Sydney Grundy

Sydney Grundy (March 23 1848 – July 4 1914) was an English dramatist. Most of his works were adaptations of European plays, and many became successful enough to tour throughout the English-speaking world. He is, however, perhaps best remembered today as the librettist of several comic operas, notably "Haddon Hall".

Life and career

Grundy was born in Manchester, England, the son of Alderman Charles Sydney Grundy. He was educated at Owens College, Manchester, and practiced at the bar from 1869 until 1876.

Early career

His early one-act farce, "A Little Change", was produced at the Haymarket Theatre in 1872 by the Kendals. This was followed by "All at Sea" in 1873, also starring the Kendals.cite book|title=A Dictionary of the Drama|author=William Davenport Adams|year=1904|publisher=Burt Franklin|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=tjwOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=%22sydney+grundy%22&source=web&ots=JfjN4BAXt9&sig=s1R8KkfJnyVL_p8yaEblSOUdvps&hl=en] In 1876, Grundy published "The Days of His Vanity". [cite book|title=The days of his vanity|author=Sydney Grundy|year=1876|publisher= |url=http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=GtoBAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22sydney+grundy%22&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=ziowtVk6JY&sig=tAEUOQwm5SB9NnAiDVt_Cnf8s8w#PPA1,M1] He wrote "Mammon" for W. H. Vernon at the Strand Theatre in 1877 and "After Long Years" for the Folly Theatre in 1879. Early comedies included "The Glass of Fashion" (1882), "The Silver Shield" (1885),cite news|author=
title=New Play at the Odeon|date= |work=New York Times |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F00E0D91E39E033A25750C0A9669D94639ED7CF |accessdate=2008-08-08 ] and the blank verse "Clito" for Wilson Barrett (1886). [cite news|author= |title=A New Classical Tragedy; Sydney Grundy's "Clito" Produced by Wilson Barrett|date= |work=New York Times |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A0DE2DA1638E533A25751C0A9639C94679FD7CF |accessdate=2008-08-08]

Haddon Hall"Grundy became well known as an adapter of French and German plays, cleaning them up for British audiences and revisiting the source material to craft his final product. As the protagonist in his 1900 play, "A Debt of Honour", explains: "It all takes place in Paris: nobody pretends that such things happen here." Among his earlier successes at adapting European works were "The Snowball" at the Strand Theatre (1879), based on "Oscar, ou le marl qui trompe sa femme" by Eugène Scribe and Duvergne; "In Honour Bound" (1880), based on Scribe's "tine Chaine"; "Dust" at the Royalty Theatre (1881); "The Glass of Fashion" (1883); and "A Wife's Sacrifice" (1886). "The Bells of Haslemere", written with H. Pettitt, was a success at the Adelphi Theatre in 1887. [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Sydney_Grundy 1911 Encyclopedia entry] ] He also created a farce in three acts, "The Arabian Nights" (1887), an adaptation of von Moser's "Haroun al Raschid"; [ [http://ebook.lib.hku.hk/CADAL/B31446838/ Cover page of "The Arabian nights"] ] "Pompadour", written with W. G. Wilts; and "Mamma" (1888), an adaptation of "Les surprises du Divorce".

Grundy's original libretti included the one-act "musical absurdity" "Popsy Wopsy" (1880), the full-length "The Vicar of Bray" (1882) and "Pocahontas" (1884), both with Edward Solomon. These Solomon and Grundy comic operas toured extensively in both Britain and the U.S. His "Haddon Hall" (1892), with Sir Arthur Sullivan, dramatised the legend of Dorothy Vernon's elopement from Haddon Hall with John Manners.

Later years

In 1889–90 Grundy produced three original comedies, "A White Lie" at the Court Theatre, "A Wife's Sacrifice" and "A Fool's Paradise" at the Gaiety Theatre, which had been produced two years earlier as "The Mouse-Trap".

Later successful adaptations included "A Pair of Spectacles" at the Garrick Theatre (1889, starring John Hare), from "Les Petits Oiseaux" of Labiche and Delacour. In 1890, Lilly Langtry presented Grundy's "Esther Sandraz" at the St. James's Theatre. This was followed by "A Village Priest" at the Haymarket Theatre (1890), from "Le Secret de la terreuse" (called "The Broken Seal" in America) a melodrama by Busnach and Cauvin; "Sowing the Wind" at the Comedy Theatre (1893); "An Old Jew" at the Garrick (1894); an adaptation of Octave Feuillet's "Montjoye", called "A Bunch of Violets" at the Haymarket (1894); "The New Woman" (1894); [ [http://www.radcliffe.edu/schles/2821.aspx Playbill for "The New Woman"] ] "The Slaves of the Ring" (1894); and "The Greatest of These" at the Garrick with the Kendals (1895).

Other late notable works included "The Greatest of These" (1895); "A Marriage of Convenience" at the Haymarket (1897) from "Un Mariage de Louis XV", by Alexandre Dumas, père; "The Silver Key" at Her Majesty's Theatre (1897) from his "Mlle de Belle-isle"; and "The Musqueteers" (1899) from the same author's novel. These were followed by "The Degenerates" (1899, at the Haymarket, starring Langtry); "A Debt of Honour" at the St James's Theatre (1900); "Frocks and Frills" at the Haymarket (1902) from "Doigts de fees" of Scribe and Ernest Legouvé; "The Garden of Lies" at St James's (1904) from Justus Miles Forman's novel; "Business is Business" at His Majesty's (1905), a rather free adaptation from Octave Mirbeau's "Les affaires sont les affaires"; and "The Diplomatists" at the Royalty Theatre (1905) from "La Poudre aux yeux", by Labiche.

About a dozen of Grundy's works played on Broadway, including "A Pair of Spectacles" in 1890 and 1905; "The New Woman" in 1894; "A Bunch of Violets" in 1895; "The Late Mr. Costello" in 1896; "A Marriage of Convenience" in 1897 and 1918; "The Musketeers" in 1899; "The Degenerates" in 1900; "The Love Match" in 1901; "Frocks and Frills" in 1902; "Gypsy" in 1903 and "The Awakening" in 1908. [ [http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=8795 Grundy's IBDB entry] ] Several of Grundy's plays were made into films, including "A Bunch of Violets" and "A Pair of Spectacles", both in 1916; and "Sowing the Wind" in 1921. Many of Grundy's plays also had runs in Australia. [ [http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~melbear/1891syd.htm Information from the "Theatre in Sydney 1891" page] ] [ [http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~melbear/1892.htm Information from the "Theatre in Melbourne 1892" page] ]

Grundy died in London at the age of 66.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Sydney_Grundy Biography with list of notable plays]
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/GaS/other_sullivan/haddon_hall/haddon_intro.html Haddon Hall page]
* [http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=8795 Sydney Grundy's IBDB entry]
*imdb name|0344581
* [http://home.comcast.net/~m.chitty/plays.htm Describes a number of Grundy's plays, among others]
* [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Grundy%2C%20Sydney Two of grundy's libretti and commentary online]
*cite book|title=Max Beerbohm Caricatures|author=N. John Hall|year=1997|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=0300072171|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=P4jI4eSC8R8C&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=%22sydney+grundy%22&source=web&ots=s4HlpMKLAE&sig=gz9LkbnDN2ydfo_llqs_w8JMLDY&hl=en