- B. C. Stephenson
Benjamin Charles Stephenson, or B. C. Stephenson, (1839 –
January 22 1906 ) was adramatist , lyricist, andlibrettist inVictorian England .Life and career
The nephew of General Sir Frederick Stephenson, "Charlie" Stephenson began working in government service while turning out some dramatic texts. He collaborated with the young composer
Frederic Clay on three pieces played by amateurs, "The Pirates Isle", "Out of Sight" and "The Bold Recruit", the last of which was then played at a benefit at the Gallery of Illustration in 1870. Stephenson's first professional success came at the same venue, two years later, with composerAlfred Cellier 's short operetta, "Charity Begins at Home". [Adams, p. 273]Under the pseudonym "Bolton Rowe," he wrote the libretto to
Arthur Sullivan 's one-actcomic opera , "The Zoo " in 1875. Stephenson then collaborated withClement Scott on the English versions ofVictorien Sardou 's plays "Nos intimes" (as "Peril") and "Dora" ("Diplomacy") and the text for Lecocq's operette "Le Petit Duc". Stephenson also supplied the libretto for a three-actgrand opera version of Longfellow's "The Masque of Pandora", composed by Alfred Cellier, and presented inBoston, Massachusetts in 1881.Stephenson's first full-length musical was also his biggest hit, the
comic opera "Dorothy" on which he collaborated with Alfred Cellier, based on Cellier's earlier score for "Nell Gwynne". The piece opened at the Gaiety Theatre on 25 September 1886. The show transferred to two other theatres, ultimately closing in 1889, a long run that eclipsed evenGilbert and Sullivan 's "The Mikado ". Much criticized on its first production, Stephenson's libretto was treated to much scholarly analysis after Dorothy became a hit, and its initially despised plot was traced seriously back to the Restoration playwrights,David Garrick andAphra Behn .The pair then collaborated on another Cellier remake, "Doris", which had a good run. However a collaboration with
Arthur Goring Thomas on another comedy, "The Golden Web", in spite of some positive critical attention, was short-lived. Although Stephenson wrote a number of songs and a few more stage works, he did not have any further musical theatre success.Stephenson died in
Taplow .Notes
References
*Adams, William Davenport. [http://books.google.com/books?id=TzwOAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Arthur+Cecil%22+blunt&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 "A Dictionary of the Drama",] Chatto & Windus, 1904
External links
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/british/authors/stephenson.html Profile of Stephenson]
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/british/dorothy/index.html Site with information about "Dorothy"]
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/british/musicals.html Information about stage works]
* [http://www.halhkmusic.com/doris.html Midis and lyrics for Doris]
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