Mabel Hayes

Mabel Hayes () was a British actress and manager.

As a manager she was apparently known as Mrs R.J. Hall

Biography

Though no biography has been traced for her, she is mentioned as an actress in a number of plays produced at the Royal Princess' Theatre and at the Adelphi Theatre, London, (where she appeared inter alia as "Widow White" in Mr and Mrs White from 18 December 1876 till 2 February, 1877).

Apparently married to an R.J. Hall, since she was also referred to as Mrs R.J. Hall.

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

According to D.C. Boonzaier (1923), Hayes arrived in Cape Town from England on 24 August, 1882 with a large company that consisted of Dora French, Augusta Stuart, Georgie Leighford, Rose Brandram, Ellie Elliston, Mrs Eburne, Mr Veovide, Walter J. Brooks, Robert Bolder, Brittain Booth, H. Harries, Gertrude Wynne and others. She leased the Theatre Royal in Burg Street, Cape Town, for a season, managing it under the name of Mrs R.J. Hall, though the company was known as The Mabel Hayes Company.

They opened there with a Christmas pantomime (Cinderella) in 1882, with a season lasting till July 1883. Their repertoire was diverse, including both drama and opera. Among the operatic pieces mentioned by Boonzaier for example are Iolanthe (Gilbert and Sullivan), Manteaux Noirs (Scribe/Parke and Paulyon) and Olivette (Chivot & Durn)/Farnie). The dramas included The World (Meritt, Pettitt and Harris), Taken from Life (Pettitt), The Lights of London (Sims), The Squire (Pinero)

Bob Holder and Mabel Hayes performed in Johannesburg and Pretoria during 1888, drawing some attention with an Alladdin in which they satirized issues such as "Oom Paul" Kruger's chances in the election, speculation, gold shares, and the like.

Sources

Royal Adelphi Theatre (formerly the Sans Pareil Theatre) 1806-1900. Calendar for 1876-1877[1]

Ludwig Wilhelm Berthold Binge. 1969. Ontwikkeling van die Afrikaanse toneel (1832-1950). Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: p.33

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 1932. (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: pp. 354, 375-7, 384.

Go to the ESAT Bibliography