George Robert Sims

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Robert Sims (September 2, 1847 - 1922) was an English journalist and dramatic author.

Sims was educated at Hanwell College and at Bonn, and commenced journalism in 1874 as successor to Tom Hood on Fun. His first play, Crutch and Toothpick, was produced at the Royalty Theatre in April 1879, and was followed by a number of plays of which he was author or part-author. After long runs at west end houses, many of these became stock pieces in suburban and provincial theatres.

His most famous melodramas were:

The Lights of London (Princesss theatre, September 188,), which ran for nearly a year
In the Ranks (Adelphi, Oct. 1883), written with Henry Pettitt, which ran for 457 nights
Harbour Lights (1885), which ran for 513 nights
Two Little Vagabonds (Princesss Theatre, 1896-1897)

He was part-author with Henry Pettitt of the musical burlesques Faust up to date in 1888 and Carmen up to Data in 1890,^[1] both composed by Meyer Lutz, and with Cecil Raleigh of the burlesque opera, Little Christopher Columbus (1893), and among his musical plays were Blue-eyed Susan (Prince of Wales, 1892) and The Dandy Fifth (Birmingham, 1898).

His early volumes of light verse were very popular, notably The Dagonet Ballads (1882), reprinted from the Referee. How the Poor Live (1883) and his articles on the housing of the poor in the Daily News helped to arouse public opinion on the subject, which was dealt with in the act of 1885. As of 2005, he is best-remembered for his dramatic monologue that opens "It is Christmas Day in the workhouse".

The John Rylands Library at the University of Manchester holds his papers (mostly scripts and scrapbooks).

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.