Opera House, Southport

Twice nightly. A Naval episode "The Mystery Gun", Montes and Welma, comedy eccentrics; the Paget Trio, Gerano, Geo. Lennard, comedian and dancer; the Days; Dare Ring; and Tom Davies Trio. (The Era - Wednesday 16 December 1914)

The Stage, 6 May 1915, listed The Man Who Stayed at Home (Taylor Platt) as On Tour from 10 May at the O.H., Southport.

‘The Man Who Stayed at Home is here [the Opera House, Southport]. Charles Froode [sic – Troode] is a capital Christopher Brent, and Graham Herington, as John Preston, J.P., is amusing. Charles H. Mortimer and Russell Bendle give dramatic strength to Carl Sanderson and Fritz, and Percival Pennicuik is aptly realised by J. Farries Moss. Amy Elstob does well as Miriam Leigh, and Dorothy Hall gives an excellent study of Fraulein Schroeder’. The Stage, 3 February 1916.

The Era, 7 March 1917, listed The Enemy in our Midst as On The Road from 5 March at the Opera House, Southport.

The Liverpool Echo, 20 April 1917, advertised Percy Hutchison and Hilda Trevelyan in A Kiss for Cinderella at the Opera House, Southport from 23 April for six nights and two matinees. The Liverpool Echo, 20 April 1917, published a preview of the production.

'“The Pacifists” is good, wholesome farce, inoffensive in every respect, which relies for its success on the humour of its dialogue, and rejects the easy and obvious method of extracting laughter from dubious situations ... The whole is broad farce based on caricature. Laughter is evoked by the verbal descriptions of incidents that take place off the stage, and the mental perplexities of the pacifists which arise therefrom (Liverpool Echo, 28 August 1917). ‘Hearty laughter greeted the first production last night at the Opera House, Southport, of Mr. Henry Arthur Jones’s new play “The Pacifists,” described by the author as “a parable in a farce.” In his most brilliant fashion Mr. Jones herein satirises unmercifully the mental attitude of those whose standpoint is “Never resist, no matter how deeply one’s feelings are outraged"' (Staffordshire Sentinel, 28 August 1917). 'The dramatist who writes in parable is tempting fate, for the parable may fail to hit the mark, or in dressing it he is in danger of cardinal sin of dullness. Mr. Henry Arthur Jones has tackled the difficulty in an ingenious manner. He has dressed his parable in such goodly farce as to leave the audience in that singularly happy frame of mind which is unreceptive is of moral lessons. There is plenty of dull propaganda abroad, but little farce of such an enjoyable nature as “The Pacifists.” Mr Henry Arthur Jones has chosen the better way, for though his parable may not carry much weight the spirit of enjoyment is engendered, for which one is devoutly thankful ... The whole is broad farce and caricature. There is little incident on the stage, few comic situations, yet the audience is kept in a state of merriment by the humorous dialogue and the perplexities of the peace at any price cranks. The breadth of treatment weakens the parable but ensures the success of the farce' (Liverpool Daily Post, 29 August 1917). The Era, 29 August 1917, listed the cast as: Peebody, Sebastian Smith; Ferguson, Sam Livesey; Weech, Lennox Pawle; Belcher, Charles Glenney; Mockitt, John East; the Red-haired Shopman, Arthur Chesney; Susanna Peebody, Miss Ellis Jeffreys; Penelope, Rita Otway; and commented that ‘As a farce [the play] is enjoyable, but as a brilliant satire it is splendid' (The Era, 29 August 1917). ‘The reception of the play was enthusiastic, and the applause was unrestrained throughout. In his satire of the principles of the Pacifists the author drives his lesson well home. As the piece, largely farcical, progresses there is scope for diverting conjecture as to the subtle political analogy of some of the characters according to the author’s interpretation. The foundation of the plot does not deal directly with the War and the Pacifists, but its application is obvious’ (The Stage, 30 August 1917). 'At the close the author, called upon for a speech, expressed his gratification that the audience had been enabled to detect behind the surface fun of the story the touch of seriousness which it had been his object to suggest. “A little parable in a farce” is his own description of “The Pacifists,” although so neatly is the powder concealed in the jam that unless your attention were drawn to the circumstance you would hardly suspect its presence' (Hull Daily Mail, 31 August 1917).

The Stage, 25 October and 1 November 1917, listed The Man Who Stayed at Home (Red Co.) as On Tour from 29 October at the O.H., Southport.

The Stage, 11 and 18 July 1918, listed The Man Who Stayed at Home as On Tour from 15 July at the O.H., Southport.

The Stage, 15 and 22 August 1918, listed Bubbly as On Tour from 19 August at the O.H., Southport.

The Stage, 30 January and 6 February 1919, listed The Live Wire (Andre Charlot’s Principal Company) as On Tour from 3 February at the O.H., Southport. Similarly The Era, 5 February 1919.

‘“Nurse Benson” is a bright comedy. Doris Kendall as Lady Gillian Dunsmore and the pseudo-Nurse Benson is admirable, and her scenes with Harry C. Robinson as Brooke Stanway are delightful. H. Blake Probert gives a fine interpretation of Capt. Tibbenham, V.C., and Philip Fuller and Mary Griffiths as Mr. and Mrs. Tibbenham are all that one could desire. J. Edward Pearce is a worthy Lord Messiger, and the remaining characters are well represented by James Hornby, George K. Polson, Frederick Norris, W. Besley Beltran [sic - Beltram], Val Norton, Jean Stanley, Mary Polson, and Daisy Blake’. The Stage, 20 March 1919.

Performed for the week by Thos. C. Dagnall's company including: J. Lawrence Anderson (actor), Evelyn Ormonde (actress), Dorothy Clifton (actress), Alfred Harding (actor)

The Stage, 2 June 1921, listed The K.C. as On Tour from 30 May at the Opera House, Southport. Noted in The Stage, 2 June 1921.