W. H. Denny
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
W.H. Denny (October 22, 1853 – August 31, 1915) was an English singer and actor best remembered for his portrayal of baritone roles in the Savoy Operas.
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[edit] Life and career
W. H. Denny was born William Henry Leigh Dugmore at Balsall Heath, Birmingham, England.
[edit] Early career
Denny appeared as the child in The Stranger in Worcester at the age of six. His mother, Mrs. H. Leigh, was the original Diana in Gilbert and Sullivan's Thespis (1871). Denny played juvenile parts for several years, tackling his first adult role in Dundee in 1870.
Denny's first role in London was at Sadler's Wells Theatre in an 1872 revival of Mazeppa, a dramatization of Byron's poem based on a legend about Ivan Mazeppa. After a series of roles in Shakespeare plays and in works by H. J. Byron, he was engaged by Richard D'Oyly Carte in 1876 for a tour as Trenitz in La fille de Madame Angot, Barthel in The Duke's Daughter, and Tarapote in La Perichole. Denny then toured America for three years with Lydia Thompson, also appearing in Philadelphia under the management of Mrs. John Drew.
Returning to London in 1879, Denny appeared in a number plays with Marie Litton, John Hare and the Kendals, and was Angus Macalister in an 1881 revival of W. S. Gilbert's Engaged, before going on tour with Lillie Langtry in 1882. He was back in New York in 1884–85, but returned to the London stage in 1886–87.
[edit] Savoy Theatre years
Denny joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company at the Savoy Theatre upon the departure of Rutland Barrington in 1888 and remained there until 1893. He created the roles of Wilfred Shadbolt in The Yeomen of the Guard (1888), Don Alhambra in The Gondoliers (1889), Bumbo in The Nautch Girl (1891), Bedford Rowe in The Vicar of Bray (1892), and The McCrankie in Haddon Hall (1892), leaving the company when the run was completed. In 1893, he appeared in a musical comedy called Poor Jonathan before returning to D'Oyly Carte to create the part of Scaphio in Utopia, Limited (1893). He again left the company at the end of the run of that show.
[edit] Later years
After leaving the Savoy, Denny appeared again in musicals in London from 1895 to 1897 and later toured Australia and New Zealand in a Shakespeare company. He returned to London in 1900, but was back on the New York stage beginning in 1905, appearing on Broadway in Julius Caesar (1902), The Proud Laird (a comedy, 1905), The Earl and the Girl (a musical, 1906), The Hypocrites (a drama, 1906), The Beauty Spot (a musical, 1909), The Gay Hussars (an operetta, 1909), Madame X (a melodrama, 1910), and The Blue Bird (a play, 1911). He once more returned to London, making his last appearance there as Stuff, a theatre manager, in Walter Browne's Everywoman in 1912.
Denny was also the author of several one-act plays, the most notable being A Mutual Mistake (1891). In addition, he wrote song lyrics, such as "How sweet thou art to me" ("Sleep, gentle sleep"), with music by Arthur Weld (1909).
Denny was the father of popular film actor Reginald Denny. He died in Herne Bay, Kent.
[edit] References
- Ayre, Leslie (1972). The Gilbert & Sullivan Companion. London: W.H. Allen & Co Ltd. Introduction by Martyn Green.
[edit] External links
- W. H. Denny at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte
- Photos
- IBDB list of Broadway shows
