Midnight Follies First Edition 1921

The Whitehall Room within the Hotel Metropole became the site of one of the first true cabarets in London that transformed London’s nightlife in the 1920s. On the 2nd November 1921, the ‘Midnight Follies’ was inaugurated at the Metropole with a show that was called a ‘super dansant.’ With glorious costumes designed by Dolly Tree it became an overnight hit with all of smart London flocking to see the show designed to ‘brighten London.’

Comparisons to the Midnight Follies were made to both Paris and New York cabarets. Some regarded this as a touch of Parisian glamour and the show thought to be the nearest attainable to a high class Parisian cabaret. Others felt that the entertainment was modelled on the lines of the cabaret shows for which New York had been exclusively famous and that the Midnight Follies would do for London what the Ziegfeld Midnight Frolics did for New York – namely help cheer it up. Overall it was thought that the new cabaret show was trying to revive something of the pre-war brightness of London at night.

It has been recognised by many that the Midnight Follies was the first London cabaret. This is in fact incorrect. There had been earlier attempts to launch cabaret in London and the first was Jack Haskell’s abortive attempt at Ciro’s nightclub in March 1917. Thereafter Murray’s nightclub staged a cabaret called Murray’s Frolics in late 1920 and in September 1921 the Princes Restaurant staged a cabaret comprising a Russian inspired show presented by Boris Evelinoff.

The idea of the Midnight Follies had come about via George Grossmith, the famous English performer and producer. Following his frequent trips to America, he had been impressed with the growth of the numerous cabaret entertainments in New York. Grossmith, with fellow colleagues JAE Malone and Andre Charlot decided to find a London setting for their concept of a supper time entertainment. But it was not easy and many suitably large venues like the Criterion and the Savoy refused. Finally, they discussed the idea with the hotelier Sir Francis Towle, who was most enthusiastic and showed them the Whitehall Rooms at the Metropole Hotel. It was ideal and Grossmith engaged the American Jack Haskell, to arrange the cabaret.

Haskell had made his reputation at the Ziegfeld Follies in New York and had prior to his arrival in London been working for the Australian theatrical company of J.C. Wiliamson. In London he had already scored a great success by arranging the dances for George Grossmith in his Winter Garden show of Sally.

Proceedings began at 10pm when guests could dance until 11.15pm and then there were 25 minutes of continuous entertainment and finally dancing again until 12.30pm. Some reports do suggest that there were two segments or the show was repeated but this cannot be confirmed.

The Whitehall rooms were transformed and a new dancing floor was laid. There were new cream and pink decorations, green carpets, small tables and miniature private boxes.

Allegedly the stage area itself recalled a garden under a blue southern sky and the stage scenery by Joseph Harker comprised petalled pelmets, yellow shading to pink over the silk curtains that carried on the same colour scheme. There was also electric lighting with tulip shades that was in harmony with everything else creating a soft shade of yellow ‘designed to make women look as beautiful as they really are.’ In terms of cuisine you could order a sandwich, or oysters or a complete supper just as you felt inclined. Supper including dancing was £1 per head.

The first Midnight Follies show was a big affair with a chorus of 20 fashionable bright young things and 8 principals – Odette Myrtil, Mimi Crawford, Mary Leigh, Marjorie Brookes, Carlton Brough, Lewis Sydney and the exhibition dancing pair Frank Leveson and Peggy Morser. It was conceived as a series of jolly interludes with probably at least 6 elaborate singing and dancing sketches and ballets all ‘adroitly mixed and deftly served.’

At 11.15pm there were three loud knocks and the orchestra stopped suddenly and the dancers hurried back to their tables. At the end of the room the curtains parted and from a raised platform the cabaret company began to descend to the floor.

Two daintily dressed girls first came on with tablets held up with text that read Girls of My Dreams. Then a man in evening dress emerged and sang about the girls he used to love. Down the steps to the central dance floor came down a range of dream girls dressed as rowing girls, golf girls and others who represent the feminine objects of his former affections.

Next came a pretty and cheerful divertissement with little heralds with placards saying ‘Texas Days.’ Female cowboys dressed in fur covered breeches and four strong male cowboys emerged and did tricks and turns.

The next beautiful scene was called The Lamp of Love that featured Odette Myrtil and her violin which may have featured oriental garb. There were other scenes called the Flower Gardens and a gold and silver ballet. For the latter, one press report thought that the costumes of gold and silver tissue of eastern inspiration with high magician like hats were the nicest of all.

According to the Daily Express the costumes for the show were designed by Dolly Tree. In an interview with Dolly Tree at the time, her achievements to date were detailed and she was clearly riding a pinnacle of success having already dressed more than 18 shows. in 1921 she had costumed the Peepshow at the Hippodrome, the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk at the Hippodrome, The Windmill Man at the Victoria Palace, the pantomime Queen of Hearts at the Theatre Royal Birmingham. She had also made an impact in Paris and had dressed shows at the Concert Mayol and most of the dresses in a forthcoming 1922 show at the Folies Bergere. She had also dressed a Spanish revue in Barcelona and a revue in Marseilles and Lyons.

Although we are not told how or why she got the commission to design the costumes for the Midnight Follies she must have made an impression on Jack Haskell and George Grossmith, perhaps with her portfolio of achievements to date. Perhaps she had also already designed costumes for a cabaret show such as Murray’s Frolics at Murray’s Club in late 1920 or 1921.

The show was thought to be so important that, shortly after its launch, it was filmed by Gaumont for its successful topical film series called Around the Town.

But disaster struck when two days after the launch of the show the Theatre and Music Halls committee of the London County Council along with the Entertainments Protection Association objected to the venture and ‘brisk skirmishes’ followed between Francis Towle, the proprietor of the Hotel Metropole and the LCC. The objections to the cabaret show within the Hotel Metropole was on the grounds that the entertainment would be detrimental to the established entertainment houses. They suggested that that no stage costumes should be worn, scenery should not be used and that only 6 artists could appear, thus dispensing with the chorus and the elaborately staged numbers.

There was much discussion in the press and huge opposition to the LCC proposals but the appeal by the Hotel Metropole at the end of November 1921 failed. However, the ruling of the LCC was in abeyance through December 1921 and the ‘Midnight Follies’ continued.

In early December 1921, the pretty and blonde Parisian stage star and singer Parysis joined the cast for a few weeks but it is not clear if she replaced Odette Myrtil or carried on alongside her.

Eventually, in January 1922, the cabaret was curtailed and only 6 performers and no scenery or stage costumes were allowed. The new show was staged on Monday 16th January with the Trix Sisters, Odette Myrtil, Isabelita Ruiz, Tex MacLeod and Arthur Margetson.

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

The Sun 18/9/1921
Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News 25/10/1921
The Daily Telegraph 1/11/1921
Evening Standard 27/10/1921
Daily Express 26/10/1921
Evening Standard 31/10/1921
Daily News 2/11/21
Daily Express 2/11/1921
Daily Express 3/11/1921
Nottingham Journal 5/11/21
Billboard 5/11/21
Sunday Mirror 6/11/21
Bioscope 10/11/21
Variety 11/11/21
Daily Herald 26/11/21
Daily Mirror 26/11/21
Westminster Gazette 26/11/21
The Stage 1/12/21
Variety 2/12/21
Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News 20/12/1921
Daily News 21/12/21
Nelson Leader 30/12/1921
Daily Mirror 13/1/1922
Daily Express 26/1/1922
Variety 10/2/22