Olive Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Olive Sarah Gilbert was an operatic singer and actress, who performed in many of Ivor Novello
's musicals.
, Wales
.
By 1919, she began her professional career in contralto
and mezzo-soprano
roles with the Carl Rosa Opera Company
, such as Carmen, Delilah, Mignon, Nicklaus and Suzuki. She performed for many years with that company, receiving warm reviews. Of her Fricka in Wagner's The Valkyrie in 1929, The Times
wrote, "The greatest individual performance last night was that of Miss Olive Gilbert, who conveyed the cold fury of Fricka in spirited singing which always remained full-toned".
Gilbert debuted in musical theatre
in May 1935, in Ivor Novello's Glamorous Night
at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
. She remained with Novello, taking starring roles in his musicals until his death in 1951. She also assisted him in organizational work as a sort of personal assistant. At Drury Lane, she starred in Novello's Careless Rapture
(1936), Crest of the Wave
(1937) and The Dancing Years
(1939). She was also the contralto voice in the unusual female duet from The Dancing Years, "The Wings of Sleep". Mary Ellis
sang the soprano
part. She also played Frau Kurt in the 1948 film of The Dancing Years (1948).
Next, Gilbert appeared in his Arc de Triomphe (1943 at the Phoenix Theatre
, Perchance to Dream
(1945 at the London Hippodrome), and King's Rhapsody
(1949 at the Palace Theatre
). One of her most famous performances was in the long-running Perchance to Dream, in which she sang "We'll gather Lilacs in the Spring". She sang the song at Novello's cremation.
In 1961 at the Palace Theatre, she first played Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music
, remaining in that show for its entire five-year run. She played the housekeeper in Man of La Mancha
in 1968 at the Piccadilly Theatre
. In the early 1970s, she toured in Bless the Bride
, as Ernestine in Perchance to Dream, and as Countess Vera in King's Rhapsody.
Gilbert died in 1981, in Hove
, Sussex
, at the age of 83.
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
's musicals.
Biography
Gilbert was born in CarmarthenCarmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
By 1919, she began her professional career in contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
and mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
roles with the Carl Rosa Opera Company
Carl Rosa Opera Company
The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl August Nicholas Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company survived Rosa's death in 1889, and continued to present opera in English on tour until 1960, when it was...
, such as Carmen, Delilah, Mignon, Nicklaus and Suzuki. She performed for many years with that company, receiving warm reviews. Of her Fricka in Wagner's The Valkyrie in 1929, 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...
wrote, "The greatest individual performance last night was that of Miss Olive Gilbert, who conveyed the cold fury of Fricka in spirited singing which always remained full-toned".
Gilbert debuted in musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
in May 1935, in Ivor Novello's Glamorous Night
Glamorous Night
Glamorous Night is a musical with a book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall, Novello's collaborator in six of the eight Novello musicals staged between 1935 and 1951...
at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
. She remained with Novello, taking starring roles in his musicals until his death in 1951. She also assisted him in organizational work as a sort of personal assistant. At Drury Lane, she starred in Novello's Careless Rapture
Careless Rapture
Careless Rapture is a 'musical play' by the Welsh composer Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall. It premiered on 11 September 1936 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane...
(1936), Crest of the Wave
Crest of the Wave (musical)
Crest of the Wave is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall.It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London, on 1 September 1937, starring Novello as both hero and villain, Dorothy Dickson, Olive Gilbert, Walter Crisham and Edgar Elmes...
(1937) and The Dancing Years
The Dancing Years
The Dancing Years is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall. The piece is one of Novello's most popular musicals...
(1939). She was also the contralto voice in the unusual female duet from The Dancing Years, "The Wings of Sleep". Mary Ellis
Mary Ellis
Mary Ellis was a long-lived star of the British stage best known for her roles in the genre of musical theatre. After appearing with the Metropolitan Opera beginning in 1918, later appearing opposite Enrico Caruso, she acted on Broadway, creating the title role in Rose Marie...
sang the soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
part. She also played Frau Kurt in the 1948 film of The Dancing Years (1948).
Next, Gilbert appeared in his Arc de Triomphe (1943 at the Phoenix Theatre
Phoenix Theatre (London)
The Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located on Charing Cross Road . The entrance is in Phoenix Street....
, Perchance to Dream
Perchance to Dream (musical)
Perchance to Dream is a musical romance with book, lyrics and music by Ivor Novello. It was the only musical for which Novello wrote lyrics. The title is a quotation from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet...
(1945 at the London Hippodrome), and King's Rhapsody
King's Rhapsody
King's Rhapsody is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall.The musical was first produced at the Palace Theatre, London, on 15 September 1949 and ran for 841 performances, surviving its author, who died in 1951...
(1949 at the Palace Theatre
Palace Theatre, London
The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. It is an imposing red-brick building that dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus and is located near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road...
). One of her most famous performances was in the long-running Perchance to Dream, in which she sang "We'll gather Lilacs in the Spring". She sang the song at Novello's cremation.
In 1961 at the Palace Theatre, she first played Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, remaining in that show for its entire five-year run. She played the housekeeper in Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote...
in 1968 at the Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
. In the early 1970s, she toured in Bless the Bride
Bless The Bride
Bless the Bride is a musical with music by Vivian Ellis and a book and lyrics by A. P. Herbert, the third of five musicals they wrote together. The musical is remembered as Ellis's best work and for the recordings of "This is my lovely day" and "I was never kissed before", with Lizbeth Webb and...
, as Ernestine in Perchance to Dream, and as Countess Vera in King's Rhapsody.
Gilbert died in 1981, in Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, at the age of 83.
External links
- "Wings of Sleep", a recording of Gilbert
- Olive Gilbert at the IMDB database