Hugh Talbot

Hugh Talbot (c. 1845–October 31, 1899) was an Irish tenor and actor best known for creating the role of Frederic in the Gilbert and Sullivan hit "The Pirates of Penzance" in the New York production.

Life and career

Born Hugo Talbot Brennan near Dublin, Talbot was a choirboy in his youth.

Early career

He went to Italy for a formal education in music, where he debuted on stage in Milan in Giuseppe Verdi's "Rigoletto". For several seasons thereafter, he sang with Adelina Patti and Christine Nilsson in Italy, Russia, and France. He then returned to England to sing opera in Italian, a novelty for the time.

D'Oyly Carte experience

Talbot was chosen to play Ralph Rackstraw when Richard D'Oyly Carte sent one of his theatrical companies to play "HMS Pinafore" at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City, beginning on December 1, 1879 as it prepared for the opening of the next Gilbert and Sullivan Opera. On the 31st of the month, he created the role of Frederic in "The Pirates of Penzance". He remained in New York until March 6, 1880, when he left the company following an argument with the management. In the interim, he had briefly travelled to Philadelphia to play Frederic for the opening of Carte's Second American Company.

Talbot's Frederic was perhaps the most roundly criticized performance of any Gilbert and Sullivan opera's opening night. Nearly every critic eviscerated him in reviews. The "New York Times" wrote

The essential part of the young pirate apprentice received inadequate attention from the tenor. His make-up resulted in his appearing, in the first act, to be of advanced age; he was not, apparently, acquainted with his lines, and his singing was weak and tame. But the others were so spirited and generally enthusiastic that the effect of the opera was not materially injured by this weak spot in the cast. (Allen, 106)

The "World" was not much kinder: "Mr. Talbot sang some of the airs allotted to the tenor admirably, but he was utterly innocent of any appreciation whatever of the humor of the situations and shamefully ignorant of his lines." (Allen, 106) The "Herald", too, found fault with his performance, writing: "The members of the company were not all perfect in their parts, Mr. Talbot seriously interfering with the full effect of some good points by groping after his cue in a most vague manner." (Allen, 106) Unkindest of all was the "Sun", whose critic said:

Mr. Talbot, the tenor, had unfortunately apparently not thought it necessary to commit his lines, and made nonsense of much of his role, reflecting no credit upon himself, and nearly bringing the play at times into confusion. (Allen, 106)

Similar sentiments were reflected in the "Mirror", the "Tribune", and "The Hour". Sullivan, for his part, was equally displeased, writing to his mother on January 2, 1880:

Our Company and all the Chorus are charming people and devoted to us, and spared themselves no pains or trouble to do their work thorougly well. All except the Tenor, who is an idiot - vain and empty-headed. He very nearly upset the piece on the first night as he didn't know his words, and forgot his music. We shall, I think, have to get rid of him. (Allen, 106)

After the Talbot incident, Gilbert and Sullivan's next two tenor roles were much reduced in size.

After D'Oyly Carte

After leaving D'Oyly Carte, Talbot appeared with the Blanche Roosevelt English Opera Company in an unsuccessful production of B. C. Stephenson and Cellier's "The Masque of Pandora" in Boston in 1881. He then traveled for a brief while with Tagliapietra's Opera Company, after which he relocated to California.

Talbot died in Stockton, California in 1899.

References

*

External links

* [http://math.boisestate.edu/GaS/whowaswho/T/TalbotHugh.htm Brief bio at the Who Was Who website]
* [http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/hrgsp/old/productions/pir00/pir00hist.htm Discussion of the preparations for Pirates and noting the criticism of Talbot]