouge, having been rendered temporarily without an artistic home owing to the disastrous fire which destroyed the Paris house. Whatever the cause of the French season at the Pavilion, the effect is very welcome, for it would be difficult to imagine a brighter entertainment than that which the company manage to crowd into ninety minutes traffic of the stage. Probably owing to a longer acquaintance with the form of work, the French revue writer has a surer touch and considerably more finesse when dealing with topical matters than his English confrère, and though, naturally, the War looms largely in the general scheme, references are always made in a manner that commands respect and admiration. We have, for instance, the actual life of the trenches reproduced, and English and French soldiers are found fraternising and enjoying the contemplation of home affairs. In lighter vein is an amusing street incident in which Royalist, Socialist, and Radical forget their heated quarrels upon the receipt of their mobilisation papers. A striking scene introduces counterparts of Wellington and Cambronne, and, the military spirit pervading the dressmakers and the opera stage, incidents dealing with the new order of things find places in the revue. One cannot, of course, detail all the items of the eighteen scenes, but it is possible to say that on the opening night there appeared to be nothing unnecessary in the piece, and that everything went with a capital swing from start to finish ... The Moulin Rouge season at the popular Piccadilly Circus house should prove a very successful venture for all concerned’ (The Stage, 17 June 1915). '“Le Moulin Rouge from Paris to Pav.” is of the general Parisian order. The performers, like the play, are “straight from” the Moulin Rouge, Paris, which is a guarantee of brightness and vivacity ... Life in the trenches as taken by the Allies is faithfully reproduced, as are also incidents in Parisian life, including one in which Socialists, Royalists and other partisans bury their political differences on receipt of their order to go the front’ (The People, 20 June 1915). The Stage, 24 June 1915, reported on a charity matinée organised by the Woman’s Theatre at the London Pavilion on Monday 21 June in aid of the War Distress Fund, which included ‘the laughable Midinette and Scotsman scene from the Pavilion Moulin Rouge revue, by Mlle. Leo Darly and Frank Attree’. ‘"Le Moulin Rouge,” the typical French revue straight from Montmartre to the London Pavilion, has never belied the promise of its opening nights. It is running more vigorously than ever, with, this week, some new features which displace none of the best of the old ones. While the variations are pleasing, there is still nothing to compare in patriotic interest with the light and shade of the trench scenes, which continue deeply to stir the emotions, not alone of the emotional French people from Soho and round about, but of the less easily aroused English as well'. (Westminster Gazette, 6 July 1915). 'The present revue would appear to represent the chastened spirit of the Parisian in these days of affliction, when he is no longer in the mood to give rein to his reckless and unrestrained wit, but is more disposed, as it were, to hang his harp on the willow and lift his eyes to the hills. For the most part this revue is all about the war, and I am not quite sure that the choice of subject is a happy one. People go to places of entertainment just now in the effort to forget for an hour or two the shadow that is over them and theirs instead of which, as the learned magistrate remarked, this revue is simply soaked with bellicosities ... One of the most realistic scenes in the revue is that which shows a trench occupied by British and French soldiers, including a large specimen of the “Turco” breed. The spectacle of the representatives of the two great nations fraternising is, of course, enthusiastically received, but the scene is no more than a picturesque record of the obvious. The difficulties of a Scots soldier endeavouring, with the aid of a pocket dictionary, “to be courteous and no more than courteous” (see Army regulations) to a lively midinette are well emphasised by Mr. Frank Attree and Mlle. Leo Darly, though it seems to me that when a nice girl throws her arms round your neck and says that she loves you dearly, it is time to put your dictionary back in your pocket, and let the language difficulty slide ... According to the programme, one of the items is a reproduction of the celebrated quadrille of the Moulin Rouge. The Quadrille is there right enough, but it does not seem a very hilarious affair away from its customary surroundings. I think the Quadrille owed much of its success to the fact that it was danced among the spectators. Performed on the stage in specially designed and most artistic costumes, it loses half its daring ... A scene that is not very illuminating is that in which we are shown an engaged Belgian couple on their way to Havre to be married. It appears that if the wedding were to take place in Brussels it would be performed by the “Boches,” and this, the prospective bride informs us, would be too horrible. It may be so, of course, but as we do not know anything about German rule in Brussels we are not able fully to appreciate the ghastly horror of such a ceremony. If the “Boches” have revived the ancient rule of les droits du Seigneur our sympathies are naturally with the young couple; but until we know what danger they are flying from it is not easy to take a very great interest in their welfare, beyond, of course, wishing them joy, first a girl and then a boy, and all the rest of it ... Perhaps a little more humour could be socked into the programme without overdoing the fun of it; but no doubt, like most other entertainments of its kind, it will grow in grace as time rolls on’ (The Bystander, 7 July 1915, which also had a full page of caricatures of the characters, including the Royalist, the Socialist and the Radical mentioned in The Stage’s review, and of the cast including Mlle. Anna Martens, Miss Dorothy Selborn and Jack Lerner, captioned ‘The new Revue at the London Pavilion is necessarily very military in character, since it comes from Paris, where the people are not allowed to forget the war for a moment’). 'Because, apparently, Englishmen could not go to see the Moulin Rouge, the Moulin Rouge has come to them. It took the London Pavilion by storm ... In all conscience the French revue, From Paris to the Pav, was dull enough at the beginning. But even its initial dullness became so popular that the management set to work to brighten it up a bit, with the result that it is at the present moment one of the gayest “shows” in town' (The Tatler, 25 August 1915). ‘The London Pavilion announces the last week of “Le Moulin Rouge” revue, and on Monday, September 6’ a new Anglo-French revue entitled ‘Honi-Soit’ would be produced (Pall Mall Gazette, Thursday 26 August 1915).
21 Jun 1915 The Bargain Unknown
21 Jun 1915 The Rub Unknown
25 Jun 1915 The Rub Professional
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One matinée performance given by the Woman's Theatre in aid of Lord Roberts's Fund for Disabled Soldiers and Sailors.
6 Sep 1915 Honi Soit Unknown
21 Nov 1915 Swiss Robinson Unknown
18 Apr 1916 Pick-a-dilly Unknown
4 May 1916 Our Lassies Unknown
25 May 1916 Blossom In Fairyland Unknown
15 Jun 1916 The Lonely Festival Unknown
15 Jun 1916 The Matchmaker Unknown
12 Jul 1916 What We May Come To Unknown
21 Feb 1917 Cheerio Unknown
7 May 1917 Home on Leave Unknown
18 Dec 1917 Les Deux Pierrots or Le Souper Blanc Unknown
25 Apr 1918 Farfadet Unknown
25 Apr 1918 La Marseillaise Unknown
25 Apr 1918 Marcelle Unknown
3 Jun 1918 The Profiteers Unknown
30 Jul 1918 As You Were Unknown
3 Aug 1918 As You Were Professional