Robert Brough (1857 – 21 April 1906) was born in England to a family prominent in literature and the theatre. He had a notable career as actor and manager in Australia.

History

Brough was born Lionel Barnabas Brough in England, son of Robert Barnabas Brough (1828–1860) journalist, poet and librettist, and Elizabeth Brough, nḗe Romer. Actress

Fanny Brough Frances Whiteside Brough (7 July 1852 – 30 November 1914) was a French-born British stage actress known for her many comedy roles performed over a four decade-long career. Part of a literary and dramatic family, Brough was acting professiona ...

was a sister. His parents had ambitions for him in the world of commerce, but he soon decided on a stage career, and Edward Saker found a part for him in his show '' Little Em'ly'', an adaptation of ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

'', in Glasgow in 1870. Brough was introduced to Florence Trevelyan when he started working with the D'Oyley Carte No. 2 Company, and shortly after they married he was put on a three-year contract at the Gaiety. They moved to Australia under contract to J. C. Williamson, first appearing in Melbourne in the Australian première of ''

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 ...

''. His first Sydney appearance was in July 1885 under contract to Williamson, Garner & Musgrove singing the comic part of innkeeper Taboureau (bass) in '' La petite Mademoiselle'' from an operetta by

Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (; 3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéra comique, opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable su ...

, at the Theatre Royal. There was no part for Mrs Brough, so she accepted a part in ''

The Private Secretary ''The Private Secretary'' is an 1883 farce in three acts, by Charles Hawtrey (actor born 1858), Charles Hawtrey. The play, adapted from a German original, depicts the vicissitudes of a mild young clergyman, innocently caught up in the machinatio ...

'', being staged by

Frank Thornton Frank Thornton Ball (15 January 192116 March 2013), professionally known as Frank Thornton, was an English actor. He was best known for playing Captain Peacock in the TV sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' and its sequel '' Grace & Favour'' (''A ...

at the Gaiety Theatre. They next reprised their Melbourne successes as the Lord Chancellor and Queen of the Fairies in ''Iolanthe''. In 1886 Brough and Dion Boucicault Jr. formed the Brough-Boucicault Comedy Company to play

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.

s, then in 1888 began production of higher-class comedy, with G. S. Titheradge, who had also been playing with Williamson, Garner & Musgrove. The Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, had become their headquarters following the Majeroni's setbacks, but on 22 April 1889 the theatre was destroyed by fire with the loss of all their costumes, scenery, music and the rest, including much personal property which had been stowed there, none of it insured. Two volunteer firemen died fighting the blaze. They had been due to open with ''Betsy'' ( F. C. Burnand's reworking of '' Bébé'' and did their best at the Hibernian Hall, but the Melbourne audience proved fickle, and stayed away. The company, with its new members

Eille Norwood Eille Norwood (born Anthony Edward Brett; 11 October 1861 – 24 December 1948) was an English stage actor, director, and playwright best known today for playing Sherlock Holmes in a series of silent films. Early life He was born 11 October 186 ...

, Fanny Enson, Lilian Seccombe, and Percy Lyndal moved to the

Criterion Criterion (: criteria) may refer to: General * Criterion, Oregon, a historic unincorporated community in the United States * Criterion Place, a proposed skyscraper in West Yorkshire, England * Criterion Restaurant, in London, England * Criteri ...

, Sydney for a year to recover. In 1894, Boucicault returned to London, where he picked up new plays and actors, including Geraldine Cliffe, Beryl Faber and Arthur Elwood. Boucicault left the partnership in 1896, and the Broughs pressed on, touring Australia, and later through China and India. They returned to Great Britain, where they picked up a new cast and returned to Melbourne, playing at the Bijou Theatre. When comedian George P. Carey, who had worked with Brough, assembled a small troupe to tour inland New South Wales, Brough lent him three titles which he had licensed:

Paulton Paulton () is a large village and civil parish, with a population of 5,302, located to the north of the Mendip Hills, very close to Norton Radstock in the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), England. Paulton is a form ...

's ''

Niobe Niobe (; : Nióbē) was in Greek mythology a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa. She was the wife of Amphion and the sister of Pelops and Broteas. Niobe is mentioned by Achilles in Homer's ''Iliad ...

'', Grundy's '' A Village Priest'' and Pinero's ''

The Second Mrs Tanqueray ''The Second Mrs. Tanqueray'' is a problem play by Arthur Wing Pinero. It utilises the "Woman with a past" plot, popular in nineteenth century melodrama. The play was first produced in 1893 by the actor-manager George Alexander and despite c ...

''. In 1900 he famously picked up

Gregan McMahon Gregan McMahon, CBE (2 March 1874 – 30 August 1941)Allan Ashbolt,McMahon, Gregan (1874–1941), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, Melbourne University Press, MUP, 1986, pp 336–337. Retrieved 2 October 2009 was an Australian act ...

, toured Australia and New Zealand, India and China again, then in 1902 disbanded. Among the plays produced was

Wilde Wilde is a surname. Notable people with the name include: In arts and entertainment In film, television, and theatre * Andrew Wilde (actor), English actor * Barbie Wilde (born 1960), Canadian actress * Brian Wilde (1927–2008), British actor * ...

's ''

An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...

'' in 1895, a bold move according to one historian, "at the height of his notoriety", though the author's trial for indecency was some months away. In 1905, Brough entered his last partnership, with Herbert Flemming, which they agreed would be for one year with the option of renewing, but that date coincided almost exactly with Brough's death. Professional theatre in the Colonies differed from that in England, where a "hit" show can run continuously for weeks or months, and actors can settle into their parts. Brough's companies had to be agile, continually rehearsing new shows in preparation for a drop in attendance, and when touring to have ree or four titles ready for production. Brough reckoned he and his wife had played over 250 characters each in less than 25 years. Three parts for which Brough was particularly remembered are: *Cayley Drummle in Pinero's ''

'' *Jean Torquenie in

Sydney Grundy Sydney Grundy (23 March 1848 – 4 July 1914) was an English dramatist. Most of his works were adaptations of European plays, and many became successful enough to tour throughout the English-speaking world. He is, however, perhaps best remembe ...

's '' A Village Priest'' *Captain Barley, in

W. W. Jacobs William Wymark Jacobs (8 September 1863 – 1 September 1943) was an English author of short fiction and drama. He is best known for his story "The Monkey's Paw". Early life He was born in 1863 at 5, Crombie's Row, Mile End Old Town (not Wappin ...

' comedy '' Beauty and the Barge''

Death

When the Brough-Flemming company reached Perth on what was to be their final tour, he was compelled to miss the opening performances, but played in the first Sydney season and throughout the New Zealand tour. He made two appearances 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 '' Quality Street'' during the return season in Sydney before taking another break. He made an appearance, his last, as the "Earl of Carlton" in the first Australian production of '' Little Mary'' (also by

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 ...

) before being hospitalised. Brough died of a heart disease in a private hospital on Darlinghurst Road, Sydney. It was not unexpected, as he had been ailing for a year. The funeral service was held in the mortuary chapel adjacent Christ Church,

George Street, Sydney George Street is a street in the Sydney central business district, central business district of Sydney. It was Sydney's original high street, and remains one of the busiest streets in the city centre. It connects a number of the city's most im ...

and his remains were interred at the

Waverley Cemetery The Waverley Cemetery is a Heritage register, heritage-listed cemetery on top of the cliffs at Bronte, New South Wales, Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 1877 and built by R. Watkins (cemetery lodge, ...

, witnessed by his widow along with friends and admirers. His company was already on the train for Brisbane, and could not attend, but were represented by Alec. Mayne, a longtime associate. A cast iron three–tiered fountain was dedicated to Robert Brough by friends and Australasian theatre managers following his death. The fountain was announced in April 1907 and fabricated by the

Coalbrookdale Coalbrookdale is a town in the Ironbridge Gorge and the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. It lies within the civil parish called The Gorge, Shro ...

Iron Foundry, later unveiled by the Premier of NSW, Sir Charles Gregory Wade MLA on 18 November 1907. It is located inside the courtyard of the Sydney Hospital adjacent the Nightingale Wing and the North Block.

Appreciation

In an interview by

Beaumont Smith Frank Beaumont "Beau" Smith (15 August 1885 – 2 January 1950), was an Australian film director, producer and exhibitor, best known for making low-budget comedies. Smith made his first film, ''Our Friends, the Hayseeds,'' in 1917. He went on ...

for the Adelaide '' Gadfly'', Brough's late partner Herbert Flemming recounted how they first met some twenty years earlier, when Brough was playing for Williamson 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 ...

'' and about to join with Boucicault in '' The Magistrate'' at the Bijou. Flemming noted that beside his stagecraft, which was of the highest order, he was impressed with his thoroughness and generosity — "he lived for two things, his wife and his art"; his consideration and patience, with never a thought for himself — when convalescing in the Blue Mountains he apologised to Flemming for the trouble he was causing. And his wife was of the same ilk; after his death she supported the idea of a hospital bed in her husband's name, but refused any kind of benefit for herself — she would sooner "work to her dying day."

Family

Barnabas Brough (c. 1795–1854) author notorious for testifying against Chartism, Chartist demonstrators *William Brough (writer) (1826–1870) married Ann Romer, sister of Elizaeth * Robert Barnabas Brough (1828–1860) married Elizabeth Romer, aka "Miss Emily Romer" (died 1901). :*Frances Whiteside Brough (7 July 1852 – 30 November 1914), aka

, actress :*Lionel Barnabas Brough (1857 – 21 April 1906), Robert Brough, subject of this article, married Florence Major (stage name "Florence Trevelyan") around 1884. His widow in 1909 married one George Bell Charles Bell or Cyril Bell, and as Mrs Brough-Bell, she died 7 January 1932. :The widowed Elizabeth Brough married again, to James Gibson; they had a daughter: :*Brenda Gibson ( – ) married John Jones-Hewson, a baritone from 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 ...

, on 6 August 1898. He died from

consumption Consumption may refer to: * Eating *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption * Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...

in England four years later. They had a son while in Australia. * John Cargill Brough (1834–1872) science writer *

Lionel Brough Lionel "Lal" Brough (10 March 1836 – 8 November 1909) was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s. H ...

(1836–1909) actor comedian; author and journalist :*

Mary Brough Mary Bessie Brough (16 April 1863 – 30 September 1934) was an English actress in theatre, silent films and early talkies, including eleven of the twelve Aldwych farces of the 1920s and early 1930s. The daughter of a well-known actor, Lione ...

(1863–1934), with

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

:*Sydney "Bobby" Brough (1868–1911), actor :*Margaret "Daisy" Brough (1870–1901), actress :*Percy Brough (1872–1904) toured with the Brough-Boucicault Comedy Company

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brough, Robert 1857 births 1906 deaths Australian male stage actors Australian theatre managers and producers 19th-century Australian businesspeople British emigrants to the Colony of New South Wales

History

Death

Appreciation

Further reading

Family

Notes and references