Ada Reeve (1876-1966)

Ada Reeve

Adelaide Mary (Ada) Reeve, was born in London on March 3rd, 1876 (some sources say 1874). As both of her parents were actors (her father being Charles Reeve) it was inevitable that Ada would be groomed for the stage from an early age, and she made her first theatrical appearance at just four years old. That was in the pantomime "Red Riding Hood" at the Pavilion Theatre in Whitechapel, London on Boxing Day 1878. Two years later, she made her 'straight' dramatic debut came at Dewsbury in West Yorkshire when she played 'Willie Carlyle' in "East Lynne" with Fred Wright's company of which her parents were members. Her talent, even at so early an age was obvious and Ada soon became the family meal ticket.

She first appeared in London at the Pavilion Theatre, Mile End, over Christmas 1883 when she played 'The Old Man of the Sea' in the pantomime "Sinbad the Sailor". Over the next few years she appeared in a number of productions at the same theatre, including the role as the boy 'Jacques Martel' in "The Crimes of Paris" in the summer of 1884 which she made a considerable success. At christmas 1884 she played 'Fairy Kindness' in the pantomime "Little Red Riding Hood" and the following christmas was in "Jack the Giant Killer".

As she matured it became apparent that musical comedy was Ada's particular talent and she next turned to the Music Halls where, still in her teenage years, she became firmly established as one of the principal light comedy artistes and sang many songs which attained great popularity. On May 5, 1894, Ada married the actor Bert Gilbert at Nottingham, then, having made her name in the Halls, she returned to mainstream theatre in July of that year touring as 'Haidee' in "Don Juan". Later that year she became one of George Edwardes famous Gaiety girls and made her West End Debut as 'Bessie Brent' in "The Shop Girl" opening at the Gaiety on 24th November. She neglected to tell Edwardes that she was pregnant when offered the part, and had to leave midway through the run of 546 performances as her condition became more delicate. The news of her pregnancy only broke when she was forced to confide in her co-star Seymour Hicks, a practical joker, who was in the habit of pushing a pram at her in one scene at such speed that on one occasion it knocked her over. When she left, she was replaced in the role by Ellaline Terriss, Hicks new wife.

She next appeared on stage in "All Abroad" at the Criterion (August 1895), and "The Gay Parisienne" at the Duke of York's (April 1896) before embarking with her husband on an extended tour of Australia. Unfortunately by now her marriage had run into difficulties due to his extraordinary cruelty. Whilst in Australia Ada was driven to petition for divorce which she then withdrew when Gilbert begged her for forgiveness. He soon returned to his evil ways however, such that on the return sea journey to England Ada was forced to appeal to the captain of the ship for protection. Back in England she took a flat and lived separately from her husband. Although she subsequently took him back for a time, the marriage was irrevocably broken when he bragged of an affair. The divorce was made final in April 1900.

Professionally, on her return to England in December 1898 Ada had taken up the role of 'Madame Celeste' in "Milord, Sir Smith" which had overlapping runs at the Comedy and Palace theatres. That was followed in April 1899 by the role of 'Cleopatra' in "The Great Caesar" at the Palace Theatre. In November 1899, at the Lyric, she created the role of 'Lady Holyrood' in the origanal cast of Owen Hall's hugely successful musical comedy "Florodora" (an original recording of which still exists and can be purchased online). It was the story of a young woman seeking romance and the restoration of a stolen inheritance, and it became the role for which Ada would be most fondly remembered. The following year she embarked on a second tour of Australia, returning in the summer of 1901 to tour in her old part in "Florodora". In October 1901, she joined the cast of the hit musical "San Toy" in the secondary female role of 'Dudley', shortly thereafter taking over the title role from Florence Collingbourne who left to get married. Moving on to the Apollo in December, she succeeded Evie Greene in the title role of "Kitty Grey", staying on to play 'Ada Branscombe' in "The Three Little Maids" which opened in May 1902.

Later that year, she married the Birmingham born actor and manager Wilfred Cotton. Cotton was the uncle of Lily Elsie (real name Elsie Cotton), a rising stage starlet and celebrated beauty. At the Lyric in April 1903, under her new husband's management, she opened as 'Miss Ventnor' in "The Medal and the Maid". The following year she played the title role in the play "Winnie Brooke, Widow" (which she also co-produced with her husband), opening at the Grand Theatre in Boscombe then subsequently at the Criterion in London and later on tour. In 1905 she toured in the title role in "The Adventures of Moll" and at christmas appeared as Aladdin in Pantomime in Birmingham.

In 1906 she embarked with her husband on a tour of South Africa where she became extraordinarily popular. Returning to England she played engagements at the Tivoli and Empire and on tour before playing 'Rhodanthe' in her husband's hit production of the musical "Butterflies" at the Apollo from May 1908. In 1909 she embarked on a second successful tour of South Africa. On her return she toured in "Butterflies" and at Christmas 1909 played 'Jack' in "Jack and the Beanstalk" in pantomime in Birmingham.

In the years that followed she concentrated mainly on variety work England in between numerous extensive foreign tours. These included a third tour of South Africa in 1911 before proceeding on to tour the USA. She visited South Africa again in 1913 and Australia in 1914. In England in 1916 she toured in "A Modern Eve" (a renamed production of "Winnie Brooke, Widow" as well as appearing in variety. She returned to Australia and South Africa in 1918, and South Africa again in 1920. There was a further extended tour of Australia from 1922 to 1924, a shorter tour in 1926, and another extended tour from 1929 playing mainly in vaudeville.

Returning to England in 1935 after a six year absence, Ada appeared in cabaret at the Trocadero in London, then in revue at Manchester and back in London at the Adelphi. She spent the new few years continuing in variety in London and the provinces before returning to 'straight' theatre in 1940 in the musical 'rag' "Vlack Velvet". Ada continued to appear regularly on stage over the next few years and in 1944 made her first appearance on film as 'Mrs Barley' in "They Came to a City". That was the first of nine movies in which she would appear between stage performances during the forties and fifties. She retired from the stage at the age of eighty but made two further film performances beyond that, the last being the 1957 production "A Passionate Stranger" ('Old Woman') at the grand age of eighty-three.

When she finally retired completely from performing she could look back on a career that had spanned almost eighty years from her first childhood performance on stage to her last veteran appearance on film. It was a career which had made her much loved on three continents. She was one of the most popular British singing comediennes of all time, and considered to be a headliner in variety and vaudeville. She was endowed with a softness of voice and delicacy of performance that quite set her apart from virtually all of her more raucous contemporaries in the music halls and popularised many memorable songs. Perhaps the best known of these was "She Was a Clergyman’s Daughter", a song about a clergyman's daughter who wasn't truly as naive or charitable as she appeared, and which she would perform in a demure costume of a flounced dress and bonnet. Her great talent was in turning this seemingly innocent song and appearance into a somewhat risque performance by her use of perfectly timed knowing winks and gestures to the audience.

Ada Reeve died in 1966 at the age of 92.

Movie Credits (source www.imdb.com)
1919 - Comradeship [Betty Mortimore]
1944 - They Came to a City [Mrs. Barley]
1947 - When the Bough Breaks [2nd Landlady]
1947 - Meet Me at Dawn [Concierge]
1949 - Dear Mr. Prohack [Mrs. Griggs]
1950 - Night and the City [Molly]
1952 - I Believe in You [Mrs. Crockett]
1953 - Time Bomb [Old Lady]
1956 - Eyewitness [Mrs. Hudson]
1957 - A Passionate Stranger [Old Woman]