Henry Pottinger Stephens (c. 1851 – 11 February 1903), was an English dramatist and journalist. After beginning his career writing for newspapers, Stephens began writing

Victorian burlesque Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as travesty or extravaganza, is a genre of theatrical entertainment that was popular in Victorian England and in the New York theatre of the mid-19th century. It is a form of parody in which a well-known oper ...

s in the 1870s in collaboration with F. C. Burnand and the composer

Edward Solomon Edward Solomon (25 July 1855 – 22 January 1895) was an English composer, conductor, orchestrator and pianist. He died at age 39 by which time he had written dozens of works produced for the stage, including several for the D'Oyly Carte Ope ...

. Stephens and Solomon wrote several comic operas together that briefly rivalled the

Savoy Operas Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which imp ...

in popular esteem, including ''

Billee Taylor ''Billee Taylor, or The Reward of Virtue'' is "a nautical comedy opera" composed by Edward Solomon, with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens. The piece was first produced at the Imperial Theatre, London, Imperial Theatre in London on 30 Oct ...

'' (1880) and ''

Claude Duval Claude Du Vall (or Duval) (c. 164321 January 1670) was a French highwayman in Restoration England. He worked in the service of exiled royalists who returned to England under King Charles II. Little else is known of his history. According to p ...

'' (1881). He also collaborated with

Meyer Lutz Wilhelm Meyer Lutz (19 May 1829 – 31 January 1903) was a German-born British composer and conductor who is best known for light music, musical theatre and Victorian burlesque, burlesques of well-known works. Emigrating to the UK at the age o ...

at the Gaiety Theatre on burlesques including ''

Little Jack Sheppard ''Little Jack Sheppard'' is a Victorian burlesque, burlesque melodrama written by Henry Pottinger Stephens and William Yardley (cricketer), William Yardley, with music by Meyer Lutz, with songs contributed by Florian Pascal,Florian Pascal was a p ...

'' (1885). He worked again with Solomon on one of the first pieces considered a

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

, ''

The Red Hussar ''The Red Hussar'' is a comedy opera in three acts by Edward Solomon, with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens, concerning a young ballad singer who disguises herself as a Hussar to follow her penniless beloved to France. By a feat of gallant ...

'' (1889). He also wrote novels, plays and

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 ...

s, and acted in some of these.

Life and career

"Pot" Stephens was born in

Barrow-on-Soar Barrow upon Soar is a large village in northern Leicestershire, in the Soar Valley between Leicester and Loughborough, with a population at the 2011 census of 5,856. In the March 2021 census, it registered a population of 6,825. Geograp ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

. He started his career as a journalist, working for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' and ''

Tit-Bits ''Tit-Bits from all the interesting Books and Newspapers of the World'', more commonly known as ''Tit-Bits'' and later as ''Titbits'', was a British weekly magazine founded by George Newnes, a founding figure in popular journalism, on 22 Octo ...

'', among others, and was the first editor of ''Topical Times''. He began writing for the stage, and in 1873 his "comedietta" ''Rosebud's Rose'' was presented by an amateur company in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

. He wrote his first

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

, ''Back from India'', in 1879 under the aegis of German Reed's management at St. George's Hall. The piece, with music by Cotsford Dick, was judged a "decided success" by '' The Era''. Stephens soon wrote lyrics for F. C. Burnand's

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

of '' Rob Roy'', ''Robbing Roy'', at the Gaiety Theatre and collaborated with Burnand on a couple of other burlesques, ''Balloonacy, a New and Original Musical Extravaganza'', with music by

, and ''The Corsican Brothers and Co, Limited''. After

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 ...

's ''

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 ...

'' became a hit, Stephens was inspired to collaborate with Solomon on a comic opera, ''

'' (1880), which played in London at the same time as ''

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 ...

''. ''Billee Taylor'' received favourable comparisons with Gilbert and Sullivan's piece in the press and caused its authors to be hailed briefly as the equals of

Richard D'Oyly Carte Richard D'Oyly Carte (; 3 May 1844 – 3 April 1901) was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer, and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era. He built two of London's theatres and a hotel empire, while also establi ...

's prized writing team. Solomon and Stephens also had a success in ''

'' (1881). Carte produced successful tours of ''Claude Duval'' and ''Billee Taylor'' in America. In 1882, Stevens obtained

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope ( ; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among the best-known of his 47 novels are two series of six novels each collectively known as the ''Chronicles of Barsetshire ...

's permission to adapt the latter's novel, ''

Doctor Wortle's School ''Doctor Wortle's School'', alternatively ''Dr. Wortle's School'' or ''Dr Wortle's School'', published in 1881, is a novel by Anthony Trollope, his fortieth book. Plot summary The novel takes place in the respectable, fictional parish of Bowic ...

'' for the stage. In the same year Stephens married, but in 1887 his wife, Elizabeth Alice, divorced him for adultery. There were two children of the marriage. Also in 1882, Stephens and Solomon wrote two comic operas, ''Virginia and Paul'', for the rising star

Lillian Russell Lillian Russell (born Helen Louise Leonard; December 4, 1860 or 1861 – June 6, 1922) was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, praised for her beaut ...

, and ''Lord Bateman'' for the Gaiety Theatre. Stephens returned to burlesque with ''

Galatea, or Pygmalion Reversed ''Galatea, or Pygmalion Re-Versed'' is a musical burlesque that parodies the Pygmalion legend, and specifically W. S. Gilbert's 1871 play '' Pygmalion and Galatea''. The libretto was written by Henry Pottinger Stephens and W. Webster. The s ...

'' in 1883, with music by

. In the same year he collaborated with the composer Florian Pascal on a comic opera, ''The Black Squire''. Stephens had further successes with ''The Vicar of Wide-awake-field'' and ''

'' (both 1885, with music by Lutz) under

George Edwardes George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond. Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...

's management at the Gaiety Theatre. In 1884, Solomon and Lillian Russell sued Stephens for libel, but by 1889 Solomon and Stephens were friendly enough to collaborate on a successful

, ''

'' (1889), starring

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 ...

and Arthur Williams. Stephens also wrote novels, plays,

s, and an 1899

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 ...

, ''A Dream of Whitaker's Almanack'', with

Walter Slaughter Walter Alfred Slaughter (17 February 1860 – 2 March 1908) was an English conductor and composer of musical comedy, comic opera and children's shows. He was engaged in the West End as a composer and musical director from 1883 to 1904. Life a ...

, Pascal,

Georges Jacobi Georges Jacobi (3 February 1840 –13 September 1906) was a German violinist, composer and conductor who was musical director of the Alhambra Theatre in London from 1872 to 1898. His best-known work was probably '' The Black Crook'' (1872) wri ...

and Walter Hedgecock.''The Era'', 10 June 1899, p. 8 He also acted in some of these. Stephens died in London in 1903, aged 51.

Notes

References

*O'Donoghue, D. J. ''The Poets of Ireland: A Biographical Dictionary'' (Dublin: Hodges Figgis & Co 1912)

External links

Profile and list of major stage works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Henry Pottinger 1850s births 1903 deaths English opera librettists People from Barrow upon Soar English male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English male writers Henry Pottinger Stephens Writers from Leicestershire