Charles Collette
Encyclopedia
Charles Henry Collette was an English stage actor, composer and writer noted for his work in comedy in a long career onstage. He appeared, beginning in the late 1860s, in many Bancroft
productions and was engaged by other managers, including J. L. Toole, John Hollingshead
, Mary Anderson
, Lydia Thompson
and Herbert Beerbohm Tree
, as well as performing in his own companies. He toured for some years as the title character in F. C. Burnand's The Colonel
and played many military men.
Collette continued acting in London and in the British provinces until 1907, a career of nearly four decades, but he is probably best remembered today for the presence of his musical play Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata
on the bill with the historic 1875 premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan
's Trial by Jury
.
. He left the army in 1868, and, having enjoyed amateur theatricals while serving in India, he was attracted by a stage career. A mutual friend put him in touch with Marie Bancroft
, who cast him as Charles Hampton, a light romantic role, in a comedy, Tame Cats at the Prince of Wales's Theatre
. He made an immediate impression. The magazine Fun
published an article with the title "Tame Cats; Or, The Triumph of Collette"; this, however, was not so much a tribute to the actor as a rebuke to his over-enthusiastic friends in the audience.
Over the succeeding years, Collette appeared in many Bancroft productions, including School by T. W. Robertson
, Sheridan
's The School for Scandal
(as Sir Oliver Surface), The Merchant of Venice
, and Lord Lytton's Money. Another classic role that Collette played was Mr. Puff in The Critic
. He was engaged by other managers, notably J. L. Toole, John Hollingshead
, Mary Anderson
, Lydia Thompson
and Herbert Beerbohm Tree
, among others, as well as touring his own companies. He appeared in plays by a wide variety of authors besides Shakespeare, Sheridan and Robertson, including stage adaptations of Dickens novels. In 1879, his attempt at theatrical management ended in financial disaster, sending him into bankruptcy for several years and drawing his solicitor father to the brink of professional ruin.
Collette toured for some years as Colonel Woottwweell Woodd in F. C. Burnand's The Colonel
. Woodd was one of his favourite roles; others included Sergeant Jones in Robertson's Ours, Colonel Berners in They're Smith's Cut off with a Shilling, Adonis Evergreen in Charles Mathews
's My Awful Dad, Autolycus in The Winter's Tale
, and Private Saunders in Bootles' Baby, an adaptation by Hugh Moss of a popular novelette by J. S. Winter. He was often referred to as the "soldier-actor"; not only did he play a large number of military men, there was, The Times
said, "no mistaking that he had been in the Army. Tall and upright, with a broad chest and shoulders, he looked even when quite old the perfect type of a healthy Englishman."
In 1887, Collett performed his own comic sketch at the Alhambra Theatre
, called Charles Collette at Home. The sketch included several patter song
s and a comic lecture upon Natural History. Collette continued acting in London and in the British provinces until 1907, when he played Mr. Micawber in an adaptation of David Copperfield
, and in In the Bishop's Carriage at the Waldorf Theatre
. He also appeared in concerts, and, towards the end of his life performed in "variety" shows. He also created illustrations later in his life.
, or While It's to be Had. This play was on the bill at the Royalty Theatre
, with Collette in the lead, when Gilbert and Sullivan
's Trial by Jury
was premiered in 1875. Collette's song from the piece, "What an Afternoon!", became popular. The simple form of the lyric, with its title repeated every other line, caught the public fancy:
The popularity of the song prompted pirating of the words and music. Collette successfully sued a man named Goode, causing one paper to comment that the song should be retitled "What a Goode Afternoon".
Offstage, Collette was an enthusiastic collector of Staffordshire china
, and was a long-standing and popular member of the Savage Club
. He married Blanche Julia Wilton (1851–1934), the younger sister of Lady Bancroft, with whom he had one daughter.
Collette died at his home near Kew Gardens at the age of 81.
Effie Bancroft
Marie Effie Wilton, Lady Bancroft was an English actress and theatre manager. She appeared onstage as Marie Wilton until after her marriage in December 1867 to Squire Bancroft, when she usually appeared under the name Lady Bancroft...
productions and was engaged by other managers, including J. L. Toole, John Hollingshead
John Hollingshead
John Hollingshead was an English theatrical impresario, journalist and writer during the latter half of the 19th century. He is best remembered as the first manager of the Gaiety Theatre, London...
, Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson may refer to:*Mary Anderson *Mary Anderson *Mary Anderson *Mary Anderson *Mary Anderson...
, Lydia Thompson
Lydia Thompson
Lydia Thompson, born Eliza Hodges Thompson , was an English dancer, actress and theatrical producer....
and Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
, as well as performing in his own companies. He toured for some years as the title character in F. C. Burnand's The Colonel
The Colonel (play)
The Colonel is a farce in three acts by F. C. Burnand based on Jean François Bayard's Le mari à la campagne, first produced in 1844 and produced in London in 1849 by Morris Barnett as The Serious Family....
and played many military men.
Collette continued acting in London and in the British provinces until 1907, a career of nearly four decades, but he is probably best remembered today for the presence of his musical play Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata
Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata
Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata, or While it's to be Had was a one-act play styled a "successful romantic Extravaganza", written by R. H. Edgar and Charles Collette, an actor who also starred in the leading role of Plantagenet Smith and wrote the words and music of the play's hit song...
on the bill with the historic 1875 premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
.
Early life and acting career
Collette was born in London, the son of Charles Hastings Collette, a solicitor, and his wife, Frances Mary, née Sharpe, and the grandson of General Collette of the Madras Cavalry. As a young man, he held a commission in the Dragoon GuardsDragoon guards
Dragoon Guards was the designation used to refer to certain heavy cavalry regiments in the British Army from the 18th century onwards. While the Prussian and Russian armies of the same period included dragoon regiments amongst their respective Imperial Guards, different titles were applied to these...
. He left the army in 1868, and, having enjoyed amateur theatricals while serving in India, he was attracted by a stage career. A mutual friend put him in touch with Marie Bancroft
Effie Bancroft
Marie Effie Wilton, Lady Bancroft was an English actress and theatre manager. She appeared onstage as Marie Wilton until after her marriage in December 1867 to Squire Bancroft, when she usually appeared under the name Lady Bancroft...
, who cast him as Charles Hampton, a light romantic role, in a comedy, Tame Cats at the Prince of Wales's Theatre
Scala Theatre
The Scala Theatre was a theatre in London, sited on Charlotte Street, off Tottenham Court Road, in the London Borough of Camden. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire...
. He made an immediate impression. The magazine Fun
Fun (magazine)
Fun was a Victorian weekly magazine, first published on 21 September 1861. The magazine was founded by the actor and playwright H. J. Byron in competition with Punch magazine.-Description:...
published an article with the title "Tame Cats; Or, The Triumph of Collette"; this, however, was not so much a tribute to the actor as a rebuke to his over-enthusiastic friends in the audience.
Over the succeeding years, Collette appeared in many Bancroft productions, including School by T. W. Robertson
Thomas William Robertson
Thomas William Robertson , usually known professionally as T. W. Robertson, was an Anglo-Irish dramatist and innovative stage director best known for a series of realistic or naturalistic plays produced in London in the 1860s that broke new ground and inspired playwrights such as W.S...
, Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
's The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal is a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on May 8, 1777.The prologue, written by David Garrick, commends the play, its subject, and its author to the audience...
(as Sir Oliver Surface), The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
, and Lord Lytton's Money. Another classic role that Collette played was Mr. Puff in The Critic
The Critic (play)
The Critic: or, a Tragedy Rehearsed is a satire by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first staged at Drury Lane Theatre in 1779. It is a burlesque on stage acting and play production conventions, and Sheridan considered the first act to be his finest piece of writing...
. He was engaged by other managers, notably J. L. Toole, John Hollingshead
John Hollingshead
John Hollingshead was an English theatrical impresario, journalist and writer during the latter half of the 19th century. He is best remembered as the first manager of the Gaiety Theatre, London...
, Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson may refer to:*Mary Anderson *Mary Anderson *Mary Anderson *Mary Anderson *Mary Anderson...
, Lydia Thompson
Lydia Thompson
Lydia Thompson, born Eliza Hodges Thompson , was an English dancer, actress and theatrical producer....
and Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
, among others, as well as touring his own companies. He appeared in plays by a wide variety of authors besides Shakespeare, Sheridan and Robertson, including stage adaptations of Dickens novels. In 1879, his attempt at theatrical management ended in financial disaster, sending him into bankruptcy for several years and drawing his solicitor father to the brink of professional ruin.
Collette toured for some years as Colonel Woottwweell Woodd in F. C. Burnand's The Colonel
The Colonel (play)
The Colonel is a farce in three acts by F. C. Burnand based on Jean François Bayard's Le mari à la campagne, first produced in 1844 and produced in London in 1849 by Morris Barnett as The Serious Family....
. Woodd was one of his favourite roles; others included Sergeant Jones in Robertson's Ours, Colonel Berners in They're Smith's Cut off with a Shilling, Adonis Evergreen in Charles Mathews
Charles James Mathews
Charles James Mathews was a British actor. He was one of the few British actors to be successful in French-speaking roles in France. A son of the actor Charles Mathews, he achieved a greater reputation than his father in the same profession and also excelled at light comedy...
's My Awful Dad, Autolycus in The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
, and Private Saunders in Bootles' Baby, an adaptation by Hugh Moss of a popular novelette by J. S. Winter. He was often referred to as the "soldier-actor"; not only did he play a large number of military men, there was, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said, "no mistaking that he had been in the Army. Tall and upright, with a broad chest and shoulders, he looked even when quite old the perfect type of a healthy Englishman."
In 1887, Collett performed his own comic sketch at the Alhambra Theatre
Alhambra Theatre
The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as The Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two years and reopened as the Alhambra. The building was...
, called Charles Collette at Home. The sketch included several patter song
Patter song
The patter song is characterized by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note...
s and a comic lecture upon Natural History. Collette continued acting in London and in the British provinces until 1907, when he played Mr. Micawber in an adaptation of David Copperfield
David Copperfield (novel)
The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery , commonly referred to as David Copperfield, is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a novel in 1850. Like most of his works, it originally appeared in serial...
, and in In the Bishop's Carriage at the Waldorf Theatre
Novello Theatre
The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster.-History:The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of the Waldorf Hotel, both being designed by W. G. R. Sprague. The theatre opened as the Waldorf Theatre on 22 May 1905, and was...
. He also appeared in concerts, and, towards the end of his life performed in "variety" shows. He also created illustrations later in his life.
Writing and personal life
In addition to performing, Collette wrote a number of his own works, including the "successful romantic extravaganza" improbably titled CryptoconchoidsyphonostomataCryptoconchoidsyphonostomata
Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata, or While it's to be Had was a one-act play styled a "successful romantic Extravaganza", written by R. H. Edgar and Charles Collette, an actor who also starred in the leading role of Plantagenet Smith and wrote the words and music of the play's hit song...
, or While It's to be Had. This play was on the bill at the Royalty Theatre
Royalty Theatre
The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho and opened on 25 May 1840 as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938. The architect was Samuel Beazley, a resident in Soho Square, who also designed St James's Theatre, among...
, with Collette in the lead, when Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
was premiered in 1875. Collette's song from the piece, "What an Afternoon!", became popular. The simple form of the lyric, with its title repeated every other line, caught the public fancy:
His trousers' sleeves were bright green-red,
What an afternoon!
With velvet collar of white black lead;
What an afternoon!
He also moved his legs when he walked,
What an afternoon!
And he generally spoke when he usually talked;
What an afternoon!
The popularity of the song prompted pirating of the words and music. Collette successfully sued a man named Goode, causing one paper to comment that the song should be retitled "What a Goode Afternoon".
Offstage, Collette was an enthusiastic collector of Staffordshire china
Staffordshire Potteries
The Staffordshire Potteries is a generic term for the industrial area encompassing the six towns that now make up Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire, England....
, and was a long-standing and popular member of the Savage Club
Savage Club
The Savage Club, founded in 1857 is a gentlemen's club in London.-History:Many and varied are the stories that have been told about the first meeting of the Savage Club, of the precise purposes for which it was formed, and of its christening...
. He married Blanche Julia Wilton (1851–1934), the younger sister of Lady Bancroft, with whom he had one daughter.
Collette died at his home near Kew Gardens at the age of 81.