On Saturday 3rd December 1892 a “Grand Complimentary Concert” was given for David Abrahams, my g-g-grandfather. The surviving programme sparked my interest in his story and is possibly the only detailed record of this event, shared here for the first time.
By the end of 1892 David was in his early thirties and had been on the stage for over a quarter of a century. Since the age of four he had performed with his sisters as part of the Rosa Troupe and in his own right.
Animal Impersonator
His small stature and agile nature enabled him to take on a range of animal impersonations, from the classic Puss in Boots to monkeys and even a boxing kangeroo. This led to the reputation as “The Celebrated Animal Impersonator” as noted on the programme.
The animal parts were frequent in pantomimes and other entertainments of the time, but by 1892 the roles seem to have been drying up. David had from the end of 1886 to mid 1888 performed in two productions; Henry Irving’s “Faust”, which toured America, and the original production of “Alice in Wonderland.” He then returned to America at the end of 1888 to appear in Cinderella in New York, but was back in London by spring 1889 appearing in the pantomime at Her Majesty’s Theatre at Christmas. There is then no record of a performance by David Abrahams for over two years until his Grand Complimentary Concert at the end of 1892.
Only one stop of his planned provincial tour can be found, a trip to Brighton to perform in the pantomime of “Whittington Up to Dick [sic]” at the Alhambra Theatre, Brighton. Walking down the promenade in 1893 he bumped into a sports journalist who mistook his tiny stature for that of a jockey. The full interview (in a local pub) can be found here. Later that year he returned to America and never returned, finding a rich seam of work over the next quarter of a century that he could not find in London.
A last chance?
If he was already mulling moving permanently to America for work then he might have seen this Concert as his last opportunity to rebuild his career in Britain, or a likely farewell to his friends and family. He had been born near the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and had grown up in the local theatre community of Covent Garden and the West End of London. His friends would have given him this concert to not only have a bit of fun, but to give him a bumper payday. It was a common means to help theatrical performers experiencing a quiet period professionally and were open to the public to pay to attend. His friends may have also sensed this was his last chance.
The concert was held at the Sovereign Hotel in Upper St Martin’s Lane, run by Messrs. Le Beau and Prentice. The whole evening has the air of a rather booze filled get together with songs, comedians and J.P. Loohig “One-Legged Dancer”. Other publicans who agreed to Chair during the evening were the Treasurer John Parker (White Hart, Catherine Street, Strand), John Foley (George & Dragon, Greek Street, Soho) and T. Burgess (Hercules Pillars, Gt. Queen Street).
None of these pubs survives today but would have been the heart of the community. Vibrant places full of noise and entertainment, fuelled by booze and friendly and not so friendly local characters who everyone would have known. The quartet of publicans were joined by W. Marion of the Lyceum Theatre, where David Abrahams had performed as an ape in Henry Irving’s “Faust”, W. Morgan formerly of the same Theatre, and E. Eames of Terry’s Theatre. The final Chair for the evening was Charles A. Young, cryptically of the S.P.B.D.A. but then those letters crossed out after printing.
A night of entertainment
Orland Powell was the pianist on the night. He was possibly Orlando Powell who was soon to compose ‘Tiddley-Om-Pom!” as sung by Marie Lloyd, and other music hall songs. A small collection of his music can be found on the V&A website. The programme itself contains many now unknown performers, who left only the faintest of traces. It is possible that some are simply friends giving an amateur reading or song, but highly likely that many performed on the stage.
Part I
- Orland Powell: Pianoforte Solo
- Carl Waller and W. Redman: Comedians
- Walter Bount: Song
- Harry Novis: Song “The Last Muster”
- Lewis Demlin: Recitation
- Arthur Bolton: Song
- A. W. Hanson: Song “The Doctor’s Boy”
- Harry Paulo: In Comic Nonsensical Dreadful Murder
- Charles Reynolds: Comic Song
- Tim Warren: Song “Emerald Isle”
Part II
- Orland Powell: Pianoforte Solo
- T. Reynolds: Comedian
- C. J. Edwards: Song
- G. E. Dallas: Banjo Solo
- J. P. Loohig: One-Legged Dancer
- Frank Paskins: Song
- Richard Tabb: Song
- John Archer: Recitation
- E. T. Young: The Pro. on Song.
- A. S. Hill: Song
Of these performers probably Harry Paulo was the most famous at the time. He had performed as the Clown in Christmas pantomimes since the 1860s. Carl Waller had appeared with David Abrahams in “Blue Beard” at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 1879 with the Vokes family. John Archer was the She-Ape to David’s He-Ape in Henry Irving’s “Faust”. J.P. Loohig draws the eye and stands out by being a one-legged dancer, but no trace of him can be found beyond this reference.
The Rosa Troupe
The notable omission from the programme are any members of David Abrahams family. It is possible that Lewis Demlin is actually his nephew Louis Demoline, but his sisters the other members of the Rosa Troupe do not appear. This may have been due to another booking, but could also indicate that they had fallen out. David Abrahams had last appeared with them in “Alice in Wonderland”, but did not go on tour. Instead he went to America with Henry Irving and toured in “Faust”. Their own career was also quiet at this time and they were moving more into teaching ballet and choreography. They might have been in the audience, or maybe they were abandoning him as he had in the past and was soon to do within a year of this concert.
Photo credit: Original theatre programme held by the family of the author (name added at bottom). Digital file has been altered in the bottom left hand corner where the border is missing in the original programme. Do not use the image without credit or contacting me.