Luscombe Searelle - Revision history

Darryl: /* Searelle's Theatre Royal */

2026-01-28T17:11:53Z

Searelle's Theatre Royal

Darryl: /* Searelle's Theatre Royal */

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Searelle's Theatre Royal

Darryl: /* Sources */

2025-06-06T12:27:56Z

Sources

Darryl: /* The Searelle Opera Company */

2025-06-06T12:27:21Z

The Searelle Opera Company

Darryl: /* Sources */

2024-07-22T15:00:31Z

Sources

Darryl: /* Biography */

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Biography

Darryl: /* Biography */

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Biography

Satj: /* The Luscombe Searelle Theatre Company */

2021-05-04T05:42:31Z

The Luscombe Searelle Theatre Company

Satj: /* The Luscombe Searelle Theatre Company */

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The Luscombe Searelle Theatre Company

Satj: /* The Luscombe Searelle Theatre Company */

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The Luscombe Searelle Theatre Company

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 ===[[Searelle's Theatre Royal]]===
-He constructed his own theatre in Johannesburg in 1892, known as '''[[Searelle's Theatre Royal]]''').
+He constructed his own theatre in Johannesburg in 1892, known as '''[[Searelle's Theatre Royal]]'''.
 Due to the impresario's financial troubles, the theatre building was eventually put up for auction by Richard Currie's Sales on Tuesday, February 22, 1898, and Searelle left the country.

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 ===[[Searelle's Theatre Royal]]===
-He constructed his own theatre (known as '''[[Searelle's Theatre Royal]]''') in Johannesburg.   The building, built using the best quality burnt bricks, had a frontage of 100 feet and was situated on plots 316, 317, 320 and 321, central Commissioner Street, Marshall's Town, Johannesburg. The building consisted of a theatre, shops, bar, tearooms, cafes and Searelle Chambers, as well as a barber, tobacconist and watchmaker's shops. There were also seven two-roomed offices with private toilets. Electric lights and water were supplied. Facing Fox Street were four semi-detached, double-storied houses, each containing five rooms, a kitchen, a pantry etc.
+He constructed his own theatre in Johannesburg in 1892, known as '''[[Searelle's Theatre Royal]]''').
 Due to the impresario's financial troubles, the theatre building was eventually put up for auction by Richard Currie's Sales on Tuesday, February 22, 1898, and Searelle left the country.
 == Sources ==

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 [[F.C.L. Bosman]]. 1980. ''Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912''. Pretoria: [[J.L. van Schaik]]: p. 403
-Hilde Roos. 2012. 'Indigenisation and history: how opera in South Africa became South African opera'. Acta Academica Supplementum. 2012(1).
+[[Hilde Roos]]. 2010. 'Opera Production in the Western Cape: Strategies in Search of Indigenisation'. Unpublished PhD thesis. [[Stellenbosch University]].
 Go to the  [[ESAT Bibliography]]

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 Some sources say that Searelle first came to South Africa in 1887 with what was billed as an ''[[Australian Opera Company]]'', under the management of the [[Wheeler Brothers]]. However, [[D.C. Boonzaier]] (1923) refers to it as the [[Searelle Opera Company]] and seems to suggest Searelle was the leader of the small company, though definitely at the time under the management of [[The Wheelers]], and that he was accompanied by his wife, [[Blanche Fenton]], her sister [[Amy Fenton]], [[Vernon Reid]] and [[Paul D'Arcy]]. They apparently utilised operatic performers from the [[Wheeler Company]] to fill out the rest of the cast. The Wheelers' regular chorus master at the time was [[Henry Harper]]. They appeared in the [[Theatre Royal]], Burg Street, Cape Town with a season of musical comedies and operas, opening with ''[[Maritana]]'' (Dumanoir and d'Ennery) in June, playing for eight months with a repertoire that further included ''[[The Bohemian Girl]]'' (Bunn and Balfe), ''[[La Mascotte]]'' (Audran), ''[[Il Trovatore]]'' (Verdi),  ''[[Girofle-Girofla]]'' and ''[[La Fille de Madame Angot]]'' (both by Lecocq). The season also had three favourite pieces by Gilbert and Sullivan (''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'',  ''[[The Mikado]]'' and ''[[Pirates of Penzance]]''),  as well as three of Searelle's own compositions (''[[Bobadil]]'', ''[[Estrella]]'' and ''[[Isadora]]'').
-Searelle returned to the country in 1889 once more with his wife, [[Blanche Fenton]] and her sister [[Amy Fenton]], but now with his own enlarged operatic company of seven members, for which he constructed a portable "[[Theatre Royal]]",  made of corrugated iron, at the intersection of Eloff and Commissioner Streets in Johannesburg, to house his productions there - where they again opened with ''[[Maritana]]''  and followed this with basically the same repertoire as before, touring the major cities, including seasons in Pretoria and Cape Town.
+Searelle returned to the country in 1889 once more with his wife, [[Blanche Fenton]] and her sister [[Amy Fenton]], but now with his own enlarged operatic company of seven members, for which he constructed a portable "[[Theatre Royal]]",  made of corrugated iron, at the intersection of Eloff and Commissioner Streets in Johannesburg, to house his productions there - where they again opened with ''[[Maritana]]'' - and followed this with basically the same repertoire as before, touring the major cities, including seasons in Pretoria and Cape Town. From August to November 1889 he produced fifteen different works in the Theatre Royal, amongst others Bizet’s ''[[Carmen]]'', Verdi’s ''[[Il Trovatore]]'' and Gounod’s ''[[Faust]]'' as well as two of his own operas, ''[[Bobadil]]'' and ''[[Estrella]]''.
 ===The [[Luscombe Searelle Theatre Company]]===

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:00, 22 July 2024
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	[[F.C.L. Bosman]]. 1980. ''Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912''. Pretoria: [[J.L. van Schaik]]: p. 403		[[F.C.L. Bosman]]. 1980. ''Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912''. Pretoria: [[J.L. van Schaik]]: p. 403
		+
		+	Hilde Roos. 2012. 'Indigenisation and history: how opera in South Africa became South African opera'. Acta Academica Supplementum. 2012(1).

	Go to the [[ESAT Bibliography]]		Go to the [[ESAT Bibliography]]

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 ==Biography==
-Born in Devon, England, he was brought up in New Zealand, where he attended Christ's College, Christchurch. He initially worked as a pianist in Christchurch and graduated to conductor, also singing writing an composing.
+William Luscombe Searelle  was born in Devon, England, he was brought up in New Zealand, where he attended Christ's College, Christchurch. He initially worked as a pianist in Christchurch and graduated to conductor, also singing writing an composing.
 His first comic opera, ''[[The Wreck of the Pinafore]]'' was produced at the Gaiety Theatre in London when he was twenty-two years of age and was followed by the popular ''[[Estrella]]'' (1884) and ''[[Bobadil]]'' (1884). By 1886, in spite of favourable criticism, Searelle was bankrupt and then turned his sights to South Africa's newly discovered gold fields.
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 Searelle was never financially successful, for despite his genius and sporadic successes, he was dogged throughout his life with litigation and debt, and was finally hounded out of Johannesburg in 1898.
-During his time in South Africa, Searelle also composed new operas and several of these were presented in Durban in 1899, including ''[[Black Rover]]'', ''[[Kisses of Circe]]'' and ''[[Evalina]]''. His comic opera ''[[Bobadil]]'' was staged in the USA in 1905, but he lost all his money to his backers, and ended up destitute, selling dusters from door to door, sleeping on benches on occasion and writing occasional poems.
+During his time in South Africa, Searelle also composed new operas and several of these were presented in Durban in 1899, including ''[[The Black Rover]]'', ''[[Kisses of Circe]]'' and ''[[Evalina]]''. His comic opera ''[[Bobadil]]'' was staged in the USA in 1905, but he lost all his money to his backers, and ended up destitute, selling dusters from door to door, sleeping on benches on occasion and writing occasional poems.
 Eventually Ella Wheeler Wilcox read his poetry and together they wrote opera ''[[Mizpah]]'', based on the biblical story of Esther (1904-5). It was put on in San Francisco but by then Searelle was too ill; dying of cancer, he could only view its success from a wheel-chair. After its premiere he was wheeled before the audience to receive his ovation. Inspired he rushed to England to stage it there but by now he was too ill and died on 18 December 1907 aged 54 before he could begin negotiations.

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 (Besides the original name, the companies were billed under a variety of names, over time, based on the focus of the particular repertoire, the names including the '''[[Luscombe Searelle Theatre Company]]''', the '''[[Searelle Theatre Company]]''', the '''[[Luscombe Searelle Comedy Company]]''', the '''[[Searelle Comedy Company]]''' or '''[[Luscombe Searelle's Star Variety Company]]''', '''[[Searelle's Star Variety Company]]'''' or simply the '''[[Star Variety Company]]''').
-In 1889 Searelle also began putting on straight theatre, bringing out the distinguished British comedian, [[Lionel Brough]] to South Africa, to tour with a company with a repertoire that included ''[[The Paper Chase]]'' (Thomas), ''[[She Stoops to Conquer]]'' (Goldsmith), ''[[Paul Pry]]'' (Jerrold), ''[[Modern Wives]]'' (Warren), ''[[Retiring]]'' (Williamson), ''[[Miriam's Crime]]'' (Craven), ''[[Yeoman's Service]]'' (Pemberton), ''[[Off Duty]]'' (Pemberton), ''[[No. 1 Round the Corner]]'' (Brough), ''[[Well Matched]]'' (Havard) and ''[[Our Flat]]'' ().   As the [[Theatre Royal]], Cape Town, had burnt down in 1888, he was compelled to use the largely unsuitable [[Exhibition Theatre]] in Cape Town  for this season, but the comedian and the company appeared to have been well received.
+In 1889 Searelle also began putting on straight theatre, bringing out the distinguished British comedian, [[Lionel Brough]] to South Africa, to tour with a company with a repertoire that included ''[[The Paper Chase]]'' (Thomas), ''[[She Stoops to Conquer]]'' (Goldsmith), ''[[Paul Pry]]'' (Jerrold), ''[[Modern Wives]]'' (Warren), ''[[Retiring]]'' (Williamson), ''[[Miriam's Crime]]'' (Craven), ''[[Yeoman's Service]]'' (Pemberton), ''[[Off Duty]]'' (Pemberton), ''[[No. 1 Round the Corner]]'' (Brough), ''[[Well Matched]]'' (Havard) and ''[[Our Flat]]'' (Musgrave).   As the [[Theatre Royal]], Cape Town, had burnt down in 1888, he was compelled to use the largely unsuitable [[Exhibition Theatre]] in Cape Town  for this season, but the comedian and the company appeared to have been well received.
 From 1891 he began to concentrate even more on stage plays and vaudeville rather than operas, touring the country with what was generally referred to as the '''[[Searelle Company]]''' by journalists and the public.