Lunedi Lunacy

Yesterday I saw a wonderfully innovative production of Shakespeare’s (yes it would appear to be a rash of Shakespeare posts) Midsummer Night’s Dream. For some reason it brought to mind a production by the Old Vic back in the 1950s which toured North American. It was a Victorian Valentine designed by Oliver Messel with flying fairies and ballets to Mendelssohn’s romantic score. Titania and Oberon were played by ballet dancers Moira Shearer and Robert Helpmann and Bottom was the great Music Hall and comedy performer Stanley Holloway. Holloway had played the part in a mammoth production in Hollywood in the ’30s but was replaced by James Cagney (???) when it was committed to film.

Following the strange twists and turns of what passes for my mind in this household I began to think about the wonderful Holloway monologues that brought him success in the Halls long before his Alfred P. Dootlittle on stage and screen. I grew up listening to them and had several LPs of his stuff.

One of his most famous was the story of Little Albert Ramsbottom and the lion but Albert showed up in quite a few other stories including this one:

And he sangs this little ditty was sung long before the word “queer” took on an entirely new meaning.

I only saw Holloway live twice when he appeared at the Shaw Festival at Niagara on the Lake back in the 1960s. First off he appeared as the father in Shaw’s Candida then when Frances Hyland broke her leg and couldn’t go on (the Shaw had no money in those days for understudies) he and Tony Van Bridge put together a programme of monologues and songs that would have had even old GBS chuckling.

02 marzo – San Simplicio – Papa

Music Hall Turns

I mentioned yesterday that British Music Hall performers played a large part in the development of Panto. From the 1880s onward famous stars deserted the “Halls” at Christmas to go legitimate in theatres throughout Britain. It brought a certain vulgarity to Panto that was regularly decried in the pulpits and better papers but guaranteed full houses from opening night on Boxing Day (December 26th) until February or March.

Two of the better known were Little Tich and Marie Lloyd. Little Tich often appeared as the Dame and though not pretty by average standards Marie played both Principal Girl and Principal Boy at various times with great success.

I was surprised to find this restored film of Little Tich doing his famous boot dance from French Pathe (he was a great favorite in France and the USA.) I think its a remarkable piece of footage.

And though I could find no film of Marie Lloyd I did find a Halls star and Principal Boy of a slightly later period, Lily Morris singing one of Marie’s hits: My Old Man Said Follow The Van.

We had to move away
‘Cos the rent we couldn’t pay.
The moving van came round just after dark.
There was me and my old man,
Shoving things inside the van,
Which we’d often done before, let me remark.
We packed all that could be packed
In the van, and that’s a fact.
And we got inside all that we could get inside.
Then we packed all we could pack
On the tailboard at the back,
Till there wasn’t any room for me to ride.

Refrain:
My old man said: “Foller the van,
And don’t dilly-dally on the way”.
Off went the van wiv me ‘ome packed in it.
I walked be’ind wiv me old cock linnet.
But I dillied and dallied,
Dallied and dillied;
Lost me way and don’t know where to roam.
And you can’t trust a “Special”
Like the old-time copper
When you can’t find your way home.

I gave a helping hand
With the marble wash hand-stand,
And straight, we wasn’t getting on so bad.
All at once, the car-man bloke
Had an accident and broke,
Well, the nicest bit of china that we had.
You’ll understand, of course,
I was cross about the loss.
Same as any other human woman would.
But I soon got over that,
What with “two out” and a chat,
‘Cos it’s little things like that what does you good.

Refrain:

Oh! I’m in such a mess.
I don’t know the new address –
Don’t even know the blessed neighbourhood.
And I feel as if I might
Have to stay out here all night.
And that ain’t a goin’ to do me any good.
I don’t make no complaint
But I’m coming over faint,
What I want now’s a good substantial feed,
And I sort ‘o kind ‘o feel,
If I don’t soon have a meal,
I shall have to rob the linnet of its seed!

Refrain:

written by Fred W. Leigh and Charles Collins.

I grew up hearing a fair bit of these Old Music Halls songs – though in bowdlerized versions – and I love them. I’m amazed when performers and acts I’ve read about show up on UpTube.

18 gennaio – Santa Prisca