Ada Bemister

Ada Bemister (1862-1918)[1] was a singer and stage performer.

Biography

Born Ada Amelia Bemister, the daughter of Frederick George Bemister and his wife Clara (née Murray). She had two sisters, Clara Louise Bemister and Adele Lucia Florence. The latter also became an actress, appearing under the names Lucy Bemister or Florence Bemister.

Ada began her career with the D'Oyly Carte touring company of The Mikado, appearing as "Yum Yum" when they were in Llandudno, and from there played "Yum Yum" and "Patience" on the company's continental tour in 1887. On her return, she played at the Avenue Theatre in Don Juan jr (Gulbeyah) and at Glasgow in Babes in the Wood, but

In 1889-1890 she went to South Africa for Gilbert Tate. Once back in England, however, she does not seem to have been that active on stage. Her name appears on occasion in in variety prductioons, e.g. as "Dick Whittington" in Glasgow and as a member of the chorus for the the D'Oyly Carte company (between 1895-7).

She was twice married, to Charles W. Tayleur (1896 till hiss early passing in 1901, at the age of 37), and then to Alexander Thomas in 1904. Ada died in 1918.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

While in South Africa she was a leading member of The Edgar Perkins Lyric Opera Company, when it first visited Cape Town in January, 1890, to perform various operas and musical pieces in the Exhibition Theatre.

Sources

Kurt of Gerolstein. Around the World in Twenty Years: Years One to Twelve. (Blog on Friday, April 24, 2020) [2]

D.C. Boonzaier, 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1923. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: p. 390

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