W. S. Penley

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Penley as the original Charley's Aunt, as drawn by Alfed Bryan
Penley as the original Charley's Aunt, as drawn by Alfed Bryan

William Sydney Penley (November 18, 1851 – November 11, 1912) was an English actor, singer and comedian best-remembered as producer and star of the phenomenally successful 1892 Brandon Thomas farce, Charley's Aunt and as the Reverend Robert Spalding in many productions of The Private Secretary.

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[edit] Life and career

Penley was born at Broadstairs, St. Peters, Kent, England on the 18th or 19th of November 1851. He was educated in London, where his father had a school and studied singing at the Chapel Royal Choir. He was a chorister at the Chapel Royal and at Westminster Abbey (Ayer, p. 288).

[edit] Early career

Penley made his stage debut in 1871 at the Court Theatre as Tim in My Wife's Second Floor.

He joined Richard D'Oyly Carte's Company playing the Foreman of the Jury in Trial by Jury on tour in 1875. Later that year, he appeared at the Royalty Theatre in London as the Foreman. He continued in that role when Trial was transferred to the Opera Comique late in 1876 and also at the Royal Strand Theatre and on tour in 1877. Penley was considered to be an important addition in the small role, with his malleable comic features.[1] Meanwhile, he played Baron Jacquier in Nottingham through the summer of 1876 and Zapeter (at the Strand Theatre in London in the fall of 1876) in W. S. Gilbert and Frederic Clay's comic opera Princess Toto.[2] Penley later played the Learned Judge and Usher in Trial (Ayer, p. 288).

In 1879, Penley played Mr. Grinder in a revival of B. C. Stephenson and Arthur Sullivan's The Zoo at the Royalty. He then rejoined D'Oyly Carte as Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore on tour in 1879. After that, among many other roles, he played Brother Pelican in Falka (1893) and the Reverend Robert Spalding in The Private Secretary at the old Globe Theatre in Newcastle Street, in 1884. He succeeded Herbert Beerbohm Tree in this role and was associated with it for many years.[3]

Penley re-joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company again in 1891, replacing Rutland Barrington as Punka, the Rajah of Chutneypore, in The Nautch Girl at the Savoy Theatre, while Barrington toured with Jessie Bond. When Barrington returned to the company later that year, Penley moved on to other projects.

[edit] Charley's Aunt and later years

Penley in "Charley's Aunt", 1892
Penley in "Charley's Aunt", 1892

On February 29, 1892, Penley produced the comedy Charley's Aunt at Theatre Royal, Bury St. Edmunds, appearing in the role of Lord Fancourt Babberley (who impersonates Donna Lucia, as shown in the photo above). Thomas wrote the play as a vehicle for Penley, and this turned out to be a very happy event for the star. The piece was a success, and Penley then produced it on the West End at the Royalty Theatre in December 1892, after which it transferred to the Globe Theatre in 1893. Charley's Aunt became an unprecedented hit, playing 1,466 times in London, a historic record that lasted for decades. The original run finally ended in December 1896, but the play was revived on several occasions afterwards. Charley's Aunt would earn Penley a fortune estimated at $500,000 at the time of his death. During the run, Penley also directed curtain raisers, including Journey's End by Horace Wykeham C. Newte.

Penley rebuilt the old Novelty Theatre, reopening it as the Great Queen Street Theatre in 1900, first producing A Little Ray of Sunshine, in which he appeared. This was followed by revivals of The Private Secretary and Charley's Aunt later that year. In 1901, Penley retired from the stage but continued to manage the Great Queen Street Theatre until 1907. Penley was an early member of the Green Room Lodge and the Savage Club's Masonic Lodge.

Penley and his wife had two sons and three daughters. After a two-month illness, Penley died at the age of 53 at his home in St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex.[1] He is buried at Hasting Borough Cemetery.[2]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The Times, 11 November 1912 Obituary notice
  2. ^ The Times, 14 November 1912 Funeral notice

[edit] References

[edit] External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penley, W. S.]]