The Royal Command Performance

The following is a contemporary review of the Royal Command Performance staged in honour of the visit ot the German Emperor and Empress in May 1911. Following is breif dissertation on the history of the Royal Command Performance and the relationship between the monarchy and theatre.

THE PLAY PICTORIAL, Vol 18, No. 107 (1911).
THE COMMAND PERFORMANCE AT DRURY LANE (19th May 1911)

Old Drury has been the scene of many memorable sights and performances, but I doubt if, in all its long and brilliant history, there has been one to eclipse the representation which was given in honour of the German Emperor on the evening of May 17th.

Before touching on the scene or the play I must congratulate His Majesty King George V. on the national spirit he has shown in publicly honouring the theatre in a manner that it has not been honoured within the memory of living people. Command performances there have been at Windsor and Sandringham for the entertainment of distinguished people and foreign potentates, but these have been of a private nature, and have been shorn of that open patronage which enhances the dignity of the stage in the eyes of the world at large.

In effect, the Royal Command, graciously bestowed on Mr. Arthur Collins, is a direct reply to those prejudiced sectarians who regard the theatre as a place of contamination, as a means of rapid transit to the foul waters of Avernus. His Majesty's presence at the premniere of "The Count of Luxembourg" at Daly's is an equally efficacious reply to those who would turn our theatres into lecture halls for the dissemination of sociological literature, or into hospital operating rooms for the dissection of the ills that flesh is heir to.

Life is real and earnest, the poet tells us, and to some of us it is grim enough in all conscience, and it is for that very reason that human nature asks there shall be some relief provided for the toilers and the moilers, for the men and women whose brains are harassed and worn in the struggle for life in a century that has cast off the leisurely manners of old times, and when men crowd as much hurried activity into ten hours as their forefathers got into as many days. Mais, revenons a nos moutons.

Mr. Arthur Collins has organised such magnificent spectacles on the stage of Drury Lane that it was a foregone conclusion that he would not miss his chance when it came to making his auditorium a feast of splendour. The grand old theatre had been transformed into a veritable Rosamund's bower of floral beauty. With a drapery of white and yellow as an appropriate background, the gorgeous array of flowers were thrown into magnificent relief, and every stall had its luxuriant bouquet.

Truly, it was a sight for the gods, although, I am afraid, the "gods" who had waited so patiently for such long and weary hours could realise but faintly the coup d'oeil which the house presented to those who could look upwards instead of downwards. They had their reward, however, in witnessing nearly all the great stars in the theatrical firmament and that will give them something to talk about when, in the evening of their days, their grandchildren gather around their knees to listen to their reminiscences of that famous night at Drury Lane when such timehonoured veterans of the stage as Sir John Hare, Sir Charles Wyndham, Mr. Edward Terry, Mr. Alfred Bishop, Mr. J. D. Beveridge, and Mr. James Fernandez, whose united ages make the respectable total of 419 years, and such distinguished artists as Sir Herbert Tree, Mr. George Alexander, Mr. Fred Terry, Mr. Cyril Maude, Mr. Arthur Bourchier, Mr. Charles Hawtrey, Mr Weedon Grossmith, Mr. Lewis Waller, and a score or more of others in minor parts, or no parts at all, were seen in Bulwer Lytton's early Victorian drama of "Money."

It is not for me to question the Royal choice, but I should have preferred that our Imperial guests from Germany had been presented with a Shakesperean production. However, "Money" served, and it had the merit of not bringing into conflict the claims of contemporary dramatists. Besides which, "Money" has many points of interest. It presented more or less faithfully to the eye the dress and manners of those who saw the accession of Queen Victoria, it provides effective roles for several actors and actresses, and it is, in spite of its garish language, a play of dramatic situations and theatrical effectiveness.

Most of the daily papers have contained special and lengthy articles either in half-hearted praise or downright condemnation of Lytton's work, and so I do not propose to enter on any discussion of the piece, nor, in the circumstances is it necessary to criticise the production. Failing Mrs. John Wood or Lady Bancroft, who have moved into complete retirement, it would have been difficult to have found a more genial representative for Lady Franklin than Miss Winifred Emery. Miss Irene Vanbrugh and Miss Alexandra Carlisle were quaintly attractive in the curls and hoops of the period. Without being invidious, the honours of the performance undoubtedly fell to Mr. George Alexander, who made the character of Alfred Evelyn a vivid and vigorous representation, and I must say that, having seen Mr. Alexander in every character he has played in London since he made his debut with Irving as Caleb Deecie in "The Two Roses" in 1881, I have never seen him to greater advantage. Mr. Cyril Maude was intensely amusing as the fop, and Fred Terry was equally effective as Lord Glossmore. The three Knights were admirable in their respective roles, and Wyndham looked ridiculously young as Dudley Smooth.

The performance began at 9 p.m. and ended at 12.25, but very few of the audience left before the finish, and when I say that the whole of the floor had been converted into stalls, and that gleaming shoulders and sparkling jewels met one's gaze in every direction, the brilliancy of the occasion may be easily imagined. The receipts amounted to £10,000, and when the expenses have been met, including £4,000 for the decorations, the proceeds will be handed to His Majesty to devote to charity.

B. W. FINDON.

HISTORY OF THE COMMAND PERFORMANCE

It is virtually impossible to define just when the first Royal Command Performance took place. Any theatrical (or more recently cinematic) performance which takes place at the direction or behest of the reigning monarch is, by definition, a command performance and such events far predate the keeping of any written records. Since the earliest days of the monarchy, Kings and Queens have maintained minstrels and court jesters to provide them with entertainment, and in its broadest sense any of these performances could be termed to be a 'command performance'.

EARLY THEATRE AND THE MONARCHY

Even if we discount these types of performances in favour of recognisable theatre (ie. staged plays) the history of the command performance dates back at least as far as Queen Elizabeth I, during whose reign the foundations of modern day theatre were first laid down. The young Elizabeth was a highly educated woman and a lover of music and the arts. The first permanent purpose built theatre was erected during her reign and by the time of her death in 1603 as many as ten commercial playhouses were in operation. Whilst it is doubtful that Elizabeth herself ever visited any of these (she would have been too vulnerable), she had built her own theatre to house plays performed by her own company of players - formed in 1583 by Tilney and known as 'Queen Elizabeths Men'. The company made its first appearance at court in December 1583 and made frequent court appearances in subsequent years as well as appearing in the London Playhouses and touring in the provinces.

Subsequent monarchs continued the tradition of sponsoring their own theatrical troupes until the temporary dissolution of the monarchy (and the abolition of theatre) during the protectorship of Oliver Cromwell. The reinstatement of the monarchy following the death of Cromwell restored the relationship between the Crown and theatre on a similar basis as had existed before.

During the reign of King George III a Royal Command Performance of "The Winter's Tale" led to a Royal affair when the 17 year old Prince of Wales was smitten with the productions leading lady, 21 year old Mary Robinson. The prince pursued Mary with letter after letter and eventually she became his mistress. The affair, which was a poorly kept secret, lasted four years and Mary became known to the public as 'Perdita' after the role which had brought her to the Prince's attention. When the Prince tired of Mary and failed to pay her the annuity he had promised she ransomed his letters to the king for the considerable sum of five thousand pounds.

THE VICTORIAN ERA AND BEYOND

By the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign (20th June, 1837), the command performance was an established part of Britains theatrical heritage. Even so, the first Royal Command Performance in the modern sense is generally reckoned to have been that staged at Windsor Castle on 28th December, 1848, by order of Queen Victoria. The play that was staged on that occasion was "The Merchant of Venice" and the cast included Mr and Mrs Charles Kean, Mr and Mrs Keeley, Henry Lowe, Leigh Murray and Alfred Wigan. Thereafter, frequent Command Performances were staged, often calling upon 'all star' casts from the London theatres, until the death of the Prince Consort in December 1861. For the next twenty years there would be no further Command Performances until the series resumed at Abergeldie on 4th October, 1881 with a production of "The Colonel" by Edgar Bruce's company.

On 21st July, 1896, the first Royal Command Film Performance was held at Marlborough House. The film showed the Prince and Princess of Wales at the Cardiff Exhibition, and when the cinematographer, Birt Acres, requested permission to exhibit it in public the Prince asked to view it himself before granting consent. It was screened before forty royal guests in a specially erected marquee along with a collection of other short films.

On 27th June 1911 a Great 'Gala' performance was given by the theatrical profession at His Majesties Theatre in London in celebration of the coronation of His Majesty King George V. The proceeds from this event were used to found the King George's Pension Fund for Actors and Actresses. From 1913 it was decided to make this a regular annual 'all-star' event to continue contributing to the fund. The 1913 event was a production of the Dion Boucicault comedy "London Assurance" at the St James theatre on 27th June and raised a total of £1093.

A similar celebratory event by the Music Hall industry was due to have been held at the Empire Palace Theatre in Edinburgh in 1911 but was cancelled when that theatre burned down some weeks before the event killing some of the performers. It was staged successfully the following year at the Palace Theatre in London on 1st July 1912 before their Majesties King George V and Queen Mary. This was the first Royal Variety Performance (although then it was called the Royal Music Hall Performance) and the bill listed over one hundred and forty artistes. The top music hall attraction of the day, Marie Lloyd, however, was not invited as it was felt her repertoire was too risque for the royal sensibilities. The event was not repeated until 1919, whereafter it too became an annual event in benefit of the Variety Artistes Benevolent Fund.