january english singer actor comedian musical comedy star best remembered originating lyric roles gilbert sullivan operas performing career spanned decades wrote dozen works stage years comic touring company joined opera company decades created number memorable comic opera roles including captain pirates failing attempt theatrical manager energies acting occasional beginning continuing years played series successful musical comedies management theatre comic portrayals rulers persons authority popular features performances songs verses songs musical comedies leaving continued appear musical comedy roles performed music hall shakespeare dramatic roles appeared silent films career ended suffered stroke lived years life poverty life career born fourth son john george fleet wholesale sugar dealer london mother surrey england educated london brothers included vice admiral reverend ferdinand francis fleet actor sisters named boy girl died infancy employed bank eighteen months young man enthusiasm work ambitions actor father want son stage forbade came age aunt activist dramatic reader helped connections theatre keen football player married kent daughter wife children early career joining company adopted stage professional debut company year playing role sir ticket leave man taylor july playing lessons harmony london review era reviewed young actor performance good figure expressive face known advantages suspected capital vocalist skilled musician actor remarkable ease animation later year hired appear touring company company played schedule producer approached play new gilbert sullivan opera producing acceptance year old given cast role vicar auditioned young actor questioned comic opera gilbert required actors play absurd lines explained casting choice solid want autobiography repeats line night review performance wonderful manages sing sixteenth tone flat like vicar went producer later came saying matter come stalls tell singing tune said pleased sung flat course wished contemporaries find singing occasionally flat including years later memoir wrote dear old scarcely sing tune grand beautifully clear sense timing finest singers popular songs stage knew wrote book peculiar style exactly suited characters allotted difficult imagine opera performance impressed critics audiences won permanent place company foray business theatrical management remained creating comic lyric roles gilbert sullivan new operas exception guard created role lord chamberlain curtain played counsel revival trial jury created role captain gilbert sullivan smash hit big man led gilbert famous rehearsal gilbert asked sit ship lowered position hastily set piece collapsed weight gilbert remarked created role curtain played cox revival cox box created role pirates london proud sergeant song generally received eventually asked gilbert write encore verse song gilbert replied encore means sing time short play entitled pro quo written composed produced role created patience casting large perfect incarnation beauty mirrored joke gilbert earlier sensation novel cast large similar role followed role appeared kent christmas written king princess role favourite series attributed relatively short run lack prominence role opera run princess comedy written called towers presented princess closed reprised role played learned judge revival trial years frequently played judge benefit performances trial played silver shield created famous role theatre review typical critics unanimous praise masterpiece possibly better kind popular comedian provided surprise singing note music allotted perfect tune june played afternoon musical dialogue mad act words music created role sir reprised original roles pirates rehearsals discussions cast members subject complained gilbert guests gilbert frequently invited rehearsals saying didn wish taught stage business row strangers gilbert discontinued sat stalls later rehearsals awaiting cue gilbert sit won like times said performances strength lay voice movement perfect contrast moved effect native lightly rolling dance comic dignity intelligent face gave impression thoroughly enjoying review theatre wrote better comic acting highly finished seen wish theatrical management experiment later roles left organisation missing chance create role try hand theatrical management lamented departure suggesting typical embodiment british hide gilbert long penetrate process holding image march played benefit performance role reprise number benefit performances years later year james produced dean daughter playing reverend piece unsuccessful performance praised launched theatrical careers including gilbert hall failure starred younger brother professional stage debuts companion piece experiment management proved financial disaster bankrupt months hall closed played revival played barnes play death olympic theatre appeared comedy theatre successful act musical play based episode papers ended directing alternated roles baker created role col called played comic opera solomon called starred played number roles theatres rejoined create role december remaining long run gilbert sullivan hit closed gilbert sullivan estranged time appeared roles theatres including piece music solomon returned star dance solomon girl august took leave absence tour series musical written composed britain returning november played title role reverend solomon vicar toured september created role sullivan hall making critical splash example wrote kept audience shouts laughter time stage created role unsuccessful ran successfully tour lifelong golf speculated reason failure london game golf popular despite failure piece singled critical praise created role king paramount gilbert sullivan limited opening october year comedy towers produced playing sir left company closed taking role hall jones musical girl produced theatre tour appeared gilbert creating role regent stage dominated heroic size statue role wrote directed act knight music played companion piece theatre played early originated role took ill forced retire played german reed including revival happy starring toured november returned revival march created role gilbert sullivan opera grand duke memoir wrote difficulty getting star cast role julia usual critics pleased falls chief burden piece intensely funny especially absurd costume second act revival left musical comedy music hall beginning spent successful years management theatre taking role creating roles number musical comedy hits including country girl roles freedom add gags gilbert given wrote verses songs complained musical comedies plot nearly eliminated rehearsals time reprised role judge benefit period stage works produced theatre including popular children fairy play called water babies based book music directed water babies play music enjoyed appeared musical comedies including white admiral sir played revival candidate theatre briefly played old role revival created role successful comic opera london ran performances extended tours period performed solo music hall sketches produced tours performing standard songs day including song recorded moody based story lyrics music sketches songs included man written starring silent way slaughter written sullivan secretary based play produced years earlier wrote sketch pounds act musical drama escape music known writing verses short notice memoir tells following story returned second london seasons playing captain adding roles finally completing cycle extant gilbert sullivan operas repertoire played music hall sketches toured musicals including member adaptation die repeated london walls judge tucker created role girl train theatre years established legitimate stage playing merry wives windsor majesty theatre roles tour lord highly successful great adventure based bennett novel buried alive joy ride lady hamlet majesty roles continued perform london provinces management later successes reprise role member role count edinburgh beginning october wrote horse racing columns punch magazine pseudonym wrote volumes appeared silent films san toy great adventure girl loves soldier potter waters run deep addition avid interest sports describes length memoirs skilled artist pen ink suffered stroke early unable perform spent rest life poverty fellow actors held benefits efforts help brothers neighbors helped increasingly disabled eventually unable speak died living james age buried lower lane cemetery known surrey 75th anniversary death granite monument dedicated cemetery members gilbert sir
Rutland Barrington