fbpx
Wikipedia

Bessie Sudlow

January 07, 2023

Bessie Sudlow was the stage name of Barbara Eliza (Bessie) Johnstone (22 July 1849 – 28 January 1928), active in the United States as a burlesque performer from 1867[1] to 1874,[2] then in Britain as an opera bouffe soprano from 1874[3] to 1880.

Bessie Sudlow
Bessie Sudlow c. 1873
Born
Barbara Eliza Johnstone

(1849-07-22)22 July 1849
Liverpool, England
Died28 January 1928(1928-01-28) (aged 78)
Steyning, Sussex, England 28 Jan 1928]
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)Burlesque performer, opera bouffe soprano

Life

Early years

Barbara Eliza (Bessie) Johnstone was born at 9 Bittern St in Liverpool, England on 22 July 1849.[4][5] Her mother was Eliza, née Lee, from Ireland, and her father was George Johnstone, a qualified Master Mariner[6] in the merchant navy. He died before the 1851 census. Eliza married Thomas Sudlow, also from Liverpool, in 1851[7] shortly after they moved to the United States, taking Bessie with them.[8] Bessie's stepfather, Thomas Sudlow, was the stage-doorkeeper at Niblo's Garden in New York.[9] Bessie joined a burlesque troupe, the "British Blondes", with the stage name of Bessie Sudlow. The troupe was led by Lydia Thompson, an English dancer, comedian, actress and producer.[4]

Burlesque in the United States

The Evening Telegraph of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 17 November 1868 noted with approval in its review of The Lancashire Lass that "Miss Bessie Sudlow, who sustains the part of 'Fanny Danville' at the Chesnut, no longer affects a 'Grecian bend'."[10] The "British Blondes" performed at the Tammany Grand Theatre in 1868–1869.[4] Bessie performed in January 1869 in New York in the burlesque The Page's Revel.[11] A lovely young woman at the age of 20, in 1869 Bessie was included in the cast of The Forty Thieves at Niblo's.[9] In April and May 1869 she appeared in Robinson Crusoe and His Man Friday!.[11] A review in The New York Times of 27 April 1869 listed Bessie among the singers. It was lukewarm, saying the pantomime-burlesque was "wrought out of tolerably old material ... [it] will be witnessed with greater pleasure when repeated rehearsals shall have smoothened it."[12]

In December 1869 and January 1870 Bessie played at the Tammany Grand Theatre in a burlesque of Richard III called Bad Dickey.[11] A review in the New York Clipper on 15 October 1870 said, "Miss Bessie Sudlow, serio-comic vocalist, has won golden opinions. Her rendition of Sweet Spirit Hear My Prayer and By Killarney’s Lakes and Vales is truly excellent."[13] Bessie appeared on a regular basis from 1871 to 1873 in various extravaganzas at Niblo's, including two revivals of The Black Crook.[11] She kept her connection to Lydia Thompson's troupe until she returned to England, but also performed in other productions.

Opera bouffe in Britain

 
Bessie Sudlow in 1870

Bessie returned to England and in September 1874 played with Lydia Thompson’s company in Blue Beard, a burlesque by Henry Brougham Farnie, at the Charing Cross Theatre in London.[8] In January 1875 she performed at the Theatre Royal, Dublin in The Yellow Dwarf, a pantomime. The Era described her as "a very graceful and attractive actress and sings pleasingly".[14] She appeared at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin in March 1875 in The Isle of Bachelors, adapted from Charles Lecocq’s comic opera Les cent vierges.[15] In June 1875 she performed in a promenade concert at the Theatre Royal, Dublin in honour of the American team taking part in an Irish–American International Rifle Match.[8]

Bessie was in a company organized by Richard D'Oyly Carte that started a tour of England and Ireland on 21 June 1875. Carte's company performed La Périchole, La fille de Madame Angot, and Trial by Jury, by Gilbert and Sullivan. After ten weeks in England, the company opened at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin on 5 September 1875.[16] In October 1875 Bessie performed as an opera bouffe soprano, playing "Cesarine" in Charles Lecocq's Fleur-de-Thé.[11] Emily Soldene recalled in her 1898 memoirs that D'Oyly Carte was producing this new comic opera at the Criterion Theatre.[17] The actress playing "Caesarine" had to be replaced at the last minute, and Carte wired the Gaiety Theatre manager Michael Gunn to send Miss Sudlow from Dublin. She heard the music for the first time when she was on stage, and had to improvise where she had forgotten the words, but the reviewers were enthusiastic.[18]

In January 1876, she performed at the Theatre Royal, Dublin in Dick Whittington and His Cat. According to The Era, "Her acting was as fresh as a daisy, and her sparkling vivacity and pleasant manner again won showers of applause and golden opinions".[19] In March 1876, Bessie again went on tour with D'Oyly Carte's London Comic Opera Company, which again included La fille de Madame Angot in its repertoire. During rehearsals in Manchester, the two leading ladies, Pattie Laverne and Selina Dolaro, argued about the tempo of a duet. Eventually, Dolaro refused to play, and Carte called on Bessie to learn the role of Lange and play it at short notice. As an experienced professional, Bessie was known for her ability to learn a role quickly.[20] She was principal soprano for Richard D'Oyly Carte's Opera Bouffe Company on this tour from June to August 1876. On the tour, she played the Plaintiff in Trial by Jury, Amanda in Carte's Happy Hampstead, Müller in The Duke's Daughter, and Lange in La fille de Madame Angot.[11]

Later years

When she was playing in the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin in September 1875, the manager, Michael Gunn, was attracted to Bessie.[16][a] Gunn was a silent partner of Carte for several years.[11] Carte was Michael Gunn's best man when he married Bessie on 26 October 1876 at the St Marylebone Parish Church, London. The bride was given away by George Dolby.[21]{{efn|George Dolby, born in 1831, was a theatre manager and a close friend of Charles Dickens. He managed Dickens on successful reading tours in England and the United States. He died in 1900 in a paupers' hospital, the Fulham Parish Infirmary.[22] After that, Bessie only performed on stage once more.[23] They had six children, including Kevin (born in 1880), Brendan (born in 1881), Haidee Elizabeth (born 2 July 1882), Selskar (born in 1883), and Agnes. Haidée and Agnes both became actresses.[23] Agnes later became later Lady Webb as wife of Sir Ambrose Henry Webb.[24] Selskar Gunn became prominent as an expert in public health.[25]

Gunn and Bessie had a house in Merrion Square, Dublin and another on Russell Square, London, both fine properties. They were one of the richest families in Dublin, and often held large gatherings at their house. Gunn was a close friend of John Stanislaus Joyce, father of James Joyce. The Joyces often visited the Gunns.[23] James Joyce became a friend of their son Selskar.[26] Gunn died at their London residence near Hampstead on 24 October 1901 at the age of 61.[27] His estate was estimated at just over £20,000.[23] Bessie became owner of the Gaiety when Gunn died, and held it until 1909.[11]

Bessie Gunn died in Steyning, Sussex on 28 January 1928.[11]

Notes

  1. ^ Bessie may have met Michael Gunn before September 1875, since she had been in Dublin from January to June 1875 and had performed at the Royal and the Gaiety, both owned by Gunn and his brother.

Citations

  1. ^ The Times-Picayune, 9 November 1867, p. 5
  2. ^ Chicago Tribune, 10 August 1874, p. 8
  3. ^ The Era, 30 August 1874, p. 8
  4. ^ a b c Socrates Litsios.
  5. ^ Liverpool registration office birth certificate ref FE788396
  6. ^ Sources: 1. marriage register dated 1 Jul 1846 in which he is listed as Mate on the Arcona; 2. Birth certificate of Barbara Johnstone on which he is listed as Master Mariner
  7. ^ As reported in New York Daily Herald 7 Feb 1877: news story giving details of the divorce
  8. ^ a b c Davenport 2016.
  9. ^ a b Ganzl 2014, p. 114.
  10. ^ Musical and Drama 1868, p. 5.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Stone 2002.
  12. ^ Review: New York Times 1869.
  13. ^ Theatrical Record 15 October 1870.
  14. ^ The Yellow Dwarf 1875.
  15. ^ The Isle of Bachelors 1875.
  16. ^ a b Ainger 2002, p. 111.
  17. ^ Soldene 1898, p. 186.
  18. ^ Soldene 1898, p. 187.
  19. ^ "Dick Whittington and His Cat". The Era. 2 January 1876.
  20. ^ Seeley 2019, PT40.
  21. ^ Seeley 2019, PT46.
  22. ^ Simkin 1997.
  23. ^ a b c d Litsios.
  24. ^ Goldthorpe 2020.
  25. ^ Selskar Michael Gunn AJPH, p. 1097.
  26. ^ Harty 2015, p. 75.
  27. ^ Death of Mr. Michael Gunn.

Sources

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bessie Sudlow.
  • Ainger, Michael (21 November 2002), Gilbert and Sullivan: A Dual Biography, Oxford University Press, USA, ISBN 978-0-19-514769-8, retrieved 27 July 2020
  • Davenport, Bob (15 March 2016), Michael and Bessie Gunn: Theatre people, retrieved 2020-07-28
  • "Death of Mr. Michael Gunn", Advocate, Melbourne, Australia, retrieved 2020-07-27
  • Ganzl, Kurt (18 March 2014), Lydia Thompson: Queen of Burlesque, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 978-1-135-35803-7, retrieved 28 July 2020
  • Goldthorpe, Liz (20 April 2020), Sir (Ambrose) Henry Webb, National Portrait Gallery, retrieved 2020-07-25
  • Harty, John III (22 December 2015), James Joyce's Finnegans Wake: A Casebook, Routledge, ISBN 978-1-317-27351-6, retrieved 27 July 2020
  • Litsios, Socrates, "A Theatrical Heritage", The Public Health Life and Times of Selskar Gunn, retrieved 2020-07-26
  • "Musical and Drama", The Evening Telegraph, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 17 November 1868, retrieved 2020-07-28
  • "Review", New York Times, 27 April 1869, retrieved 2020-07-28 – via Music in Gotham
  • Seeley, Paul (2 January 2019), Richard D'Oyly Carte, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 978-1-351-04589-6
  • "Selskar Michael Gunn", American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, 34 (10): 1096–1097, October 1944, doi:10.2105/AJPH.34.10.1096, PMC 1625293, PMID 18016067
  • Simkin, John (September 1997), George Dolby, Spartacus Educational Publishers, retrieved 2020-07-27
  • Socrates Litsios, "A Theatrical Heritage", The Public Health Life and Times of Selskar Gunn, retrieved 2020-07-26
  • Soldene, Emily (1898), My Theatrical and Musical Recollections (PDF), London: Downey & Co, retrieved 2020-07-28
  • Stone, David (2002), "Bessie Sudlow (1876)", The D'oyly Carte Opera Company, retrieved 2020-07-25
  • "Theatrical Record", New York Clipper, 15 October 1870
  • "The Isle of Bachelors", Freeman's Journal, Dublin, 27 February 1875
  • "The Yellow Dwarf", The Era, 17 January 1875

External links

  • Photo of Sudlow

January 07, 2023
bessie, sudlow, stage, name, barbara, eliza, bessie, johnstone, july, 1849, january, 1928, active, united, states, burlesque, performer, from, 1867, 1874, then, britain, opera, bouffe, soprano, from, 1874, 1880, 1873bornbarbara, eliza, johnstone, 1849, july, 1. Bessie Sudlow was the stage name of Barbara Eliza Bessie Johnstone 22 July 1849 28 January 1928 active in the United States as a burlesque performer from 1867 1 to 1874 2 then in Britain as an opera bouffe soprano from 1874 3 to 1880 Bessie SudlowBessie Sudlow c 1873BornBarbara Eliza Johnstone 1849 07 22 22 July 1849Liverpool EnglandDied28 January 1928 1928 01 28 aged 78 Steyning Sussex England 28 Jan 1928 NationalityEnglishOccupation s Burlesque performer opera bouffe soprano Contents 1 Life 1 1 Early years 1 2 Burlesque in the United States 1 3 Opera bouffe in Britain 1 4 Later years 2 Notes 3 Citations 4 Sources 5 External linksLife EditEarly years Edit Barbara Eliza Bessie Johnstone was born at 9 Bittern St in Liverpool England on 22 July 1849 4 5 Her mother was Eliza nee Lee from Ireland and her father was George Johnstone a qualified Master Mariner 6 in the merchant navy He died before the 1851 census Eliza married Thomas Sudlow also from Liverpool in 1851 7 shortly after they moved to the United States taking Bessie with them 8 Bessie s stepfather Thomas Sudlow was the stage doorkeeper at Niblo s Garden in New York 9 Bessie joined a burlesque troupe the British Blondes with the stage name of Bessie Sudlow The troupe was led by Lydia Thompson an English dancer comedian actress and producer 4 Burlesque in the United States Edit The Evening Telegraph of Philadelphia Pennsylvania on 17 November 1868 noted with approval in its review of The Lancashire Lass that Miss Bessie Sudlow who sustains the part of Fanny Danville at the Chesnut no longer affects a Grecian bend 10 The British Blondes performed at the Tammany Grand Theatre in 1868 1869 4 Bessie performed in January 1869 in New York in the burlesque The Page s Revel 11 A lovely young woman at the age of 20 in 1869 Bessie was included in the cast of The Forty Thieves at Niblo s 9 In April and May 1869 she appeared in Robinson Crusoe and His Man Friday 11 A review in The New York Times of 27 April 1869 listed Bessie among the singers It was lukewarm saying the pantomime burlesque was wrought out of tolerably old material it will be witnessed with greater pleasure when repeated rehearsals shall have smoothened it 12 In December 1869 and January 1870 Bessie played at the Tammany Grand Theatre in a burlesque of Richard III called Bad Dickey 11 A review in the New York Clipper on 15 October 1870 said Miss Bessie Sudlow serio comic vocalist has won golden opinions Her rendition of Sweet Spirit Hear My Prayer and By Killarney s Lakes and Vales is truly excellent 13 Bessie appeared on a regular basis from 1871 to 1873 in various extravaganzas at Niblo s including two revivals of The Black Crook 11 She kept her connection to Lydia Thompson s troupe until she returned to England but also performed in other productions Opera bouffe in Britain Edit Bessie Sudlow in 1870 Bessie returned to England and in September 1874 played with Lydia Thompson s company in Blue Beard a burlesque by Henry Brougham Farnie at the Charing Cross Theatre in London 8 In January 1875 she performed at the Theatre Royal Dublin in The Yellow Dwarf a pantomime The Era described her as a very graceful and attractive actress and sings pleasingly 14 She appeared at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin in March 1875 in The Isle of Bachelors adapted from Charles Lecocq s comic opera Les cent vierges 15 In June 1875 she performed in a promenade concert at the Theatre Royal Dublin in honour of the American team taking part in an Irish American International Rifle Match 8 Bessie was in a company organized by Richard D Oyly Carte that started a tour of England and Ireland on 21 June 1875 Carte s company performed La Perichole La fille de Madame Angot and Trial by Jury by Gilbert and Sullivan After ten weeks in England the company opened at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin on 5 September 1875 16 In October 1875 Bessie performed as an opera bouffe soprano playing Cesarine in Charles Lecocq s Fleur de The 11 Emily Soldene recalled in her 1898 memoirs that D Oyly Carte was producing this new comic opera at the Criterion Theatre 17 The actress playing Caesarine had to be replaced at the last minute and Carte wired the Gaiety Theatre manager Michael Gunn to send Miss Sudlow from Dublin She heard the music for the first time when she was on stage and had to improvise where she had forgotten the words but the reviewers were enthusiastic 18 In January 1876 she performed at the Theatre Royal Dublin in Dick Whittington and His Cat According to The Era Her acting was as fresh as a daisy and her sparkling vivacity and pleasant manner again won showers of applause and golden opinions 19 In March 1876 Bessie again went on tour with D Oyly Carte s London Comic Opera Company which again included La fille de Madame Angot in its repertoire During rehearsals in Manchester the two leading ladies Pattie Laverne and Selina Dolaro argued about the tempo of a duet Eventually Dolaro refused to play and Carte called on Bessie to learn the role of Lange and play it at short notice As an experienced professional Bessie was known for her ability to learn a role quickly 20 She was principal soprano for Richard D Oyly Carte s Opera Bouffe Company on this tour from June to August 1876 On the tour she played the Plaintiff in Trial by Jury Amanda in Carte s Happy Hampstead Muller in The Duke s Daughter and Lange in La fille de Madame Angot 11 Later years Edit When she was playing in the Gaiety Theatre Dublin in September 1875 the manager Michael Gunn was attracted to Bessie 16 a Gunn was a silent partner of Carte for several years 11 Carte was Michael Gunn s best man when he married Bessie on 26 October 1876 at the St Marylebone Parish Church London The bride was given away by George Dolby 21 efn George Dolby born in 1831 was a theatre manager and a close friend of Charles Dickens He managed Dickens on successful reading tours in England and the United States He died in 1900 in a paupers hospital the Fulham Parish Infirmary 22 After that Bessie only performed on stage once more 23 They had six children including Kevin born in 1880 Brendan born in 1881 Haidee Elizabeth born 2 July 1882 Selskar born in 1883 and Agnes Haidee and Agnes both became actresses 23 Agnes later became later Lady Webb as wife of Sir Ambrose Henry Webb 24 Selskar Gunn became prominent as an expert in public health 25 Gunn and Bessie had a house in Merrion Square Dublin and another on Russell Square London both fine properties They were one of the richest families in Dublin and often held large gatherings at their house Gunn was a close friend of John Stanislaus Joyce father of James Joyce The Joyces often visited the Gunns 23 James Joyce became a friend of their son Selskar 26 Gunn died at their London residence near Hampstead on 24 October 1901 at the age of 61 27 His estate was estimated at just over 20 000 23 Bessie became owner of the Gaiety when Gunn died and held it until 1909 11 Bessie Gunn died in Steyning Sussex on 28 January 1928 11 Notes Edit Bessie may have met Michael Gunn before September 1875 since she had been in Dublin from January to June 1875 and had performed at the Royal and the Gaiety both owned by Gunn and his brother Citations Edit The Times Picayune 9 November 1867 p 5 Chicago Tribune 10 August 1874 p 8 The Era 30 August 1874 p 8 a b c Socrates Litsios Liverpool registration office birth certificate ref FE788396 Sources 1 marriage register dated 1 Jul 1846 in which he is listed as Mate on the Arcona 2 Birth certificate of Barbara Johnstone on which he is listed as Master Mariner As reported in New York Daily Herald 7 Feb 1877 news story giving details of the divorce a b c Davenport 2016 a b Ganzl 2014 p 114 Musical and Drama 1868 p 5 a b c d e f g h i Stone 2002 Review New York Times 1869 Theatrical Record 15 October 1870 The Yellow Dwarf 1875 The Isle of Bachelors 1875 a b Ainger 2002 p 111 Soldene 1898 p 186 Soldene 1898 p 187 Dick Whittington and His Cat The Era 2 January 1876 Seeley 2019 PT40 Seeley 2019 PT46 Simkin 1997 a b c d Litsios Goldthorpe 2020 Selskar Michael Gunn AJPH p 1097 Harty 2015 p 75 Death of Mr Michael Gunn Sources Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bessie Sudlow Ainger Michael 21 November 2002 Gilbert and Sullivan A Dual Biography Oxford University Press USA ISBN 978 0 19 514769 8 retrieved 27 July 2020 Davenport Bob 15 March 2016 Michael and Bessie Gunn Theatre people retrieved 2020 07 28 Death of Mr Michael Gunn Advocate Melbourne Australia retrieved 2020 07 27 Ganzl Kurt 18 March 2014 Lydia Thompson Queen of Burlesque Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 1 135 35803 7 retrieved 28 July 2020 Goldthorpe Liz 20 April 2020 Sir Ambrose Henry Webb National Portrait Gallery retrieved 2020 07 25 Harty John III 22 December 2015 James Joyce s Finnegans Wake A Casebook Routledge ISBN 978 1 317 27351 6 retrieved 27 July 2020 Litsios Socrates A Theatrical Heritage The Public Health Life and Times of Selskar Gunn retrieved 2020 07 26 Musical and Drama The Evening Telegraph Philadelphia Pennsylvania 17 November 1868 retrieved 2020 07 28 Review New York Times 27 April 1869 retrieved 2020 07 28 via Music in Gotham Seeley Paul 2 January 2019 Richard D Oyly Carte Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 1 351 04589 6 Selskar Michael Gunn American Journal of Public Health American Public Health Association 34 10 1096 1097 October 1944 doi 10 2105 AJPH 34 10 1096 PMC 1625293 PMID 18016067 Simkin John September 1997 George Dolby Spartacus Educational Publishers retrieved 2020 07 27 Socrates Litsios A Theatrical Heritage The Public Health Life and Times of Selskar Gunn retrieved 2020 07 26 Soldene Emily 1898 My Theatrical and Musical Recollections PDF London Downey amp Co retrieved 2020 07 28 Stone David 2002 Bessie Sudlow 1876 The D oyly Carte Opera Company retrieved 2020 07 25 Theatrical Record New York Clipper 15 October 1870 The Isle of Bachelors Freeman s Journal Dublin 27 February 1875 The Yellow Dwarf The Era 17 January 1875External links EditPhoto of Sudlow Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bessie Sudlow amp oldid 1131896269, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.