Henry Lytton
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Sir Henry Lytton (3 January 1865 – 15 August 1936) was the leading exponent of the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas in the early part of the twentieth century.
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[edit] Life and career
He was born Henry Alfred Jones in London, and was educated at St. Mark's School, Chelsea, where he took part in amateur theatricals. He ran away from school to go on the stage, making his debut aged seventeen.
[edit] Early career
A fellow performer was Louisa Webber (1864–1947), known on stage as Louie Henri, whom he married two years later. He followed her into the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company (she obtained an audition for him claiming that he was her brother) in 1884, in the chorus and small parts, and immediately understudying the role of King Gama in Princess Ida on tour. Early in his career, Lytton appeared on stage as "H. A. Henri." He was also sometimes credited as "Harry Lytton."
In 1887, Eric Lewis, who had been understudying George Grossmith in the comic "patter" roles, resigned from the company in frustration that Grossmith had rarely taken ill in three years. Lytton was appointed understudy, and a week later Grossmith did fall ill with appendicitis, giving Lytton the chance to appear as Robin Oakapple in the original run of Ruddigore. After that, Lytton served mostly in D'Oyly Carte touring companies as principal comedian until 1897.
Walter Passmore took over the principal comedian parts at the Savoy Theatre when Grossmith retired, and Lytton was called back to the Savoy to play other baritone roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan revivals (except that he did play Major General in The Pirates of Penzance for a time). He also played roles in the non-G&S pieces mounted by the company at the Savoy, including Rev. William Barlow in The Vicar of Bray (1892), Bobinet in Mirette (1894), Peter Grigg in The Chieftain (1894), The King in His Majesty (1897), Prince Paul in The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (1897), Simon Limal in The Beauty Stone (1898), Baron Tabasco in The Lucky Star (1899), Sultan Mahmoud in The Rose of Persia (1899), Charlie Brown in the curtain raiser Pretty Polly, Ib's Father in Ib and Little Christina (1901), Pat Murphy in The Emerald Isle (1901), the Earl of Essex in Merrie England (1902), and William Jelf in A Princess of Kensington (1903).
Beginning in 1903, Lytton took a four year break from D'Oyly Carte, starring in a number of successful West End musicals, including The Earl and the Girl (1903), The Talk of the Town (1905), The Little Michus (1905), The Spring Chicken (1905), The White Chrysanthemum (1905), Billee Taylor, My Darling (1907), and The Amateur Raffles (1907).[1] He returned to the Savoy Theatre during this time, however, for some guest appearances.
[edit] Years as principal comedian for D'Oyly Carte
From 1908 to 1934, Lytton rejoined D'Oyly Carte as principal comedian. During his tenure with the company, he played an unparalleled range of roles, including Counsel and the Learned Judge in Trial by Jury, Dr. Daly and John Wellington Wells in The Sorcerer, Captain Corcoran, Dick Deadeye, and Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore, the Pirate King and Major-General Stanley in Pirates, Bunthorne and Grosvenor in Patience, Strephon and the Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe, King Gama in Princess Ida, Ko-Ko and The Mikado in The Mikado, Jack Point and Wilfred Shadbolt in The Yeomen of the Guard, Giuseppe and the Duke of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers, King Paramount in Utopia Limited, and Ludwig in The Grand Duke.
Lytton was knighted in 1930, the only person to receive the accolade for achievements as a Gilbert and Sullivan performer. In 1931, Lytton was injured in a car accident in which D'Oyly Carte principal contralto Bertha Lewis was killed. Martyn Green, his understudy and eventual successor, took over Lytton's roles until Lytton's return a few months later. His final appearance with the D'Oyly Carte Company was at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, in June 1934, as Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard, and he retired from the stage the same year.
Lytton died in London, survived by Lady Lytton (nee Louie Henri), who died in 1947, and by his son, Henry Lytton, Jr., whose high profile marriage to Jessie Matthews in 1925 ended in divorce in 1930.
[edit] Recordings
He made many recordings between 1901 and 1905, including songs from The Sorcerer, Iolanthe, Merrie England, and A Princess of Kensington. By the time HMV began using D'Oyly Carte principals in its recordings of the Savoy Operas, however, Lytton’s voice was not thought suitable for the gramophone. Of the HMV recordings issued in the inter-war years, he was included in only five: Princess Ida in 1924 (acoustic) and 1932 (electrical), The Mikado in 1926, The Gondoliers in 1927 and H.M.S. Pinafore in 1930. On most of the other recordings of the period, George Baker replaced him.
A photograph of Gordon and D'Oyly Carte colleagues with the huge recording horn used in the acoustic recording process can be seen here.
[edit] References
- Jones, Brian (2005). Lytton, Gilbert and Sullivan’s Jester. London: Trafford Publishing.
- Ayre, Leslie (1972). The Gilbert & Sullivan Companion. London: W.H. Allen & Co Ltd. Introduction by Martyn Green.
- Lytton, Henry (1922). Secrets of a Savoyard. London: Jarrolds. This book is available online here.
- Lytton, Henry (1933). A Wandering Minstrel. London: ??.
