George Musgrove (21 January 1854 – 21 January 1916) was an English-born Australian theatre producer.

Early life

Musgrove was born at

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of ...

, England, the son of Thomas John Watson Musgrove, an accountant, and his wife, Fanny Hodson, an actress and sister of Georgiana Rosa Hodson who married

William Saurin Lyster William Saurin Lyster (21 March 1828 – 27 November 1880), often referred to as W. Saurin Lyster, was an impresario, active in Australia. Early life Lyster was born in Dublin, Ireland, the third son of Chaworth Lyster, a captain in the army, ...

. Fanny's brother was composer, singer and comedian George Alfred Hodson, the father of

Henrietta Hodson Henrietta Ellen Hodson (26 March 1841 – 30 October 1910) was an English actress and theatre manager best known for her portrayal of comedy roles in the Victorian era. She had a long affair with the journalist-turned-politician Henry Labouc ...

, a well known London actress, who married

Henry Labouchère Henry Du Pré Labouchère (9 November 1831 – 15 January 1912) was an English politician, writer, publisher and theatre owner in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. He is now most remembered for the Labouchère Amendment, which for the first ...

. Musgrove was brought to Australia by his parents in January 1863 when he was nine years old. He was educated at the Flinders School,

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

, Victoria, and on leaving school was given a position as treasurer by Lyster. Musgrove married Emily Fisk Knight at All Saints Church, St Kilda, on 1 August 1874.

Opera and theatre career

Musgrove visited England in 1879, a time when

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 ...

had commenced their operas. At the end of 1880, Musgrove produced ''

La fille du tambour-major ''La fille du tambour-major'' (, ''The Drum Major's Daughter'') is an opéra comique in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Alfred Duru and Henri Chivot. It was one of the composer's last works, premiered less than a year bef ...

'' at the Opera House, Melbourne, which had a record run of 101 nights. This success led the young producer to join a partnership with J. C. Williamson and

Arthur Garner Arthur Garner (8 February 1851) was a theatrical entrepreneur, active in Australia. He was part of the partnership often dubbed "the Triumvirate" at the time, Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove, between 1881 and 1890. Background Garner was born i ...

. They formed the Williamson, Garner and Musgrove company in July 1882 when they became joint lessees of the

Theatre Royal, Melbourne The Theatre Royal was one of the premier theatres for nearly 80 years in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 1855 to 1932. It was located at what is now 236 Bourke Street, once the heart of the city's theatre and entertainment distri ...

and

Theatre Royal, Sydney Theatre Royal Sydney (TRS) is a theatre in Sydney, Australia. Earlier theatres also called the Theatre Royal, on the same site, date back to 1833. The current building, designed by modernist architect Harry Seidler, was built in 1976 and has o ...

. The partnership split in March 1890 following Williamson and Musgrove falling out. Williamson and Garner continued to run the Theatre Royal and Princess Theatre in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, and Musgrove taking control of the Theatre Royal in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Musgrove managed a successful season of ''Paul Jones'' with Marion Burton and

Nellie Stewart Nellie Stewart, born Eleanor Stewart Towzey (20 November 1858 – 21 June 1931) was an Australian actress and singer, known as "Our Nell" and "Sweet Nell". Born into a theatrical family, Stewart began acting as a child. As a young woman, she ...

in the leading parts. At the end of 1892, Williamson and Musgrove went into partnership again with the pantomime ''Little Red Riding Hood'', which opened a new "

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

" theatre on

Pitt Street, Sydney Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, New South Wales, Waterloo, although today's street ...

. The combination continued for about seven years, Musgrove living much of the time in London. In 1898 he brought a complete American company to the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...

, London, to play '' The Belle of New York'', which had an enormous success. In 1900 Musgrove took a grand opera company to Australia, consisting mainly of artists from the

Carl Rosa Opera Company The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, and his wife, British operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company premiere ...

with Gustave Slapoffski as the conductor, which performed ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; ), often stylized "The Tannhäuser", was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1265. His name ...

'', ''

The Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' () is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the sea forever. The myths and ghost stories are likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dutch East India C ...

'' and many other well-known operas. In 1903 he was responsible for acclaimed productions of Shakespeare, played in several cities in Australia, including ''

Twelfth Night, or What You Will ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'', ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'', and ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

''. Also in 1902–03, he presented

Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the f ...

in her first and most successful concert tour of Australia and New Zealand, managed by Thomas P. Hudson. In 1907 Musgrove produced a German grand opera company that introduced ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

'' (The Valkyrie), ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' and ''

Hänsel und Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...

'' to the Australian public, again under the baton of Gustave Slapoffski. Another opera season in 1909 was less successful. In his last years, Musgrove suffered from financial worries and poor health. In late 1914 Musgrove produced

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...

's play ''Du Barry'' in Melbourne with his lover

in the title role as well as his daughter Nancye Stewart as Marie Antoinette, age 16. Musgrove died suddenly at his home in

on 21 January 1916, his sixty-second birthday.

Personality and family

Musgrove could be brusque but was known as a kind-hearted, considerate employer of his artistes. He was reputed to value artistic quality over profitability. Musgrove's marriage produced two daughters, Emily Musgrove and Rose Musgrove, an actress in comedies 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 ...

. His eldest daughter, Lily Musgrove, married Melbourne barrister Casimir Zichy-Woinarski in 1898. His third daughter, Nancye Doris Stewart, was also known as Nancye Doris Lynton, (1893–1973), the child of his lover, actress and singer

. His brother Harry Musgrove (c. 1861 – 2 November 1931) was also involved in theatre management. He had two sons, Harry and Victor, and a daughter, actress Georgie Musgrove. Harry George Musgrove (c. 1883 – 27 April 1951) who, with

E. J. Carroll Edward John Carroll (28 June 1874 - 28 July 1931), better known as E. J. Carroll, was an Australian theatre and film entrepreneur. He produced several films of Snowy Baker and Raymond Longford and helped establish Birch, Carroll and Coyle. Diffi ...

and Dan Carroll, founded the magnificent

Prince Edward Theatre The Prince Edward Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Old Compton Street, just north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. History The theatre was designed in 1930 by Edward A. Stone, with an interior designed by Mar ...

Castlereagh Street, Sydney Castlereagh Street is a major street located in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs north-to-south, in a one way direction only. Description Castlereagh Street's northern terminus is at the junc ...

, later bankrupt.

Legacy

Musgrove Opera, an

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 ...

which bears his name, was founded in Sydney in 2018. The company debuted at the Zenith Theatre, Chatswood with a production of ''"Pinocchio!"'' which subsequently toured to South Coast NSW. More recently, the company has performed a series of concerts in the Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House. Australian conductor Lachlan Massey acts as its founding

Artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musgrove, George 1854 births 1916 deaths Australian theatre managers and producers English emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Australian businesspeople British emigrants to the Colony of Victoria