Mr. Cinders

Mr. Cinders is a musical produced in the UK in 1928.

Production background

The music is by Vivian Ellis and Richard Myers, and the libretto by Clifford Grey and Greatrex Newman. The story is an inversion of the Cinderella fairy tale with the gender roles reversed. The Prince Charming character has become a modern (1928) young and forceful woman, and Mr. Cinders is a menial. The show captures the last frantic gasps of the roaring twenties before the gloom of the Great Depression settled in.

After a tryout in Blackpool in September 1928 and three-month provincial tour, the musical opened in London at the Adelphi Theatre on 11 February 1929 and moved to the London Hippodrome on 15 July 1929. It ran for 528 performances.[1] It starred Bobby Howes and Binnie Hale, and became a signature piece especially for Howes. The musical had immediate international success in continental Europe and elsewhere.[2] A revival took place at the Streatham Hill Theatre in April 1930, and the show was adapted for film in 1934.[2]

The show was revived at the Fortune Theatre in April, 1983 with Denis Lawson in the title role and ran for 527 performances. When Lawson left the show Lonnie Donegan took over the part, quickly followed by Lionel Blair, but without Lawson the show soon folded.[3][4]

Goodspeed Opera House revived the piece in 1988.[5] It was also revived in 1996 by the Shaw Festival.

The currently available professional score is for: 2 pianos, cello and single woodwind player alternating between flute and soprano saxophone. There is no conductor's score showing all the parts. 1st piano is the basic accompanying instrument although the part does not entirely suffice on its own; 2nd piano tends to play mostly decorative jazzy arabesques over the foundation of the first piano although it does (inconveniently) sometimes carry essential tune fragments; the cello part is melodic and is not a bass line; the woodwind part can be easily and effectively played on the clarinet, the few flute parts being transposed by the player. The score is stylistically something along the lines of a cross between Billy Meyerl and George Gershwin and in fact a melody fragment from Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue is quoted within the 20th Century Drag.

Synopsis

Jim is the adopted and abused son of Sir George Lancaster and his snobbish and cruel wife, Lady Agatha Lancaster, the widow of Sir General Bloodwing Beardsley. Jim works as a menial at Merton Chase, their elegant home. Lady Agatha dominates her weak husband and plots to marry her two foppish sons, Lumley and Guy (from her previous marriage) to wealthy girls, since the Lancasters have lost their fortune. Guy, however, is in love with a woman named Phyllis Patterson, whom Agatha rejects because of her lack of money. Jim keeps his spirits high, with the philosophy that one should Spread a Little Happiness. Jill is an American heiress who lives next door at a stately home, The Towers, with her wealthy father Henry Kemp and her cousin Minerva (who, like Jim, is the poor relation of her family).

When Guy is credited with saving Henry from drowning (a task which Jim actually accomplished, unbeknownst to anyone but him and Guy), all at Merton Chase are invited to a costume ball at The Towers, but Jim is not allowed to attend. Jill, meanwhile, has disguised herself as a servant girl, Sarah Jones, in order to hide from a police officer who has accused her of physical assault on him. Minerva pretends to be Jill, and every man at Merton Chase is captivated by her beauty.

Jim, with the help of Jill, crashes the ball disguised as a famous South American explorer, the Earl of Ditcham. Lumley reveals that Jim is an imposter. Also, Jill's priceless necklace is found in Jim's pocket, leading everyone at the ball to believe that he stole it. Jill helps Jim escape, and they capture Smith the butler, the real thief, and leave him tied up for the authorities to arrest. After the ball, a hat is found that belongs to the valiant person who captured the thief (instead of the glass slipper). A search for the owner shows that it fits only Jim. He wins the £1,000 reward and learns that the maid "Sarah" is actually Jill, and she and Jim agree to get married. Lumley and Guy, meanwhile, announce their engagements to Minerva and Phyllis, respectively. All ends happily.

Musical numbers

The musical numbers in the 1929 version were:

The numbers in the 1983 revival were:

Original Production

Mr Cinders was originally produced under the management of Julian Wylie at the Opera House Theatre, Blackpool on 25th September 1928 for two weeks, and toured through Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Sunderland, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Bradford, and Glasgow until 26th January 1929. It opened in London at the Adelphi Theatre under the management of J. C. Williamson Ltd. on 11th February 1929, transferring to the Hippodrome, London on 15th July 1929. It closed 29th March 1930 after a total of 529 performances.

Original cast

[6]

Revival London Productions

The show was revived in London in 1982 at the King's Head Theatre and after great critical acclaim, was transferred to the Fortune Theatre with the following casts:

Revival King's Head Theatre cast

Show opened December 30th 1982


Revival Fortune Theatre cast(s)

Show ran from 27th April 1983 until July 21st 1984

Two LP Cast Recordings were made of these productions. The King's Head version with two piano accompaniment, and the Fortune version with full orchestral accompaniment. The latter has been re-issued on CD.

Film version

This show was filmed in 1934 at British International Pictures at Elstree Studios with Clifford Mollison, Henry Mollison (brothers) and the Western Brothers amongst the cast. "Spread a Little Happiness" was retained but "I'm a One-Man Girl" was not. The Western Brothers wrote two songs in the film, but the rest are by Vivian Ellis, except for some classical music.

Due for its first DVD release in early 2014 as part of Networkonair's British Musicals Volume 2 which includes Bobby Howes in Over the Garden Wall (1934) and Richard Tauber in Blossom Time (1936).

References

  1. ↑ Mr. Cinders, BroadwayWorld
  2. 1 2 "Mr. Cinders: A brief history", University of Wales website
  3. ↑ 1983 review at musical-theatre.net
  4. ↑ 1983 revival at musical-theatre.net
  5. ↑ Holden, Stephen. "An Old Tale, With a Spin On the Sexes", The New York Times, 18 November 1988
  6. ↑ Gänzl, Kurt (1986). The British Musical Theatre (Vol 2). Macmillan Press. p. 295. ISBN 0-19-520509-X.
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