Selina Dolaro

Selina Dolaro (20 August 1849 - 23 January 1889) was an English actress, singer, theatre manager, and writer.

Life and career

A native of London, Dolaro made her stage debut at the Lyceum Theatre, in the role of the Spanish princess, Galsuinda, in Hervé's operetta "Chilpéric" in 1870. Successes at various London theatres followed: in 1872 Dolaro was a leading performer in H. B. Farnie's English-language adaptation of Jacques Offenbach's "Geneviève de Brabant", ["The Times", 20 February 1872, p. 9] Hervé's "Doctor Faust" ["The Times", 1 June 1872, p. 8] and a burlesque of Ferdinand Hérold's "Zampa" ("Charmingly sung by Miss Dolaro in imitation of Mdlle Chaumont", said "The Times") ["The Times", 5 October 1872, p. 11]

By early 1875, Dolaro was director of the Royalty Theatre, where her father, Benjamin Simmonds, served as music director, and where she was starring in Offenbach's "La Périchole" uniting "vivacity as an actress" with "taste and skill as a singer". ["The Times", 2 February 1875, p. 8] As a companion piece to "La Périchole", her new theatre manager, Richard D'Oyly Carte, commissioned "Trial by Jury" from W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. [In late January 1875, "The Times" ran advertisements for the Royalty Theatre: "In preparation, a new comic opera composed expressly for this theatre by Mr. Arthur Sullivan, in which Madame Dolaro and Nelly Bromley will appear" (Allen, p. 28), and commentators took this as an advertisement for "Trial by Jury". However, the advertisement does not mention a librettist, a peculiar omission if it was to have been W. S. Gilbert, who was at that time better known to London theatregoers than Sullivan. Moreover, "Trial" has no place for two principal ladies, whereas Sullivan's "The Zoo" does. "The Zoo" played at a nearby theatre later in 1875 and at the Royalty in 1879, and there is evidence that Sullivan began working on "The Zoo" first (McElroy, pp. 39–54). In any event, Bromley played the sole female principal role in "Trial", not Dolaro.]

Dolaro took her Madame Selina Dolaro's Comic Opera Co. on tour between 13 June and 10 October 1875, as the theatre was closed during the hot summer months. On their return, Charles Morton became manager. Dolaro returned to the position in January 1876 when, again working with Carte, she played Malvina in "The Duke's Daughter". Dolaro continued to perform both in London and on tour, appearing at the Alhambra Theatre in 1877. In 1879 she worked at the Folly Theatre, which she also managed for the time.

Dolaro travelled to the United States that autumn, appearing in October at the Academy of Music in New York City in the title role of Bizet's "Carmen". Finding her voice too small for grand opera, she joined a touring comic opera troupe before returning to London. In 1880 she appeared again at the Globe Theatre as Cerisette in Farnie & Genee's "The Naval Cadets". Soon thereafter she returned to New York, where she spent the next few seasons performing in comic opera. Here, too, she worked with Carte, appearing as Girola in Bucalossi's "Les Manteaux Noirs" and Katrina in Robert Planquette's "Rip van Winkle" in 1882 at the Standard Theater.

Dolaro's last part was Minnie Marden in an adaptation of Victorien Sardou's "Agnes" in 1886. Her health soon began to decline, and her last appearance in New York was as a supernumerary in a benefit production of "Hamlet" for Lester Wallack, played at Daly's Theatre in May of 1888.

Selina Dolaro died of a stroke in New York City in January 1889 at the age of 39.

Publications

Dolaro's play, "In the Fashion" (later known only as "Fashion"), ran in New York between 1887 and 1888. Her "Mes amours: Poems, Passionate and Playful", was published in 1888.

Dolaro also wrote novels, including:
*"The Princess Daphne", Belford, Clarke & Co. (U.S.), 1888 (Edward Heron-Allen with Selina Dolaro – a tale of psychic vampirism, involving mesmerism, doppelgangers and metapsychosis)
*"Bella Demonia", Belford, Clarke & Co. (U.S.), [c.1889] (ghost written for Dolaro by Heron-Allen – an historical novel concerning the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78), published shortly after her death by "Lipincott's Magazine"
*"The Vengeance of Maurice Denalguez", Belford, Clarke & Co. (U.S.), [c.1889] (ghost written for Dolaro by Heron-Allen)

Notes

References

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External links

* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/whowaswho/D/DolaroSelina.htm Brief bio]
* [http://freepages.pavilion.net/tartarus/a11.htm List of Dolaro's novels]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/musdi:@field(DOCID+@lit(M150126)): Includes some information about some of Dolaro's writings]
* [http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/20041 Profile and photo]
* [http://www.c20th.com/GSarchive.htm Included the announcement for "Trial by Jury"]