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Eastward Ho! - Dornford Yates' lost play
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Alhambra Theatre Programme for the production of
Eastward Ho! by Oscar Asche and Dornford Yates.
Click the image for a detail of the title...
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There has always seemed to be some mystery about the
existence of a musical play by the novelist Dornford Yates
(real name Cecil William Mercer) amongst his enthusiastic
readers. It remained so until 1982 when his biographer, A. J.
Smithers, included it in his list of the works
of Dornford Yates. There it is shown
as the author's
second
work, published in 1919 and titled 'Eastward Ho!', a musical comedy, written
in conjunction with Oscar Asche.
Some reference sources refer to this play as a
revival of the play of the same
name by Ben Jonson, George Chapman and John
Marston, a Jacobean drama set in 17th Century London
that upset King James I.
It isn't. This 'Eastward Ho!' is an entirely different and original
work.
I think it almost certain that the Yates/Asche play was never
published in book form and that it only existed,
as do many plays, as working
copies for the duration of the theatre production. My hunt for a copy
of this allegedly published book has been unsuccessful.
The British
Library does not have a copy (which they should of every
published work) although they do have some of the music,
and in every other archive of printed
works that I have checked it is
similarly absent. I have, however, come
across several ephemeral items about the production which
have shed some light on the work.
In isolation
each does not mean a great deal
but presented together they help
to describe the circumstances of
the writing and production.
Amongst those ephemeral items
are three different copies of the
programme for the performance of
the play. All versions of the programme refer to the play as presented
by Sir Oswald Stoll (he was the
lessee of the Alhambra Theatre at
the time), by arrangement with Messrs.
George Grossmith and Edward Laurillard,
written by Oscar Asche and Dornford
Yates, and produced by Oscar Asche.
This latter attribute is the most
boldly acknowledged of all.
It is worth mentioning some of Mercer's wartime experiences
because of the plot
of the play which will be seen from the
synopses,
cast,
scenes
and musical
numbers mentioned
later. This is gleaned mainly from A. J.
Smithers' biography with some elements expanded
from information in the regimental
archives at Croydon.
In 1914 Mercer, a barrister, joined his local regiment the
3rd County of London Yeomanry, was commissioned 2nd
Lieutenant and after basic training went in the summer of
1915 with the 2nd Battalion to Egypt. As well as the usual
squadrons of troopers they had a machine gun section equipped
with Vicker's Maxims, which will have some theatrical
significance later. They arrived at Alexandria and camped for some time in the
shadow of the Pyramids. A group including Mercer was sent to
Port Mudros as replacements for casualties on the Suvla front
at Gallipoli but found that they were not expected. They
spent some weeks there and the group returned to Egypt when
Suvla was evacuated.
A new battlefront was opened in
Macedonia with the landing at Salonika of an Allied force under French
command. Mercer’s battalion had become part of
the 8th Mounted Brigade and was soon to be sent in support.
Appointed to command of the Signal Troop Mercer mastered
wireless, Morse and the field telephone. On arrival at
Salonika in November 1915 he moved up to Brigade HQ at Irikli
and found himself on a somewhat stagnant front in the Struma
Valley, cold in winter and mosquito infested in summer. By
the summer of 1917, the by now 'Captain' Mercer was clearly
unwell and he was sent home to England with severe muscular
rheumatism. The War Office did not post him to active service
again.
As a cavalry officer returned from the front at a time of war
he must have found time lying heavily on his hands. It wasn't
as if it was a relief from the worst aspects of
war, as it might have been had he returned
from the Western Front, and he had left behind his
recent service colleagues. No doubt
he renewed his friendship with his neighbour and friend
from Oxford days, Oscar Asche, but it must have
seemed a world away from his recent
experiences in the Balkans. Oscar
had at the time a highly successful
production 'Chu Chin Chow' running in London and Mercer came to
know one of the members of the cast, Bettine Edwards, whom he
married in October, 1919.
Before the war Mercer had already been a successful short
story writer, a regular contributor to the monthly Windsor
Magazine and his first collection of short stories, The
Brother of Daphne, had been published by Ward Lock in 1914.
With his recent experiences in the Middle East and the
Balkans he had fresh background material and it is only
natural that he should incorporate it into any new writing.
He was released from the army in April 1919 and it was
apparently Oscar Asche who suggested that they should
collaborate on a new musical play. Oscar's own 'Chu Chin
Chow' had opened at 'His Majesty's' on 31st August 1916 and
would run for five years until 1921 and another of
his productions, the also highly
successful 'Maid of the Mountains', opened at
'Daly's' in Leicester Square in February 1917 and would run
until 1920. With these two commitments it is likely that
the heart of the original 'book' of the new play was the work
of Mercer. Oscar, Mercer's senior by some ten years, had vast
experience of acting and theatrical production and no doubt contributed
but I would think that it was in suggested lines of thought
for the development of the play rather than in lines of
dialogue.
The joint venture, Eastward Ho! did not have an easy birth.
First announced on 31st July 1919 in The Times as a New Revue
at the 'Alhambra' in Leicester Square, the first night was
postponed twice from 27th and then 28th August. The delay was
attributed 'to the heavy nature of the production' and no
further bookings were taken until 3rd September, when the
re-arranged opening night of 9th September was announced.
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The Alhambra, Leicester Square to the right with
Charing Cross Road in the left corner. Click the
image to view the Charing Cross Road
frontage...
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The 'Alhambra' was one of the largest theatres in London (part
of the
site was re-developed in the 1930's
as
the Odeon), with a long frontage to Leicester Square. After a
major fire in 1882 it had been rebuilt and opened in 1884,
and was extended in 1897 to provide a secondary frontage in Charing
Cross Road. Further improved in 1912 it had Stalls,
Royal Circle, Upper Circle and Gallery
as well as 4 and 6 person private
boxes, with a seating capacity of
approximately 1650. From 1916 it had been the venue for a
series of revues starting with 'The Bing Boys are Here', said
to be one of the three most important hits of the London
stage in World War 1 (the other two both being Oscar Asche's,
'Chu Chin Chow' and 'Maid of the Mountains'!). The stars of
the Bing Boys had been George Robey and Violet Loraine and
their duet from the show, 'If You were the Only Girl in the
World', survives to this day.
It must have been quite an achievement to secure the popular
Violet Loraine for 'Eastward Ho!' With her was Ralph Lynn,
who had made his West End debut across Leicester Square at
the Empire in late 1914 in 'By Jingo if we do...!'. After
'Eastward Ho!' he went on to become a regular performer in
Ben Travers' farces at the Aldwych Theatre and appeared in a
number of films in the 1930's as a 'monocled silly-ass'. The
other principal members of the cast included Tom Payne,
Veronica Brady and Peggy Kurton.
There are a couple of interesting
features in the Programmes that
prompt further enquiry. First, while
some
twenty-five members of the cast
are listed by name in the programme
there is no mention of any chorus
or supporting cast, nor even of
any orchestra. There is, however,
an
acknowledgement to Miss Italia
Conti for training the children
but no indication about what part
the children might have played in
the production. Miss Conti founded
Britain's oldest theatre arts training
school, The
Italia Conti Academy, which
boasts many well-known actors amongst
its former pupils. Second, the first
issue of the Programme includes
an acknowledgement to Messrs. Gilbert
Campling as the suppliers of an
ABC Scootamota, which was a 125cc
motorised scooter first produced
in 1919. It appears to have been
a casualty of the later changes
to the production but its initial
inclusion may have been an early
example of 'product placement'!
(You can view an image of a Scootamota
at the Science
and Society Picture Library
but they tell me that if I reproduce
a thumbnail image here would cost
me a licence fee of £50.00,
so I haven't).
The opening night was reported in The Times of 10th
September. The review is not overwhelming and Dornford Yates
name is not mentioned, for which, in view of the comments
about 'the poorness of the material at the command of the
artists', he was probably grateful. The review praises Oscar
Asche for the staging of the production, in particular a
scene of the temple in ruins described as 'one of the most
effective scenes that has been seen on the London stage for a
long time'. The 'book' is described as being 'extraordinarily
weak' but a final comment is 'now that Mr. Asche has finally
succeeded in launching the production he will doubtless take
the book in hand'.
After the opening night the performance was advertised to
start at 8.15pm. A short while later, only a matter of days,
this was brought forward to 8.00pm, probably because the
original play was found to be running for too long. As
suggested in The Times' review, the 'book' was taken in
hand. From three different versions of the programme it can
be seen that over a relatively short period after
the play first opened two
scenes were cut from
Act 1, six of the
musical numbers were
dropped, the order of the numbers was re-arranged,
a new number was brought in and the finale was
re-arranged. The reasonably detailed
synopsis in each
programme is also in two versions to accommodate the changes
to the production.
The play was by no means a flop although it was not the
resounding success of some of Oscar Asche's other
productions. WW1 had seen a great demand for the type of
light, frivolous entertainment that Eastward Ho! provided but
it was probably too late for that market. The many servicemen
on leave from the Western Front who had been demanding such
entertainment had been demobilised by this time and those
other productions had probably built up a momentum of their
own to be able to run on into the 1920's.
Eastward Ho! ran for 124 performances which, with a theatre
the size of The Alhambra, would still probably have meant
that some tens of thousands people had paid to see it. A
theatre of that size would also have had considerable
overheads and if a production had not been paying its way it
would have closed very quickly. Even 'The Bing Boys...',
already quoted as being one the 'three most important
hits...' of the recent war had only had 378 performances. The
Stage Yearbook for 1920 records the final performance as on
13th December.
Theatres were also suffering from the new form of
entertainment, what is described by The Stage Year Book as
'The Kinema'. This is apparent from the next booking to
follow 'Eastward Ho!' at The Alhambra, which was a double
bill of silent feature films 'Tarzan of the Apes', with Elmo
Lincoln in the title role and 'Daddy-Long-Legs', starring
Mary Pickford, with the full theatre orchestra!
By the time the production closed the recently married Mercer
was by no means idle as two further collections of short
stories would be published in 1920, 'The Courts of Idleness'
and 'Berry & Co.', and his first full length novel,
'Anthony Lyveden', would appear in 1921. He would go on to
become one of the most popular novelists of the 1920's and
30's but as far as is known, Eastward Ho! was his one and
only attempt at writing for the stage.
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From The Stage Year Book 1920
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Synopses
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First Version Programme
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Later Version Programme
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By the will of their late uncle, the cousins
Marmalade Ball and Aurora Smart become possessed of
the clue to a treasure, hidden in a ruined temple in
the Desert of Sin. Each is unaware of the other's
legacy, and both, unknown to one another, decide to
sail for Egypt without delay.
Marmalade engages the Honourable John Merrily as
secretary, while Busta Neath, unable longer to endure
the misery of living with her uncle and aunt, Sir
Porter and Lady Blogg-Blogg, serves as companion to
Aurora.
John and Busta are secretly engaged to one another.
Being weary of bad weather at home, Sir Porter and
Lady Blogg- Blogg are persuaded to visit 'Cairo. They
take tickets accordingly. Marmalade and John arrive
to do likewise and encounter Aurora and Busta who
have come to Cook's with the same object. While
Marmalade and Aurora quarrel, .Busta and John compare
notes, and are overheard by Herr Bolsch and Cough,
two alien rogues, who severally determine to shadow
the parties in the hope of discovering the treasure
for themselves. Busta encounters Sir Porter
Blogg-Blogg, who endeavours to induce her to
accompany him and Lady Blogg-Blogg to Cairo.
On board the liner, s.s. OSTERLEY, Sir Porter and
Lady Blogg-Blogg find difficulty in adapting
themselves to life on board ship.
Once afloat, the cousins meet again, and soon
discover that they are both engaged upon the same
quest. They determine to prosecute the search
together, and to share the spoil. In the same way,
"Bolsch" and "Cough" decide to join forces.
Lady Blogg-Blogg is flattered by the attention paid
her by "Cough," who is attracted by her jewellery.
"Cough" endeavours to' steal Marmalade's map by means
of a ruse; but is prevented by Busta.
The last night on board is celebrated by a Fancy
Dress Ball, during which Aurora and Marmalade become
reconciled, Sir Potter incensed, and Busta and her
uncle and aunt more estranged than ever.
Having arrived in Egypt, the cousins and their
companions seize the opportunity of spending a few
days at Shepheard's Hotel, Cairo, decide to travel by
air to the spot where the treasure is hidden. Their
proposals are overheard by "Cough," and "Bolsch", who
determine to obtain an aeroplane and follow their
lead.
Engine trouble compels the cousins to land in a
desolate spot. While they are wondering what to do,
they observe that another aeroplane is approaching.
They realise that they are being followed, and
prepare to hoist their pursuers with their own
petard.
Fortune favours their plans. They obtain possession
of "Bolsch's" aeroplane and continue their flight to
The Temple of Ashtoreth.
Scarcely have the four entered the ruins, when they
fall under the spell of the Temple and are overcome
with sleep. They dream of the long-dead glories of
the strange place. They dream that the ruins are
restored and peopled with priests and worshippers
with whom Busta and Marmalade have strange
encounters. So vivid are their dreams that, when the
spell is broken and they awake to see the Temple
ruined and desolate as before, they are frightened
and dazed. They discover the treasure and make haste
to leave the haunted place.
Back in London, some months later, "Bolsch" and
"Cough" encounter Sir Porter and Lady Blogg-Blogg,
whose limousine has broken down.
"Bolsch" declares his Bolshevist programme, and is
arrested.
The return of Marmalade and Aurora to London is
celebrated by a visit to a night club, where a Dazzle
Ball is in progress, and their adventures terminate
in a scene of sparkling merriment.
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By the will of their late uncle, the cousins
Marmalade Ball and Aurora Smart become possessed of
the clue to a treasure, hidden in a ruined temple in
the Desert of Sin. Each is unaware of the other's
legacy, and both, unknown to one another, decide to
sail for Egypt without delay.
Marmalade engages the Honourable John Merrily as
secretary, while Busta Neath, unable longer to endure
the misery of living with her uncle and aunt, Sir
Porter and Lady Blogg-Blogg, serves as companion to
Aurora.
John and Busta are secretly engaged to one another.
Being weary of bad weather at home, Sir Porter and
Lady Blagg-Blagg are persuaded to to visit Cairo.
They take tickets accordingly. Marmalade and John
arrive to do likewise, and encounter Aurora and Busta
who have come to Cook's with the same object. While
Marmalade and Aurora quarrel, Busta and John compare
notes, and are overheard by Herr Bolsch and Cough,
two alien rogues, who severally determine to shadow
the parties in the hope of discovering the treasure
for themselves. Busta encounters Sir Porter
Blogg-Blogg, who endeavours to induce her to
accompany him and Lady Blagg-Blagg to Cairo.
On board the liner s.s. OSTERLEY the cousins meet
again, and soon discover that they are both engaged
upon the same quest. They determine to prosecute the
search together, and to share the spoil.
"Cough" endeavours to steal Marmalade's map by means
of a ruse; but is prevented by Busta.
Aurora and Marmalade encounter one another on deck
and become reconciled. In the evening there is a
Fancy Dress Ball, during which Sir Porter becomes
jealous, and Busta and her uncle and aunt more
estranged than ever.
Having arrived in Egypt, the cousins and their
companions seize a (sic) opportunity of spending a
few days at Shepheard's Hotel, Cairo, decide to
travel by air to the spot where the treasure is
hidden. Their proposals are overheard by "Cough,"
and"Bolsch," who determine to obtain an aeroplane and
follow their lead.
Engine trouble compels the cousins to land in a
desolate spot. While they are wondering what to do,
they observe that another aeroplane is approaching.
They realise that they are being followed, and
prepare to hoist their pursuers with their own
petard.
Fortune favours their plans. They obtain possesion of
"Bolsch's" aeroplane and continue their flight to The
Temple of Ashtoreth.
Scarcely have the four entered the ruins, when they
fall under the spell of the Temple and are overcome
with sleep. They dream of the long-dead glories of
the strange place. They dream that the ruins are
restored and peopled with priests and worshippers
with whom Busta and Marmalade have strange
encounters. So vivid are their dreams that, when the
spell is broken and they awake to see the Temple
ruined and desolate as before, they are frightened
and dazed. They discover the treasure and make haste
to leave the haunted place.
The cousins reach London to find a dense fog
prevailing, traffic is suspended, and they are
reduced to walking home. Undismayed, they celebrate
their return by a visit to a night club, where a
Dazzle Ball is in progress and their adventures
terminate in a scene of sparkling merriment.
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Actors listed
in order of appearance
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Actor
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Principal role
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Additional role(s)
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Ambrose Manning
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Sir Porter Blogg-Blogg, a Portly Profiteer
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Veronica Brady
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Lady Blogg-Blogg, a Portly Profiteer
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Frank Leslie
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First clerk at Cook's
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Policeman (added to the later production)
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Alice Knibbs
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A Spinster
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A Lady Passenger
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Leonard Calvert
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A Clergyman
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A Coffee-stall Keeper
An Old Gentleman (added to the later production)
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Doris Champion
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A Widow
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1st Priestess
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Betty Lucile
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A Masculine Female
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Tom Payne
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Herr Bolsch, of uncertain nationality
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Private
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Arthur Lowrie
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Second clerk at Cook's
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Andrew Higginson
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The Hon. John Merrily
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A Corporal
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Ralph Lynn
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Marmalade Ball
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Private
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Joe Spree
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Mr. Cough, a Turkish Rogue
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Private
Sailor (added to the later production)
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Katie Snow
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A Messenger Boy
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Patrol Leader of Boy Scouts
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Peggy Kurton
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Aurora Smart
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Violet Loraine
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Busta Neath
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A Subaltern
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Bert Rolfe
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First Steward
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2nd Priest
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Ryal Lade
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Ship's Officer
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1st Priest
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Arthur Finn
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An Egyptian
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A Phoenician Youth
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Alfred Cunningham
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King of the Cocktails, becomes A Bar Tender in the later
production
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Head waiter (dropped from the later production)
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Yettmah
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A Native Conjuror
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Stiles-Allen
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The High Priestess
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Kitty Fielder
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2nd Priestess
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Coral Aster
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A Temple Dancer
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Decima McLean and Eddie Mclean
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Dancers
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Violet Loraine
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Ralph Lynn
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Scenes
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First Version Programme
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Later Version Programme
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Act One
Scene 1: Cook's Tourists' Bureau, Piccadilly
Scene 2: Sir Porter's State Cabin aboard S. S.
Osterley
Scene 3: Main Deck S.S. Osterley
Scene 4: Marmalade's Cabin Aboard S.S. Osterley
Scene 5: An Interlude - The American Bar at Vicker's
Club
Scene 6: Main Deck of S.S. Osterley (evening)
Act Two
Scene 1: The Terrace, Shepheard's Hotel, Cairo
Scene 2: The Desert of Sin
Scene 3: A Ruined Phoenician Temple
Scene 4: A London Street
Scene 5: Vicker's Club
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Act One
Scene 1: Cook's Tourists' Bureau, Piccadilly
Scene 2: Marmalade's State Cabin aboard S. S.
Osterley
Scene 3: An interlude - The American Bar at Vicker's
Club
Scene 4: Main Deck of S.S. Osterley
Act Two
Scene 1: The Terrace, Shepheard's Hotel, Cairo
Scene 2: The Desert of Sin
Scene 3: A Ruined Phoenician Temple
Scene 4: A London Street
Scene 5: Vicker's Club
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Feldman's Selection of Music from Eastward Ho! (no
lyrics)
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Musical Numbers (all
lyrics Dornford Yates unless otherwise specified, music
by Grace Torrens and John Ansell)
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First Version Programme
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Later Version Programme
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Act One
Scene 1: Opening Chorus
Scene 1: They always find room for me
Seene 1: Runaway Heart
Scene 1: Finale
Scene 2: It cramps my style
Scene 3: Opening chorus
Scene 3: The Burning Question
Scene 3: I don't know why, do you?
(lyrics
Oscar Asche)
Scene 3: Dreams
Scene 4: No musical numbers
Scene 5: The Cocktail King
Scene 6: Wireless
Scene 6: Flirtation Duet
Scene 6: The Wight and the Dairymaid
Act Two
Scene 1: Cheops Built the Pyramids
Scene 1: The Study of Flora and Fauna
Scene 1: The Innocent Ass
Scene 1: If I had known what I know now
(lyrics
Oscar Asche)
Scene 2: The Army of Martyrs
Scene 3: Time
Scene 3: Wedding Chant
Scene 3: Dance of the High Priestess
Scene 4: A Hell upon Earth
Scene 5: Vickers Maxims
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Act One
Scene 1: Opening Chorus
Seene 1: Runaway Heart
Scene 1: Finale
Scene 2: The Burning Question
Scene 3: The Cocktail King
Scene 4: Opening chorus
Scene 4: Wireless
Scene 4: Dreams
Scene 4: The Study of Flora and Fauna
Scene 4: The Wight and the Dairymaid
Scene 4: Finale
Act Two
Scene 1: Cheops Built the Pyramids
Scene 1: The Innocent Ass
Scene 1: If I had known what I know now
(lyrics
Oscar Asche)
Scene 2: The Army of Martyrs
Scene 3: Time
Scene 3: Wedding Chant
Scene 3: Dance of the High Priestess
Scene 4: You can't keep a good man down
(lyrics
and music W. Hargreaves)
Scene 5: Speciality Dance
Scene 5: Finale
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Song 'Dreams' player piano roll - Click image for
detail
The Lyrics are printed alongside the punched holes
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'Dreams' : music by Grace Torrens
lyrics by Dornford Yates:
When all the world is sleeping
And the night is very still
Then the dreams steal out of hiding
And they wander where they will
They rise from ev’ry valley
And they start from ev’ry hill
Just when all the world is sleeping
And the night is very still
Sleep in his arms shall fold you, fold you
Love in his hands hold you, hold you
Love is a dream that turns to gold
All that the sleeper’s eyes behold
So to love yourself surrender
Trust to his hands to tender, tender
All that you see is gleaming, gleaming
Oft as your heart is dreaming, dreaming
Though all the world is sleeping
Yet there’s music in the air
It’s the dreams that make the music
As they wander here and there
And whene’er your heart is dancing
With a joy beyond compare
Oh be sure the dreams are making
Precious music in the air
Sleep in his arms shall fold you, fold you
Love in his hands shall hold you, hold you
Love is a dream that turns to gold
All that the sleeper’s eyes behold
So to love yourself surrender
Trust to his hands so tender, tender
All that you see is gleaming, gleaming
Oft as your heart is dreaming, dreaming
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Sources:
A. J. Smithers: Dornford Yates - A Biography
Oscar Asche: Oscar Asche - His Life
3rd County
of London Yeomanry Museum
The Times, of London, 1919
The Stage Year Book 1920
Who's Who in the Theatre
Dictionary
of National Biography
Three versions of programmes for Eastward Ho!
Selection from Eastward Ho! (music)
Piano Player roll for the song 'Dreams'
Page contents copyright ABfaR and G. A. Michael Sims, August
2009
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