Hubert Henry Davies (17 March 1869 – 17 August 1917) was a leading British playwright and dramatist of the early 20th century, following in the tradition of Arthur Wing Pinero and

Henry Arthur Jones Henry Arthur Jones (20 September 1851 – 7 January 1929) was an English dramatist, who was first noted for his melodrama '' The Silver King'' (1882), and went on to write prolifically, often appearing to mirror Ibsen from the opposite (conserv ...

, but influenced profoundly by

Thomas William Robertson Thomas William Robertson (9 January 1829 – 3 February 1871) was an English dramatist and stage director. Born to a theatrical family, Robertson began as an actor, but he was not a success and gave up acting in his late 20s. After earning a m ...

. He was born in Woodley, Cheshire, and spent some time as a journalist in San Francisco.

Career

He began his career in New York with ''The Weldons'' (1899), and on his return to Britain, collaborated successfully with the actor-manager Charles Wyndham to produce four West End productions including ''Cousin Kate'' (

Theatre Royal Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

, 1903) and ''Mrs. Gorringe's Necklace'' (

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...

, 1903). His best known work was ''The Mollusc''. Originally produced by and starring Charles Wyndham at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

in 1907, it was revived in London at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamber ...

in 1949, at

Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actres ...

in 2006 (although the title was changed to ''The Lady of Leisure''), and at the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world pr ...

in 2007; the play also was made into a movie. His plays were successful in New York. Other published plays were ''Cynthia'', ''Captain Drew on Leave'', ''Lady Epping's Lawsuit'', ''Bevis'', ''A Single Man'', ''Doormats'', and ''Outcast''.

Later life and death

During the First World War, he worked in France as a hospital orderly, which led to a nervous breakdown, and he was found dead at

Robin Hood's Bay Robin Hood's Bay is a small fishing village and a bay located in the North York Moors National Park, south of Whitby and north of Scarborough on the coast of North Yorkshire, England. Bay Town, its local name, is in the ancient chapelry of ...

, Yorkshire in 1917.

Productions

Davies' ''Mrs. Gorringe's Necklace'' was a staple of Australian theatre since 1906 when it was produced by the Flemming-Brough Company. It was produced at the People's Theatre, Royal Archade, Newcastle upon Tyne, by the Clarion Theatre in October 1923.

References

External links

Information from the 2007 Finborough Theatre production of ''The Mollusc''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Hubert Henry 1869 births 1917 deaths British dramatists and playwrights British male dramatists and playwrights