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Fred Thompson (writer)
Frederick A. Thompson, usually credited as Fred Thompson (24 January 1884 – 10 April 1949) was an English writer, best known as a librettist for about fifty British and American musical comedies in the first half of the 20th century. Among the writers with whom he collaborated were George Grossmith Jr., P. G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton and Ira Gershwin. Composers with whom he worked included Lionel Monckton, Ivor Novello and George Gershwin. Many of Thompson's shows became popular hits, including '' To-night's the Night'' (1914), '' The Bing Boys are Here'' (1916), '' The Boy'' (1917), '' Lady, Be Good!'' (1924), '' Rio Rita'' (1927), ''Funny Face'' (1927) and '' Follow the Girls'' (1944). Biography Thompson was born in London and raised in Newton Abbot, Devon, in the west of England. He attended the Slade School of Fine Art in London and trained as an architect.Obituary, "Mr. Fred Thompson", ''The Times'' 12 April 1949, p. 7 He was a skilled caricaturist, and in the early years ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alhambra
The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture. The complex was begun in 1238 by Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir and founder of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim state of Al-Andalus. It was built on the Sabika hill, an outcrop of the Sierra Nevada which had been the site of earlier fortresses and of the 11th-century palace of Samuel ibn Naghrillah. Later Nasrid rulers continuously modified the site. The most significant construction campaigns, which gave the royal palaces much of their definitive character, took place in the 14th century during the reigns of Yusuf I and Muhammad V. After the conclusion of the Christian Reconquista in 1492, the site becam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is a coastal county with cliffs and sandy beaches. Home to the largest open space in southern England, Dartmoor (), the county is predominately rural and has a relatively low population density for an English county. The county is bordered by Somerset to the north east, Dorset to the east, and Cornwall to the west. The county is split into the non-metropolitan districts of East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, West Devon, Exeter, and the unitary authority areas of Plymouth, and Torbay. Combined as a ceremonial county, Devon's area is and its population is about 1.2 million. Devon derives its name from Dumnonia (the shift from ''m'' to ''v'' is a typical Celtic consonant shift) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Howard Talbot
Richard Lansdale Munkittrick, better known as Howard Talbot (9 March 1865 – 12 September 1928), was an American-born, English-raised conductor and composer of Irish descent. He was best known for writing the music to several hit Edwardian musical comedies, including '' A Chinese Honeymoon'', '' The Arcadians'' and '' The Boy'', as well as a number of other successful British musicals during the first two decades of the 20th century. Life and career Of Irish descent, Talbot was born in America in Yonkers, New York but moved to London at the age of four. His parents were Alexander Munkittrick and his wife, Lillie. Originally planning to enter the medical profession, he studied at King's College, London but switched to music and pursued a musical education at the Royal College of Music.''The Times'' obituary, 13 September 1928, p. 7 There he studied under Sir Hubert Parry, Sir Frederick Bridge and Sir Walter Parratt.Standing, Percy Cross."Chiefs of the Orchestras" ''The Crown' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Bing Boys Are Here
''The Bing Boys Are Here'', styled "A Picture of London Life, in a Prologue and Six Panels," is the first of a series of revues which played at the Alhambra Theatre, London during the last two years of World War I. The series included ''The Bing Boys on Broadway'' and ''The Bing Girls Are There''. The music for them was written by Nat D. Ayer with lyrics by Clifford Grey, who also contributed to '' Yes, Uncle!'', and the text was by George Grossmith, Jr. and Fred Thompson based on Rip and Bousquet's ''Le Fils Touffe''. Other material was contributed by Eustace Ponsonby, Philip Braham and Ivor Novello. ''The Bing Boys Are Here'' opened in 1916 in the West End and ran for 378 performances. It was one of the three most important musical hits of the London stage during World War I (the other two being '' The Maid of the Mountains'' and '' Chu Chin Chow''); music or scenes from all of these have been included as background in many films set in this period, and they remain intensely e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighting occurring throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. An estimated 9 million soldiers were killed in combat, plus another 23 million wounded, while 5 million civilians died as a result of military action, hunger, and disease. Millions more died in genocides within the Ottoman Empire and in the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war. Prior to 1914, the European great powers were divided between the Triple Entente (comprising France, Russia, and Britain) and the Triple Alliance (containing Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). Tensions in the Balkans came to a head on 28 June 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Houp La!
''Houp La!'' is an Edwardian musical comedy extravaganza, with music by Nat D. Ayer and Howard Talbot, lyrics by Percy Greenbank and Hugh E. Wright, and a book by Fred Thompson and Hugh E. Wright. The story combines the comic financial troubles of a circus owner with a love triangle. The original production of the show was mounted by Charles B. Cochran at London's new St Martin's Theatre, opening on 23 November 1916 and starring Gertie Millar, George Graves, Nat Ayer and Ida Adams. It was the first production at the St Martin's, which was leased by Cochran.Cochran, Charles Blake. ''The Secrets of a Showman'' (1925) p. 224 Although the critics found the music innovative, and the cast included stars of the day, the show ran for only three months in London. A Manchester production followed. Plot ;Act I The owner of a struggling circus, Marmaduke Bunn, has severe money troubles. In desperation, he has an accumulator bet on all the horse-races of the day, and when his fancies a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
St Martin's Theatre
St Martin's Theatre is a West End theatre which has staged the production of ''The Mousetrap'' since March 1974, making it the longest continuous run of any show in the world. The theatre is located in West Street, near Shaftesbury Avenue, in the West End of London. It was designed by W. G. R. Sprague as one of a pair of theatres, along with the Ambassadors Theatre, also in West Street. Richard Verney, 19th Baron Willoughby de Broke, together with B. A. (Bertie) Meyer, commissioned Sprague to design the theatre buildings. Although the Ambassadors opened in 1913, construction of the St Martin's was delayed by the outbreak of the First World War. The theatre is still owned by the present Lord Willoughby de Broke and his family. The first production at the St Martin's was the spectacular Edwardian musical comedy '' Houp La!'', starring Gertie Millar, which opened on 23 November 1916. The producer was the impresario Charles B. Cochran, who took a 21-year lease on the new theatre. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West End Theatre
West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1195, Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London. Famous screen actors, British and international alike, frequently appear on the London stage. There are a total of 39 theatres in the West End, with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, opened in May 1663, the oldest theatre in London. The Savoy Theatre – built as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan – was entirely lit by electricity in 1881. Opening in October 2022, @sohoplace is the first new West End theatre in 50 years. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Greenbank
Harry Greenbank (11 September 1865 – 26 February 1899) was an English author and dramatist best known for contributing lyrics to the successful series of musicals produced at Daly's Theatre by George Edwardes in the 1890s. Life and career Harry Greenbank was born Henry Harveston Greenbank in London, England and had an extraordinarily productive, but short, life. Greenbank first placed one of his works, '' Captain Billy'', at the Savoy Theatre, set to music by the company's musical director François Cellier. The piece was staged as a curtain-raiser to ''The Nautch Girl'' beginning in 1891. He continued to write such small-scale pieces over the following couple of years, both for the Savoy ('' Mr. Jericho'' in 1893 and '' Old Sarah'' in 1897) and for the Lyric Theatre, where Horace Sedger asked him to supply the English lyrics to F. C. Burnand's adaptation of the French operetta '' Le coeur et la main'' (''Incognita''). After that, George Edwardes put Greenbank together as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Rubens (composer)
Paul Alfred Rubens (29 April 1875 – 5 February 1917) was an English songwriter and librettist who wrote some of the most popular Edwardian musical comedies of the early twentieth century. He contributed to the success of dozens of musicals. Born in Kensington, London, he attended Winchester College before studying law at University College, Oxford. He began writing songs for shows at the age of 10 and had his first major success with "The Little Chinchilla" for the hit musical ''The Shop Girl'' when he was 19 years old. This was soon followed by songs for, among others, the hit musical ''San Toy''. In 1899, he wrote songs for the international hit ''Florodora'', which brought him wider fame. Producer George Edwardes hired him as an "additional material" writer for, among others, ''The Messenger Boy'' (1900), ''The Toreador'' (1901), ''A Country Girl'' (1902), ''The Girl from Kays'' (1902), ''The School Girl'' (1903), ''The Cingalee'' (1904) and ''The Blue Moon (musical), The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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