The Fred Karno produced Moses and Son was a touring sketch written by Fred Karno, Fred Kitchen, and Harold Gatty, with music by Dudley Powell. The production was billed as “Presented by Fred Karno’s No.1 Company, including Fred Kitchen. Supported by a Stupendous Cast of Hebrew Artistes.” The listings generally have just over 40 members of the cast on tour and the definition of a ‘sketch’ stretched to encompass three scenes with substantial numbers of jokes and comic business. For further details on the production please visit the main Moses and Son page. Details on the 1907-08 revival tour are also available.
PRODUCTION: Estimated 750 performances over 64 weeks and 52 stops on tour (18/12/1905 – 09/03/07)
MAIN CAST: Perkins Fred Kitchen (estimated 608 performances), Albert Bruno (estimated 142 performances, also in cast from April 1906 in unnamed role); Gluckstein Moses Ben F. Rosenthal (America’s Greatest Hebrew Comedian), Herbert Landeck from February 1906*; Barney Moses (Gluckstein’s son) Anthony Gordon; Issy Nathaniel “Nat” Lewis; Solly Harry Lappo (until November 1906); Rubenstein (Mr) T. Buckstein (until August 1906, could be listed as (Mr) T. Ellis-Buxton until November); Mrs Moses Kate Forster (from the London Savoy) (until January 1906), Madge Rockingham from August 1906**; Rebecca Moses Aggie Morris (late leading lady of “Florodora”, listed as Leah Morris until August and in November 1906); Leah Janet Reeve (sister of Ada Reeve); Rachel Rosa (David) Abrahams (from the London Gaiety); Messenger Phil Sinclair; Servant Dave Asher; Hammerstein (Mr) Herbert C. Myers. All actors unless otherwise noted appeared in both the original and final cast listings. Descriptions in brackets are as given in the original listings and occasionally through the tour.
* Herbert Landeck is first listed performing at the Manchester Ardwick Empire (February 1906), although Ben Rosenthal is listed in advertisements that month and then disappears.
** Madge Rockingham is first listed performing at the New Cross Empire (May 1906), and then appears at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire (June) and the Nottingham Empire (July). From Newcastle (August) she is regularly listed amongst the main cast, but her character is unnamed. Kate Foster appeared in Mister Popple of Ippleton (Marlborough Islington) from 20th August 1906, which then toured for the rest of the year. Kate is listed in some adverts for Moses and Son for Newcastle (August) and Sheffield (September), but Madge Rockingham appears in the reviews.
OTHER CAST MEMBERS:
- Miss Isaacs Ada Levy; Bernstein (Mr.) L. or T. Zeif; A Poor Woman Jessica Cohen; Coachman Abe Schmidt/Smidt, Schwartzkopf Jack Hart (All listed in the original cast, but neither character or performer listed again during the tour). Office boy Freddie Bentley. (Placed a Professional Card thanking Fred Karno for the Engagement with Moses and Son from 19th November 1906 (Hull) and is in the final cast list).
- Listed in the original and final cast lists: (Mr) W. Davis; (Mr) Gipsy Dolin (not late January); Nat(haniel) Goodman; Bertha Hyman(s); Kat(ey) Hyman(s); Bernardo Katz; Blanche Newman(n); Hetty/Ettie/Etty Ray; (Miss) Andre Silvee (listed as E. Silve(e) in December 1905 and April onwards).
- Listed in the original Bordsley or Liverpool Empire cast lists only (December 1905 – January 1906); (Mr) G. Asher; Kitty Campbell; Mimi Clanchy; Marie D’Alberg; (Miss) Winnie Daniels; Ruby Diamond; (Mr) Georgie Dolin (not Gipsy Dolin, who he appeared with on the same cast lists on the 1907/8 tour); Mabel Florence; (Miss) Dollie Maryon; Alfred Phillips; Lila Ray; (Mr) Sasha Sprengsohn.
- Listed in the original but not final cast lists: Dick Birne (until August); Ruby W. Browne(s) (until August); Clarice Doncaster (until November); Vera Holland (until August, could be listed as Leah Holland until final cast list); Ada Maskill (until May); (Miss) Cora Renard (until August); Caroline/Carrie Silver/Silva (until May).
- Joined the tour until final cast list: (Miss) B. Asher (from October; (Mr) Lou(is) Benjamin (from November; Ethel Boyce (final cast list only, but could be previously listed A. Boyce from October – November); (Mr) E.H. Carl (from April); (Miss) M. Crammonde (final cast list only, could be Jessie Crammonde who was a member of the 1907/8 cast); Hilda Gordon (April – August, could be listed as C Gordon until final listing); (Mr) B. Hart (from October); Frank Lester (from April); (Mr) S. Clark Richardson (December 1906); (Mr) M. Rutherford (from October); (Mr) J. Springehon (from April, could be Sasha Sprengsohn); Harry E. Stafford (from November); Lydia Weber (December 1906); (Mr) F. Westcott (from April, likely to be Fred Karno’s son).
- Other performers who appeared on part of the tour: (Miss) A. Boyce (October – November); (Miss) Winnie Brooke (April); (Miss) Queenie Hallett (October); (Mr) F. O’Rorke (April – August); (Miss) B. Shelton (April – August); (Mr) A. Spencer (October-November); (Miss) E. Weber (April – November).
- Production staff are rarely listed but the tour manager was recorded as (Mr) J.B. Helm (April-November 1906), and Musical Director as Dudley Powell (April – August, and November 1906) and (Mr) F. H. J. Moran (October 1906).
PERFORMANCES
Starring Fred Kitchen as Perkins
BORDESLEY PALACE, opposite Bordesley Station, Birmingham, 18-23/12/05; EMPIRE THEATRE, Liverpool 26/12/05-03/02/06; ARDWICK EMPIRE, Ardwick Green, Manchester 05-10/02/06; COLISEUM, Glasgow, 12-24/02/06; EMPIRE PALACE, Leeds, 26/02-03/03/06; EMPIRE THEATRE, Bradford, 05-10/03/06; EMPIRE THEATRE, Victoria Square, Belfast, 12-17/03/06; EMPIRE PALACE THEATRE, Dame Street, Dublin, 19-24/03/06 (3pm Saturday matinee and each night 7.30pm only); THEATRE ROYAL, Preston, 26-31/03/06; HOLBORN EMPIRE, London, 02-07/04/06; THE CARDIFF EMPIRE, Queen Street, Cardiff, 09-14/04/06 (Good Friday excepted, 13/04/06); THE NEW EMPIRE THEATRE, Oxford Street, Swansea, 16-21/04/06; NEWPORT EMPIRE, 23-28/04/06; HACKNEY EMPIRE PALACE, London, 30/04-05/05/06; HOLLOWAY EMPIRE, London, 07-12/05/06; NEW CROSS EMPIRE, London, 14-19/05/06; STRATFORD EMPIRE, London 21-26/05/06; SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE, London, 28/05-02/06/06; MANCHESTER HIPPODROME, Oxford Street, 04-16/06/06 (Twice nightly 6.50 and 9pm, and matinee Mon, Tues, Wed, Sat at 2pm); EMPIRE PALACE, Birmingham, 18/06/1906 – 30/06/1906; NOTTINGHAM EMPIRE, 02-07/07/06; LEICESTER PALACE, 09-14/07/06; HOLBORN EMPIRE*, London, 16-21/07/06; OLYMPIA, Liverpool, 23-28/07/1906; EMPIRE PALACE THEATRE, Edinburgh, 30/07/06-04/08/06; EMPIRE THEATRE, Glasgow, 06-11/08/06; EMPIRE THEATRE, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 13-25/08/06; EMPIRE PALACE, Sheffield, 27/08/06-01/09/06; ARGYLE THEATRE OF VARIETIES, Birkenhead, 03-08/09/06; PALACE, Cork, Ireland, 10- 15/09/06; PALACE, Belfast, Ireland, 17-22/09/06 (Twice nightly 7pm and 9 pm, Sat matinee 2.30pm); CROYDON EMPIRE PALACE OF VARIETIES**, Ealing Broadway, 24-29/09/06; EALING HIPPODROME, 01-06/10/06; HOLBORN EMPIRE*, 08-20/10/06 (Twice nightly 6.30 and 9.10pm, 6.15pm on Saturday, Matinees Thursday and Saturday 2.30pm); METROPOLITAN, 267 and 269 Edgware Road, 22-27/10/06 (9.40pm only); DUCHESS, Balham, 29/10-3/11/06; EMPRESS THEATRE OF VARIETIES***, Brixton, 5-10/11/06 (Doors open 7.30pm, no reference to twice nightly); EMPIRE, Ardwick Green, Manchester, 12-17/11/06; PALACE THEATRE, Anlaby Road, Hull 19-24/11/06.
Starring Albert Bruno as Perkins
COLISEUM, GLASGOW, 3-8/12/06; NEW EMPIRE PALACE, King Street, South Shields, 10-15/12/06; CAMBRIDGE, London, 17-22/12/06; HIPPODROME, Southampton, 24/12/1906 – 05/01/1907 (Christmas Day excepted, twice nightly and afternoon performances Wednesday and Saturday); CAMBERWELL PLACE, London, 07-12/01/07; HASTINGS HIPPODROME, 14-19/01/07 (8pm, and Saturday Matinee 2.30pm); EMPIRE AND HIPPODROME, Old Market Street, Bristol, 21-26/01/07; HIPPODROME, Brighton, 28/1 – 2/2/07; PALACE OF VARIETIES, King Street West, Hammersmith, 4-9/02/07; HIPPODROME, Hale’s Street, Coventry, 11-16/02/07 (Twice nightly and Saturday matinee at 2.30pm); BARNARD’S PALACE OF VARIETIES, Chatham, 18-23/02/07
Starring Fred Kitchen as Perkins
THE PALACE, Blackpool, 25/02-02/3/07; EMPIRE THEATRE, Belfast, 04-09/03/07
* The length of the sketches at the Holborn Empire led to legal challenge and a shorter production was promised.
** On Friday 28th September 1906 the performance clashed with the “Black Fast of the Jews” and Fred Kitchen in his autobiography states that the performances were all done by the backstage crew.
*** Early adverts place Moses and Son at the Empress Theatre of Varieties 15-20/06, but reviews suggest it played at the Holborn Empire for an extra week bumping the Empress into November.
Click here for details on the 1907-08 revival.
METHODOLOGY: The main source used has been the British Newspaper Archive where adverts and articles have been methodically analysed to track theatre dates, locations, and the cast. In general each stop on the tour started on Monday and ran until Saturday, with travel between stops on the Sunday. The performances were generally listed as ‘twice nightly’ and this has been assumed for the occasional advert without times, but where advertised as single performances these have been noted. There are occasional references to matinees, which have only been included in estimates of the number of performances if advertised so may be under-reported. The underlying source may also be open to error due to last minute changes to the tour. The 16 published casts lists in the Era and the Stage newspapers are only available for December 1905, and January, April-May, August, October-December 1906. Therefore the start and end dates of some individual performers may be incorrect. 40-44 performers were in each cast. The original data in a database format can be provided on request. The format of the write up of the analysis presented above is adapted from J. P. Wearing, The London Stage A Calender of Productions, Performers, and Personnel 1890-1959.