William Greet

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William Greet (1851 - April 25, 1914) was a British theatre manager from the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century. He was one of nine children of Captain Wiliam Greet, commander of the H.M.S. Crocodile, and the former Sarah Vallance Barling. His younger brother was Sir Philip (Ben) Greet.

[edit] Life and career

Greet was born on his father's ship, the H.M.S. Crocodile, christened at St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London, and educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross. He served as a Lieutenant of the Royal Marine Artillery from 1871 to 1877. He worked first as a farmer and then began working in theatre management in the 1880s.[1] He was business manager for The Coming Clown and Turned Up at the Royalty Theatre in 1886, which was then leased by Kate Santley.[2] He became a producer and theatre manager in his own right by 1890. He produced an American tour of Wilson Barrett's The Sign of the Cross in 1896. He sat on the Board of Directors of The Lyceum Theatre Ltd. from 1899 until 1902.[3]

In 1901, Greet leased the Savoy Theatre from Helen D'Oyly Carte. He then managed the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's revival of Iolanthe at the Savoy and its production of several new comic operas including The Emerald Isle, Merrie England and A Princess of Kensington, both at the Savoy and on tour. At the same time, he also leased the Lyric Theatre in London, producing Mice and Men in 1902, The Light that Failed in 1903, The Medal and the Maid (1903), and The Duchess of Dantzic (1904); and the Comedy Theatre in London, where he produced Monsieur Beaucaire and Morocco Bound, both in 1902.

Greet continued to produce musical comedies and operettas, including The Earl and the Girl at the Adelphi Theatre (1903), The Talk of the Town (1905, Lyric Theatre), Blue Moon (1905, Lyric), The Sign of the Cross (Terriss Theatre), Alice in Wonderland (1908, adapted by H. Saville Clarke), A White Man (1908, Lyric), Little Hans Andersen (1909, by Basil Hood), The Fires of Fate (1909, Lyric), The Rivals (1910, Lyric), The Chocolate Soldier (1910, Lyric), Baby Mine (1911, Vaudeville Theatre), Nightbirds (1911, Lyric), and The Girl in the Taxi (1912, Lyric).