Ela Queenie May (born c. 1890) was a child actress of the

Edwardian era In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

. She is probably best remembered as Liza, the Darling family servant, in the original production of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'' (1904 – 1906) and later played

Wendy Darling Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1904 play and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy'' by J. M. Barrie, as well as in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the origina ...

in the touring companies of ''Peter Pan'' (1906–08). Before that, she played roles at several

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, ...

s from 1900, including the title role in ''

Ib and Little Christina ''Ib and Little Christina'' refers to two theatrical adaptations by Basil Hood of the 1855 fairy tale by Hans Andersen of the same name: a play (1900) and an opera (1901). Play The first version was a play subtitled "A Picture in 3 Parts", with ...

'' in 1901 and again in 1904.

Earliest roles

May was variously known as Elie, Elie Queenie, and Queenie. She made her début in London’s

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

playing a bridesmaid in

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

’s ''The Wedding Guest'' (September 1900 – January 1901). She made further short appearances at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

and the Princess's Theatre before she was engaged by the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The ...

to appear as Little Christina in a revival of ''

'' at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

, where it had a brief run of 16 performances (November 14–29, 1901).Stone, David
Ela Q. May
Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Gilbert and Sullivan Archive She soon appeared as Sandro in Louis N. Parker’s ''The Twin Sister'' at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...

. In 1902 she was back at the Savoy as Second Royal Page in Basil Hood and

Edward German Sir Edward German (born German Edward Jones; 17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur S ...

’s opera '' Merrie England'', at the same time playing Norah in

Aimée Daniell Beringer Aimée Daniell Beringer (1856 – February 17, 1936) billed professionally as Mrs. Oscar Beringer, was an American-born playwright, theatrical manager, novelist, and commentator, based in London. Early life Aimée Daniell was born in Philadelp ...

’s one-act play ''Holly Tree Inn'' at Terry's Theatre (April–May 1902). Ela Q May Wendy 1905

May went on to play in children's roles in ''The Exile'' by

Lloyd Osbourne Samuel Lloyd Osbourne (April 7, 1868 – May 22, 1947) was an American writer and the stepson of the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, with whom he wrote three books, including '' The Wrecker''. He also provided input and ideas on other ...

and Austin Strong and starring John Martin-Harvey as the exiled Emperor Napoleon at the

Royalty Theatre The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. Established by the actress Frances Maria Kelly in 1840, it opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938.

(May 1903), ''Rumplestiltzkin'' in a single matinée performance at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

(May 1903), and reprised her role of Little Christina in ''Ib and Little Christina'' at

Daly's Theatre Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937. The theatre was built for and named after the American impresa ...

and the Lyric Theatre (January–March 1904).

''Peter Pan'' and last roles

She played the Darling family's house servant Liza (credited humorously in the programme as the "author of the play") in the world premiere of ''

'' at the

(December 1904 – April 1905, and again in December 1905 – February 1906). When the audience called for the author it was May who walked onto the stage to inform them that her friend Mr Barrie "was not in the house." In April 1905 she played Child opposite

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

as Alice Grey and

Irene Vanbrugh Dame Irene Boucicault (2 December 1872 – 30 November 1949), Barnes, known professionally as Irene Vanbrugh () was an English actress. The daughter of a clergyman, Vanbrugh followed her elder sister Violet Vanbrugh, Violet into the theatrica ...

as Amy Grey in Barrie’s ''Alice Sit-by-the-Fire'' at the Duke of York’s, and then was Child in Barrie’s

curtain raiser A curtain raiser is a performance or performer that opens a show or event for the main attraction; it is usually shorter than the main attraction, but not always. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain. The fashion in th ...

''Pantaloon'' with

Gerald du Maurier Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and Actor-manager, manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies ...

in the title role at the Duke of York's (April–July 1905). In February 1906 she was again jokingly credited with Barrie as the co-author of the play when Barrie and producer

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Frohman produced over 700 shows, and among his biggest hits was '' Peter Pan'', both ...

brought scenery and an all-child cast from the London theatre production for a special performance of ''Peter Pan'' for an unwell Michael Llewelyn Davies (with his brothers the inspiration for Barrie's characters

, the Darling brothers, and the Lost Boys) in 'Michael’s Nursery' at Egerton House in

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the River Bulbourne, Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which ...

, the family home of the Llewelyn Davies family. For this special one-off performance she played

, while Barrie himself appeared as the Cabman. She played Wendy in the 1906–07 second touring company of ''Peter Pan'' opposite Zena Dare in the title role, and again with the only touring company (1907–08), when the critic of the ''

Bath Chronicle The ''Bath Chronicle'' is a weekly newspaper, first published under various titles before 1760 in Bath, England. Prior to September 2007, it was published daily. The ''Bath Chronicle'' serves Bath, northern Somerset and west Wiltshire. History ...

'' described her as "a charming and delightful Wendy".Hanson, p. 72

References

External links

Photographic portrait of Ela Q. May
by

Alexander Bassano Alexander Bassano (10 May 1829 – 21 October 1913) was an English photographer who was a leading royal and high society portrait photographer in Victorian London. He is known for his photo of the Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Earl Ki ...

– Collection of the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Ela Q. 1890s births Year of death missing 20th-century English actresses Actresses from London English musical theatre actresses