A 132ND GARLAND OF BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC COMPOSERS
Another theatre-orientated Garland this time. First
a few more names from the 1930s – little known names, really, as that
era was dominated by such composers as Vivian Ellis, Waller and Tunbridge,
Noel Coward and latterly Ivor Novello and Noel Gay. Harry Archer,
lyricist and composer, was doubtless pleased that his Lucky Break
had 198 West End performances in 1934-5, a lucky break indeed; his
only other show I know of was Paradise Alley, part composed with
Carli Carlton. Wainwright Morgan was a "singleton",
The Laughing Cavalier, gorgeously staged but otherwise indifferent
and achieving a mere 38 performances at the Adelphi in 1937; at least
two of its songs, "You are Perfection" and the title number,
were published, as were his two settings of Maori songs, See the
Vessel Glide and Waita Hinemon.
Coming to post-war days the composing team of Ireland
Cutter (also a director and lyricist) and Tommy Conner remained
active for over twenty years but none of their shows reached the West
End; Jane Rose (1948) was toured, Cowboy Casanova graced
the boards at Stratford East for a week in 1950, A Portrait of Dorian
Gray was announced in 1967 but not produced, while Mayflower
was appropriately, though briefly, produced at Plymouth in 1970. Tommie
Connor (sic), credited with a large number of music-hall songs,
some with collaborators, is possibly not the same man as Ireland Cutter’s
partner. Eve Lynd’s Cage Me A Peacock (1948, 337 performances
at the Strand and Cambridge Theatres) is worth a mention as being the
first full-scale West End show by a woman since Liza Lehman’s
Sergeant Brue forty years before; its numbers included "Time
Alone Will Tell", "Hey Ding-a-Ding-Dong", "Hocus
Pocus" and the title song. This show appears to be Lynd’s one big
moment.
We close with two figures associated with the present-day
company Opera della Luna. Its artistic director/musical director Jeff
Clark is credited with music for stage productions such as Cider
With Rosie, Tess of the d’Urbervilles and, most recently,
The History of Tom Jones. Actor/singer/musician Kieran Buckeridge
has composed music for Passport to Spanish and for a performance
of Cinderella at Deptford in 1999.
Philip L. Scowcroft
October 2000
Philip's book 'British Light Music Composers' (ISBN 0903413 88 4) is
currently out of print.
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