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The Pearl Girl
Performed at Shaftesbury Theatre, London.
A Musical Comedy by Basil Hood, Hugo Felix and Howard Talbot.
Opened 25th September, 1913.
Starring: Iris Hoey, Cicely Courtneidge.

All Editorial and Photos (except where indicated) as published in 'The Play Pictorial', Vol. XXII, No. 137.
PRINCIPAL CAST
Dramatis Personae
Played by
The Duke of Trent
Mr. Harry Welchman
Robert Jaffray
Mr. Jack Hulbert
Mr. Jecks
Mr. Laurie De Frece
Miranda Peploe
Miss Iris Hoey
Mrs. Baxter Browne
Miss Ada Blanche
Lady Betty Bidduplh
Miss Cicely Courtneidge
Byles
Mr. Alfred Lester
Pringle
Mr. Victor Tollemache
Mme. Alvarez
Miss Marjorie Maxwell
Duchess of Trent
Miss Miss Dorothea Temple
Lady Catherine Wheeler
Miss Sadrene Storri
Mabel Cheyne Walker
Miss Joan Hay

STORY OF THE PLAY

It can be said of Mr. Robert Courtneidge, that "what he doesn't know about musical comedy is not worth knowing," and ever since he made a bold bid for the support of metropolitan and visiting playgoers, he has amply justified his pretensions to be ranked with the best of those who have successfully appealed to people who demand an artistic and exhilarating evening's entertainment.

"The Pearl Girl" is a case in point, and it needs no forensic eloquence to impress upon a British jury of experienced playgoers, its claim to an unqualified verdict in favour of the plaintiff. Let us consider the chief factors that have made for success in this beautiful and splendidly managed production.

The pen-work has been done by Capt. Basil Hood, the librettist chosen by the late Sir Arthur Sullivan to follow the flowery path designed with such originality by Sullivan's brilliant collaborateur, the late Sir W. S. Gilbert. The music has been composed by Herr Hugo Felix of "Les Merveilleuses" fame, and Mr. Howard Talbot, who has fully lived up to the promise of his comic opera, "Wapping Old Stairs," at the Vaudeville in 1894, the "book" of which, by the way, was by Capt. Hood, then a young, but fully-fledged, writer for the lyric stage. Finally, Mr. Courtneidge has gathered around him a cast composed of some of the best and brightest in the art of captivating the attention of the public.

Such are the conspicuous elements with which Mr. Courtneidge had to trade as "producer," plus, of course, the exquisite taste of his scenic artist, and the fine accomplishment of the modistes and couturiers.

Probably, if we could penetrate the mysteries of the house of Tecla, we should have revealed to us many romances concerning the gems that are now enjoying such favour in the beau monde. It is little short of the marvellous that chemistry can produce the facsimile of nature's handiwork with such exactness that only the trained eye of the expert can distinguish the difference between the originals and their imitation. Were it not so, pearls that are now snugly secure in bank safes, would have to run the gauntlet of capture by crafty theives, and give their owners persistent anxiety.

Substitution is the basis of the plot of "The Pearl Girl." A rich Argentine widow, Mme. Alvarez, owns a fabulously valuable set of pearls, and on her arrival in England she is persuaded to betake herself to the Palmyra Pearl Company to have them copied; but she learns that the chief officer of the mail ship, with whom she fell violently in love on the voyage, is to set sail almost immediately from Southampton, so she hurries away to join the "Parana" and leaves the directors of the Palmyra Company in the depths of despair at being robbed of their anticipated magnificent advertisement.

Then it is that the Company's artistic lady typist comes forward with a suggestion that renders breathless the directors. Why should not she, Miranda Peploe, impersonate the vanished Argentine millionairess, wear the Company's pearls, sustain the deception for a time, and then let the directors announce at the end of the season that the Pearls which have dazzled all London, were gems of their own making!

PRESS REVIEW

(The Daily Mail [London, UK] - 26th September, 1913)
"THE PEARL GIRL" - A REAL MUSICAL COMEDY

"The Pearl Girl" produced at the Shaftesbury Theatre yesterday evening is musical comedy pure and simple. These excellent qualities are guaranteed by the fact that Captain Basil Hood has written the entire libretto. The bright, tuneful music of Dr. Hugo Felix and Mr. Howard Talbot has the same tone of refinement as the "book," while an equally brilliant and tasteful stage setting makes the piece as pleasing to the eye as it is to the ear.

The author has strung his lyrical pearls on a gossamer thread of plot. But we are in an up-to-date fairyland where motive is less important than motion; and there is plenty of movement. The action begins briskly enough in a Derbyshire dale soon after dawn - a woodland picture of esquisite beauty. Here the Duke of Trent, spiritedly played by Mr. Harry Welchma, comes with his young friend dry shod to kill the otter in a comic-opera hunt uniform of Kendal green, and joining with girls in immaculate short skirts they noisily toast their quarry. To them enters Mr. Jecks, indefatigable Mr. Lauri de Frece, the managing manager of the Palmyra Pearl Company, along with his tame directors.

Next we see a modern palace of gems in Bond-street. Here are the pearl girls who, dressed in grey satin, exhibit the stock. There is love-making, singing, and dancing of the most attractive kind, clever Miss Iris Hoey and Mr. Alfred Lester contributing to the fun.

The verbal play is after Captain Hood's best manner, attention is diverted by the entrance of Mme. Alvarez, a fabulously rich widow from the Argentine, who comes to have her historic jewels copied. Miss Marjorie Maxwell made an excellent impression as this exotic beauty. It is a thousand pities, therefore, that she should be doomed to disappear so quickly from the picture.

The next movement is to a sportive summer club, where the girls have come in their smartest gowns to see their "best boys" play polo. To while away the time Lady Catherine Wheeler - the dainty and graceful Miss. Sadrene Storri - trips it like a fairy on the sward. Miranda Peploe, secretary to Mr. Jecks, impersonates the departed Mme. Alvarez. There is the inevitable Tango danced to a tune full of local colour, and the Duke of Trent tells Miranda in song how:

I've always said, and meant it too,
The only perfect girls I knew,
Were English - English through and through,
That's what I said - till I met you!

It all ends happily in a gorgeous villa which looks out on the moon lit river. The play also owed much to the clever acting of Miss Cecily Courineidge and Mr. Jack Hulbert and the agile dancing of Mr. Harry Ray.

When the curtain fell at a late hour, which was partly due to the number of encores taken, a considerable volume of dissent mingled with the general applause. But the "gods" had no reason to complain except at being given too much of a good thing.

Her scheme is adopted, and Miranda is launched into Society as the South American widow with the peerless pearls. Miranda acts the part to the manner born, and Society is as much pleased with her as she is with Society. Everything goes as well as the Palmyra Company could desire, until the Belgravian pheasant begins pecking at the Bond Street mangel-wurzel. In other words, the Duke of Trent falls violently in love with Miranda, and Miranda's heart leaves her head at the starting post. Deceit presents an ugly phantom to her quick imagination. She cannot accept her Duke without making full confession, and that, she believes, will be her undoing. But did ever a Duke, in musical comedy, turn a cold back to worth and beauty? Never! and the Duke of Trent is no exception to the scheduled honour of up-to-date peers. Together they will go to the Far West and rear a healthy breed of Trents on the waving prairie land of Arizona, and this eugenic episode closes the love story of "The Pearl Girl."

As for all the incidents that go to provide humorous entertainment, they pass description in a short article such as this. There is the lugubrious and irresistible quality of Alfred Lester's comic ability, the cheerful pleasantries of Ada Blanche - but I am becoming invidious. I am naming naimes when all the names are of importance, and each name bears its own hall mark of artistic efficiency.

Acknowledge that "The Pearl Girl" is a splendid "show" and there my descriptive mission must end.


FROCKS AND FRILLS

The first scene of the "Pearl Girl" is "In the Dukeries," and represents the Otter Hunt of the great Duke of Trent. We are accustomed to beautiful stage effects at the Shaftesbury, but the setting of this scene is absolutely delightful. Then again all the details are so wonderfully carried out that the effects are enhanced.

The whole of the hunt kits have been entrusted to the very able and well-known tailors, Phillips & Sons, of 58, Regent Street, and under the direct supervision of Mr. Alfred Phillips himself. Not only the ladies', but the men s costumes have been carried out authentically after designs by Mr. Herbert Norris. The ladies of the Duke's own Trent otter hounds wear short skirts of green, fastened at one side with a large pure white metal button. The coats are very smartly cut and have a cross-over waistcoat of sulphur cloth and a strap at back of same shade. The hats are of dark green with bands of sulphur and fancy mounts at the back. The regulation white hunting stocks are worn and even to the stockings the colours match exactly, the wool having been specially dyed, and the tops turned back with sulphur checks. Dark russet shoes tone well with the green and sulphur ensemble. The monogram of the club is engraved on each button. Guests from other clubs wear neatly cut costumes; one in purple coat in cutaway shape, fastened with one button, has a shirt of olive green and another club's colours are tilleul for the coat and a deeper tone for the skirt.

The men's coats are both graceful and practical, showing singlebreasted waistcoats with V shaped opening, the caps corresponding to the club colours. Altogether it was the general comment of those who "knew," that the fit, cut and detail of both the men's and women's costumes were irreproachable. Miss Joan Hay's riding habit was immensely admired. Of white pique, the skirt was on entirely original lines and draped on one side, fastened with a row of black velvet buttons. The coat of three-quarter length had a straight Chesterfield back, with long open revers in front showing a black and white striped waistcoat and a black silk fob chain and seal, hung from the outer breast pocket. A white hunting stock and silver pin, soft wide brimmed hat and well-fitting black high boots completed this masterpiece of Mr. Alfred Phillips.

In the second scene the "Pearl Girls" were the great attraction, the novel manner of showing the pearls on mannequins proving a success. Miss Marjorie Maxwell as Mdme. Alvarez (of Argentina) looked remarkably handsome in her black and white scheme of colouring and the lovely leopard skin muff with long brush tail. The other gowns in this scene were very elegant and the colouring attractive.

In the second act the French touch was unmistakable, and when one knew that all these were designed and made by Martial Armand et Cie, of Paris and New Bond Street, it was not astonishing that all eyes were riveted on these lovely creations.

At "Hurlelagh" there was good scope for originality. Miss Cicely Courtneidge as Lady Betty was charmingly graceful in her dainty frock of soft white satin. This fastened down the front with white satin buttons and disclosed a shadowy suggestion of lace underskirt all round. Over this was worn a draped coat tunic of azure blue mousseline de soie embroidered in blue wreaths, dotted with gems. The corsage had a soft white fichu piped with white satin and a white satin dahlia. A large white tulle hat swathed with blue satin ribbons, that hung down at one side, and a bunch of pale pink roses and violets on the brim. Pale blne silk stockings and shoes and a bl ue tulle sunshade.

Miss Iris Hoey, impersonating Mdme. Alvarez, was fascination itself. Her frock of white brocade was draped crossways, opening at the front and back over an underskirt of white lace, striped round at intervals right up to the waist with orange, and showing faintly through the white draperies. The wide ceinture was of orange and the shoes and stockings the same tone. The tunic was composed of three narrow accordion-pleated frills, posed one overlapping the other and the sleeves carried out the same pretty idea. The quaint black tulle head-dress with black and white osprey was must becoming too.

Miss Ada Blanche as Mrs. Baxter-Browne was gowned in champagne-coloured charmeuse with a touch of electric blue on the bodice. The lines of this delightful dress were so becoming that Miss Blanche appeared almost slender. There is nothing like "line" and without doubt Martial Armand et Cie excel in this, as a glance at this gown will show.

Miss Temple also, as the Duchess of Trent, wore a gown of green satin, which was a marvel of drapery over black lace, with a short black lace tunic and ornamented with black jet. Yet another wonderful creation emanating from the ateliers of Martial Armand et Cie was the dancing dress worn by Miss Sadrene Storri in the third act. This was of white and mauve in long straight accordion-pleatings, forming a dainty white and gold corsage with scarf-like draperies of gold and silver coat-of-mail. This graceful dancer did justice to this dreamlike gown, which was shown to every advantage, by her fairy-like movements.

The guests in this act were brilliantly garbed and the colours defied all descriptions. Miss Iris Hoey in blue and silver looked especially sweet. The "Tecla" pearls' surpassed even the famous "Palmyra" and the polo kits by Turnbull & Asser, of Jermyn Street, were admirably worn and both cut and style were evidently keenly appreciated by polo players present. The boots and shoes throughout were noticeable, and were quite a feature. These were exclusively made for the "Pearl Girl" by "Gamba," of Dean Street, W., specialists in theatrical footwear.


SCENES FROM THE PLAY

Click any image for a larger view
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The Pearl Girl (Miss Iris Hoey)
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Iris Hoey and Alfred Lester
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Mabel and the Duke of Trent in riding outfits
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Down along in our Derbyshire Dale
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Miranda and Jecks / Jecks and Byles
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Don't cry Miss, You'll upset me
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We are the Pearl Girls of Palmyra fame
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A multi-millionairess comes - the mistress of gigamtic sums
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Miranda quits the shop for Society
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Byles championshop of Miranda ends in disaster to her new hat
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Miranda and Byles
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Byles gets between Lady Betty and Jaffray
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The polo players
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Wait - let me say something to you
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The wrong department
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Lady Betty / Mrs Baxter-Browne
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A magnificent pearl ring
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Lady Betty and Jaffray
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Madame Alvarez
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Miranda and Jaffray
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Byles and Jecks
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The Duchess of Trent
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Lady Catherine
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You shall never go

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