Sefton Henry Parry
Encyclopedia
Sefton Henry Parry theatre manager.
On returning to England he engaged in the construction of several London theatres, for which he prepared the plans and undertook the preliminary management. No new theatre had been added to the places of entertainment in central London since the erection of the Princess's in 1840 until Parry built, upon the site of an old coach-house and stables, the first of the new theatres, called, after the thoroughfare in which it was situated, the Holborn Theatre. It was opened on 6 October 1866 with Dion Boucicault
's drama The Flying Scud which, with a real horse and George Belmore as Nat Gosling the old jockey, was a great success. Parry remained lessee of the house until 1872. It burnt down on 4 July 1880, and the First Avenue Hotel later stood on the site.
In 1868 he built on a portion of the ground of Old Lyon's Inn in Newcastle Street, Strand, a house which he christened the Globe Theatre
. It opened on 28 November 1868 with H. J. Byron's
comedy, Cyril's Success. No other piece of much mark was produced there during Parry's management there, which lasted till 1871.
The third theatre which he built was the Avenue
, at the corner of Craven Street, facing the Thames. This was inaugurated on 11 March 1882, under the management of Mr. Burke, with Jacques Offenbach
's opera Madame Favart
, in which Florence St. John
took the title rôle. Parry was connected with the erection of the Greenwich Theatre, and was the proprietor of theatres at Hull and Southampton.
He wrote The Bright Future, a drama produced at the opening of the Grand Theatre, Islington, on 4 August 1883.
He died, after much suffering from a paralytic attack, at Cricklewood Lodge, Middlesex, in 1887, aged fifty-five, and was buried in Old Willesden churchyard. He left a widow, son, and daughter.
Biography
Parry, born in 1832, was the youngest member of a theatrical family. His versatility was remarkable: he could paint scenery, cut out dresses, and do stage-carpentering. In 1859 he went to Cape Town to conduct dramatic performances, and was practically the first to give professional theatrical entertainments in the colony. His wife and a young female dancer assisted him, but the rest of the cast consisted of members of amateur dramatic clubs. After leaving Cape Town he travelled, with a small company, in various parts of the world, and made some money.On returning to England he engaged in the construction of several London theatres, for which he prepared the plans and undertook the preliminary management. No new theatre had been added to the places of entertainment in central London since the erection of the Princess's in 1840 until Parry built, upon the site of an old coach-house and stables, the first of the new theatres, called, after the thoroughfare in which it was situated, the Holborn Theatre. It was opened on 6 October 1866 with Dion Boucicault
Dion Boucicault
Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot , commonly known as Dion Boucicault, was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-managers then in the...
's drama The Flying Scud which, with a real horse and George Belmore as Nat Gosling the old jockey, was a great success. Parry remained lessee of the house until 1872. It burnt down on 4 July 1880, and the First Avenue Hotel later stood on the site.
In 1868 he built on a portion of the ground of Old Lyon's Inn in Newcastle Street, Strand, a house which he christened the Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre (Newcastle Street)
The Globe was a Victorian theatre built in 1868 and demolished in 1902. It was the third of five London theatres to bear the name. It was also known at various times as the Royal Globe Theatre or Globe Theatre Royal. Its repertoire consisted mainly of comedies and musical shows...
. It opened on 28 November 1868 with H. J. Byron's
Henry James Byron
Henry James Byron was a prolific English dramatist, as well as an editor, journalist, director, theatre manager, novelist and actor....
comedy, Cyril's Success. No other piece of much mark was produced there during Parry's management there, which lasted till 1871.
The third theatre which he built was the Avenue
Playhouse Theatre
The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in 1907 and still retains its original substage machinery...
, at the corner of Craven Street, facing the Thames. This was inaugurated on 11 March 1882, under the management of Mr. Burke, with Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's opera Madame Favart
Madame Favart
Madame Favart is an opéra comique, or operetta, in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Alfred Duru and Henri Charles Chivot.-Performance history:...
, in which Florence St. John
Florence St. John
Florence St. John , was an English singer and actress of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras famous for her roles in operetta, musical burlesque, music hall, opera and, later, comic plays.-Life and career:...
took the title rôle. Parry was connected with the erection of the Greenwich Theatre, and was the proprietor of theatres at Hull and Southampton.
He wrote The Bright Future, a drama produced at the opening of the Grand Theatre, Islington, on 4 August 1883.
He died, after much suffering from a paralytic attack, at Cricklewood Lodge, Middlesex, in 1887, aged fifty-five, and was buried in Old Willesden churchyard. He left a widow, son, and daughter.