Ethel Morrison (c. 1880 – 11 May 1951), nicknamed "Morry" or "Molly" and described as a "large lady with a large voice", was a

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

singer from New Zealand who began her career in

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...

operas and

Edwardian musical comedies Edwardian musical comedy is a genre of British musical theatre that thrived from 1892 into the 1920s, extending beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions. It began to dominate the English musical stage, and even the American musical ...

in England. She later acted mostly in Australia and was noted for her performances in domineering roles.

History

Morrison was born in

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

. She had hopes for a career on the concert stage, and studied singing at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

D'Oyly Carte years

Morrison joined 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 ...

in 1906 performing in the

operas, initially in the chorus, and her first named role on stage was Inez in ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time t ...

''. As

Louie René Louie René (c. 1872 - 9 March 1955) was an English opera singer and actress best remembered for her performances with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the Gilbert and Sullivan contralto roles at the turn of the 20th century. René performed wi ...

's understudy, she had the opportunity, on occasion, to play Lady Jane in ''

Patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...

'', the Queen of the Fairies in ''

Iolanthe ''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...

'', and Dame Carruthers in ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

''. At the end of the London season she toured with D'Oyly Carte, playing Inez and understudying the leading contralto roles. In December 1907 Morrison was promoted to playing the leading contralto roles: Little Buttercup in ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878, and ran for 571 performances, w ...

'', Ruth in ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 3 ...

'', Lady Blanche in ''

Princess Ida ''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen; the next was ''The Mikado''. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Thea ...

'', Katisha in ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'', and the Duchess in ''

'', as well as the abovementioned parts in ''Patience'', ''Iolanthe'', and ''Yeomen''. The company returned to 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 ...

in April 1908 for the London repertory season, and Morrison was relegated to her previous role as understudy, occasionally going on for René as Buttercup and Katisha, and playing Mrs. Jones in the one-act companion piece '' A Welsh Sunset''. In October 1908, again on tour with the company, Morrison was the leading contralto. She left the company in September 1909 to appear at the Savoy in the world premiere of

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...

's '' Fallen Fairies'' on 15 December 1909, creating the part of Locrine. ''Fallen Fairies'' closed in January 1910. Morrison next appeared at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

as Lady Birkenhead in an

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy is a genre of British musical theatre that thrived from 1892 into the 1920s, extending beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions. It began to dominate the English musical stage, and even the American musical ...

, ''The Islander'' (April–August 1910), and then played the small role of Laska in ''

The Chocolate Soldier ''The Chocolate Soldier'' (German: ''Der tapfere Soldat'' he courageous soldieror ''Der Praliné-Soldat'') is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, '' Arms and the Man''. The German language li ...

'' at the Lyric Theatre (September 1910). She rejoined the D'Oyly Carte on tour as an emergency replacement for René in October 1910 in her accustomed roles in ''Iolanthe'', ''Mikado'', ''Yeomen'', ''Gondoliers'', and others. After this, she left the company and appeared in the

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

''Our Little Cinderella'' at the

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in ...

from December 1910 to January 1911, followed by a musicalised version of Strauss's ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original literary source for ' was ...

'' called ''Nightbirds'' at the Lyric from December 1911 to May 1912, the musical '' The Girl in the Taxi'', also at the Lyric, opening in September 1912, and a play called '' Within the Law'' at the

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

, opening in May 1913.

Australia

She was then recruited by J. C. Williamson to join his

opera company Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...

. She played the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in ''

'' at

Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne Her Majesty's Theatre is a 1,700-seat theatre in Melbourne's East End Theatre District, Australia. Built in 1886, it is located at 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne. It is classified by the National Trust of Australia and is listed on the Vict ...

from 27 June 1914, and was praised for her Katisha in ''

'' and Dame Carruthers in ''

''. She was praised for her Lady Jane in ''

'' at

in August 1914, when audience numbers were depleted by the War. She made an "imposing and effective Duchess of Plaza Toro" in ''

'' at

His Majesty's Theatre, Perth His Majesty's Theatre is an Edwardian Baroque theatre in Perth, Western Australia. Constructed from 1902 to 1904 during a period of great growth for the town, the theatre is located on the corner of Hay Street and King Street in Perth's ce ...

in May 1915. and a "stately and amusing" mother in ''

'' at His Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane in July 1915. She was in the Australian premiere of '' Tonight's the Night'' at Her Majesty's, Melbourne, on 8 July 1916, together with Dorothy Brunton,

Connie Ediss Connie Ediss (born Ada Harriet Whitley; 11 August 1870 – 18 April 1934)Kurt Gänzl, Gänzl, Kurt"The real Connie Ediss, or 'She was a Milliner's Daughter'" Kurt of Gerolstein, 6 November 2020 was an English actress and singer best known as a b ...

and Alfred Frith, directed by Harry B. Burcher with choreography by Minnie Hooper. In 1917, she appeared in '' The Marriage of Kitty'', ''

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius (Spartan), Icarius and ...

'', ''Mary Goes First'' and '' A Pair of Silk Stockings'' with

Marie Tempest Dame Mary Susan Etherington (15 July 1864 – 15 October 1942), known professionally as Marie Tempest, was an English singer and actress. Tempest became a famous soprano in late Victorian era, Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedie ...

's company. She appeared in a brief revival of '' The Silent Witness'' at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne at Muriel Starr's farewell appearance in March 1920, notable for the appearance of Frank Harvey and J. B. Atholwood. She played in Harbach and Hirsch's ''

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

'' from its premiere at the

Theatre Royal, Adelaide The Theatre Royal on Hindley Street, Adelaide was a significant venue in the history of the stage and movie theater, cinema in South Australia. After a small predecessor of the same name on Franklin Street, Adelaide, Franklin Street (built 1838), ...

23 September 1922 to 22 August 1923 at

Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, refers to three theatres of the same name none of which remain standing. They were located in central Sydney on either Pitt Street or Quay Street. History First theatre (1887–1933) The original Her M ...

, then left for a holiday in London via America aboard SS ''Wanganui'' on 20 September 1923. She was reckoned "easily one of the most popular artistes ... to ever visit Australia".

Broadway

In late 1923 and January 1924 Morrison was in New York City appearing on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in a

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

, ''The Topics of 1923'', with Frank Greene. She was informed that her husband had died in England around this time, and so on 1 March she sailed on the ''

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

'' to London to be with her ten-year-old daughter, who was at school there. Later that year she returned to Broadway. In 1927 she had a minor part in the musical comedy '' Maritza'' in New York as a marquise who has a facelift performed on her by beauty specialists, and henceforth needs to employ a servant whose job is to express emotions for her.

Back in Australia

In May 1930, she returned to Australia with Edith Taliaferro by the steamer ''Sonoma'' under contract to

J. C. Williamson's J. C. Williamson's, formerly Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove and Williamson and Musgrove, was an Australian theatrical management company and theatre owner. With its beginnings in the theatrical productions of J. C. Williamson and his p ...

, playing

Rachel Crothers Rachel Crothers (December 12, 1870 – July 5, 1958) was an American playwright and theater director known for her well-crafted plays that often dealt with feminist themes. Among theater historians, she is generally recognized as "the most succe ...

' '' Let Us Be Gay'' at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney. Morrison (as Mrs Boucicault) and Reginald Dane were praised for their playing in the comedy. ''Let Us Be Gay'' was followed in June 1930 by ''

The Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden (; ; ) or Garden of God ( and ), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genesis 2–3 and Book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel 28 and 31.. The location of Ede ...

'',

Avery Hopwood James Avery Hopwood (May 28, 1882 – July 1, 1928) was an American playwright of the Jazz Age. He had four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920, namely "The Gold Diggers," "The Bat" and "Spanish Love" and "Ladies' Night (In a ...

's adaptation of Rudolf Bernauer's ''Der Garten Eden'', with Morrison playing the Baroness, then in July in the controversial '' Little Accident'', then ''The Road to Romance'' (originally ''

The Road to Rome ''The Road to Rome'' is a 1926 historical satire by author Robert Sherwood. It has three acts, two settings, and a large cast. The action of the play covers a single evening and the next morning in June 216 B.C., during the Second Punic War. T ...

'') by R. E. Sherwood, at the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

. The plays were also performed at the King's Theatre, Melbourne and the

Comedy Theatre, Melbourne The Comedy Theatre is a 1003-seat theatre in Melbourne's East End Theatre District. It was built in 1928, and was designed in the Spanish style, with a Florentine-style exterior and wrought-iron balconies. It is located at 240 Exhibition Street ...

. In December 1930 Taliaferro returned to America and Morrison to Sydney, where she played in Neil F. Grant's ''Possessions'', at the "Cri". In January 1931, she played the title role of St John Ervine's '' The First Mrs Fraser'', created by

, followed in January 1931 with a revival of

Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part ...

's ''

Mary Rose The ''Mary Rose'' was a carrack in the English Tudor navy of Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII. She was launched in 1511 and served for 34 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. After being substantially rebuilt in ...

'', as Mrs Morland, in February. The cast then returned to Sydney to open in ''The First Mrs Fraser'' in March followed in May with Hastings Turner's comedy, ''The Spot on the Sun'', co-starring with

Ada Reeve Ada Reeve (born Adelaide Mary Reeves, 3 March 1874 – 5 October 1966) was an English actress of both stage and film. Reeve began to perform in pantomime and music hall as a child. She gained fame in Edwardian musical comedies in the 1890s. Re ...

. In June they took ''The First Mrs Fraser'' and ''Let Us Be Gay'' to her home town

, followed by the

in August. The comedy ''

A Warm Corner ''A Warm Corner'' is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Leslie Henson, Heather Thatcher and Austin Melford. The film's sets were designed by Walter Murton. It was based on a successful play by Franz Arnold a ...

'' followed, Morrison playing Adela Corner who, like TV's

Hyacinth Bucket Hyacinth Bucket (née Walton; sometimes known as ''The Bucket Woman'') is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom ''Keeping Up Appearances'', portrayed by Patricia Routledge. Routledge won a British Comedy Award in 1991, and was nominated for two ...

, has visions of a high society future for herself and Charles Corner, her corn-plaster merchant husband.

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...

'' followed for four nights at the end of August and the company moved to Melbourne with ''A Warm Corner'', which ran for five weeks before moving to Sydney in October in ''Hay Fever'' and ''As Husbands Go'', and in December 1931 ''Let Us Be Gay''. The company returned to Melbourne's King's Theatre with ''As Husbands Go'' which on 20 February 1932 they took to His Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, followed by ''Let Us Be Gay'', and ''The First Mrs Fraser'', which on 12 or 14 March was Morrison's last appearance in Australia for the time being, leaving from Sydney by the ''Makura'' on 17 March. She returned to Australia by the ''Makura'' on 20 October 1934, joining Madge Elliott and

Cyril Ritchard Cyril Joseph Trimnell-Ritchard (1 December 1898 – 18 December 1977), known professionally as Cyril Ritchard, was an Australian stage, screen and television actor, and director. He is best remembered today for his performance as Captain Hook i ...

, for the

Otto Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading B ...

and

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

musical ''

Roberta Roberta is a feminine version of the given names Robert and Roberto. It is a Germanic name derived from the stems *hrod meaning "famous", "glorious", "godlike" and *berht meaning "bright", "shining", "light". People with the name *Roberta Achtenbe ...

'' at His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, opening on 22 December 1934; '' High Jinks'', and '' Our Miss Gibbs''. Its Sydney season opened at Her Majesty's in March 1935. Her performance was praised. In 1936, she played in

Emlyn Williams George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor. Early life Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Flintshi ...

' '' Night Must Fall'', in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne; remembered fondly years later. Morrison then joined a four-month tour of New Zealand with J. C. Williamson's, returning in August to play in ''Yes Madam'', starring

Charles Heslop Charles Heslop (8 June 1883 in Thames Ditton, England – 13 April 1966) was a British actor. His stage successes include a musical version of '' Tons of Money'', which toured Australia for Hugh J. Ward in 1924, co-starring Dot Brunton. ...

. In November, she left on the ship ''Orion'' for London, where she lived in Notting Hill. In 1947, she returned to New Zealand, where she holidayed with her family for six months then returned to Sydney, where she died on 11 May 1951.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Ethel 19th-century New Zealand women singers New Zealand contraltos 1880s births 1951 deaths Musicians from Wellington City