Julian Wylie’s 1923 London Hippodrome show Brighter London was in fact the second longest running revue in London during the 1920s, being overtaken by The Whirl of the World (1924) at the Palladium. The show had no real story but comprised a series of episodes with Cupid setting out to brighten London culminating in the appearance of the celebrated American band leader Paul Whiteman and his orchestra.
Brighter London was first previewed in mid-March at the Liverpool Olympia before being staged at the London Hippodrome on 28th March 1923. In the first launch edition there were 16 scenes and the main players were Annie Croft, Lupino Lane, Reginald Sharland, Billy Merson, Elsie Prince and Ruth French.
The show started with the appearance of Mr Nosey Parker (Charles Stone) and his attendant who were determined to keep London a dismal place. Their plans were thwarted when the Piccadilly Circus Fountain Cupid (Elsie Prince) comes to life and Billy Bangham (Billy Merson) arrives to liven things up. Miss Cheary Hoe (Annie Croft) and Lord Toppe Hoale (Reginald Sharland) are the first to come under their spell along with a policeman (Lupino Lane). There follows many amusing burlesques and skits including Billy Merson and Lupino Lane as a couple of workmen cleaning Big Ben and as the two blobs.
Of the 16 scenes there were four big scenes: What’s Become of the Fairies, Brighter Shakespeare, Shawls and The Jackdaw of Rheims.
What’s Become of the Fairies was a little fairy fantasy introduced by Annie Croft and Reginald Sharland which led to a charming duet called ‘the Stolen Kiss.’ With novelty lighting by Adrian V. Samoiloff, it was a very effective example of shadow staging and the shadows of the figures took on surprising colours against three white backgrounds.
In Brighter Shakespeare Billy Merson played Hamlet in a contemporary context and the entire company ‘jazzed’ up many Shakespearian characters. It concluded with Shakespeare Jazz sung by Elsie Prince and Charles Stone
Shawls illustrated a parade of showgirls wearing Garden, Paisley, Indian, Lancashire and Spanish shawls with a finale of the chorus in picturesque black and white costumes arranged on four shelves, who by reversing their shawls produced a large and beautiful curtain.
The Jackdaw of Rheims was founded on the Ingoldsby Legends and the setting with its Romanesque pillars and arches representing the refectory at Rheims was thought to be splendid. Ruth French was dressed as a Jackdaw in a costume of black tights and four hundred black feathers and did three dances.
In the first she was the saucy Jackdaw dancing among the priests and even hopping on the arm of the Cardinal’s chair. Then she was a mischievous Jackdaw when she stole the Cardinals ring but she is cursed by him and this has a terrible effect on the jackdaw. She then repents and throws the ring back at the cardinal and the curse is removed. The scene was described as ‘one of the cleverest things of its kind that has been seen upon the London stage within recent years’ and French’s dancing as ‘exceptionally beautiful.’
Amongst the other scenes there was one with another new idea in lighting by Percy Boggis in the charming song scene Send Me a Bluebird with Annie Croft as the singer. Here the chorus represented flowers but the wearers disappear.
There was also The Bat and Canary that was a burlesque (poking fun at high-brow drama) of the American thrill drama comprising a hotch-potch of about half a dozen popular plays, culminated in a thrilling fire scene in which Lupino Lane performs some hair-raising stints.
Finally, there was a scene called Palais De Danse and this featured the dance music by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. Whiteman’s orchestra played throughout the summer but when he returned to America at the end of July 1923, the London band replaced them.
All the costumes were designed by Dolly Tree and executed by Alias, Max Weldy and Betty S. Roberts. The Modern gowns and head-dresses were by Peron but given that Dolly Tree became head designer for Peron in August 1923 it is likely that she was responsible for these designs as well.
Dolly Tree’s costumes were referred to as ‘gorgeous and beautiful’ and ‘alone are worth visiting the theatre for, with their brilliant and pleasant combination of bold colour splashes’ and The Queen wrote ‘Miss Dolly Tree, who was responsible for designing the dresses has fairly let herself go, and the blend of violent and vivid colours is almost blinding in its effect.’
All the reviews were more than complementary: ‘a jolly, colourful entertainment with never one dull moment in it nor anything that is drearily pretentious’; “we doubt whether Julian Wylie has done anything better; ‘ ‘a fine show… an abundance of fun and many really tuneful songs;’ ‘brilliant spectacular effects and beautiful colour schemes’ and ‘it is a typical Wylie-Tate entertainment in that it embraces a succession of finely produced and consistently attractive scenes and includes many elements of novelty in its composition.’
Such was the success of Brighter London that a second edition was launched on the 10th December 1923 and the new planned pantomime (Mother Goose) was transferred elsewhere. Lupino Lane and Elsie Prince had to bow out due to Pantomime commitments and Laddie Cliff, Vera Bryer and Kitty Fielder were added to the cast. There were also two new, main scenes.
The first was called Brighter Future and showed London in 100 years-time (this had already been seen in the regional revue Yes, We Have). The second, Anything Happens by the Seaside, was a seaside scene notable for some new Adrian Samoiloff’s effects using something called a Statuescope for the first time. Here various beautiful bathers wore costumes decorated in various colours that pose in the manner of statuary groups. In an instant, by a mere change of light, the whole appearance of the bathers was altered and they become statues of stone.
There was also Lullaby Land, a new song for Annie Croft that featured Percy Boggis’s lightening effects and included floral costumes formerly used in the Bluebird number as backing.
The show was completely re-dressed and it was thought that it was even more beautiful and more gorgeously dressed than the first. Of significance was the spectacular fashion display in the finale and all of Annie Crofts gowns, that were given considerable press attention. They were thought to be ‘fascinating creations’ that exemplified the projected new Spring fashion trends of godet pleats and frills. It was noted that these elements were already being seen in dresses designed for the South of France. All the newest coats were finished with a godet frill, or side pieces, and the latest dresses also revealed the same line.
Annie Croft’s gowns highlighted these fashion trends. Two were in white and jade green, the third was in pink. One of the white gowns made with a long tight-fitting bodice, finishing about the hips with a slanting band of green embroidery encircling the figure, and from this there was a deep godet frill, lined with green. The sleeves were long and tight-fitting, embroidered at the cuffs, and the yoke was cut deep and square. Another gown was fashioned in Saxe blue Georgette embroidered with shaded crystals and silver, while the wig is all of shining silver.
A further gown was an up-to-date cape model with a half circle cape and draped long skirt held at the hip with an embroidered disc but showing a pleated edge from hip to the bottom edge. There was also a hat of much the same colours and piquancy of jade green Marocain bound with silver and finished off at one side with a cockade of silver and green.
Brighter London was still gaining good press notice including ‘one of the best and most continuously enjoyable shows in town.’ Such was the success of the show that it toured major regional cities and as late as 1927, was still receiving glowing reviews.
All images (unless specified in the caption) and text © copyright Gary Chapman / Jazz Age Club and must not be re-used without prior consent
Sources
Programmes
The Era 21/3/1923
The Stage 22/3/1923
The Era 4/4/1923
The Stage – Thursday 5/4/1923
The Queen 12/4/1923
The Bystander 2/5/1923
Dancing Times May 1923
The Stage 6/12/1923
Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News 15/12/23
The Stage 13/12/23
Gentlewoman – Saturday 22/12/1923
Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News 22/12/23
The Tatler 26/12/23
Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News 5/1/24
Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News 2/2/1924
The Manchester Guardian 18/11/1924
The Stage 12/5/1927
