William Greet

.

Life and career

Greet was born on his father's ship, H.M.S. Crocodile, christened at St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London, and educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross. He served as a Lieutenant of the Royal Marine Artillery from 1871 to 1877. He worked first as a farmer and then began working in theatre management in the 1880s. [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~pnlowe/egerton/g0000008.html] He was business manager for "The Coming Clown" and "Turned Up" at the Royalty Theatre in 1886, which was then leased by Kate Santley. [http://21citizen.org.uk/catalogues/evanion/RECORD.ASP?EvanID=1680] He became a producer and theatre manager in his own right by 1890. He produced an American tour of Wilson Barrett's "The Sign of the Cross" in 1896. He sat on the Board of Directors of The Lyceum Theatre Ltd. from 1899 until 1902. [http://www.theirvingsociety.org.uk/landlord.htm]

In 1901, Greet leased the Savoy Theatre from Helen Carte, the widow of Richard D'Oyly Carte. He then managed the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's revival of "Iolanthe" at the Savoy and its production of several new comic operas including "The Emerald Isle", "Merrie England" and "A Princess of Kensington", both at the Savoy and on tour. At the same time, he also leased the Lyric Theatre in London, producing "Mice and Men" in 1902, "The Light that Failed" in 1903, "The Medal and the Maid" (1903), and "The Duchess of Dantzic" (1904); and the Comedy Theatre in London, where he produced "Monsieur Beaucaire and "Morocco Bound", both in 1902.

Greet continued to produce musical comedies and operettas, including "The Earl and the Girl" at the Adelphi Theatre (1903), "The Talk of the Town" (1905, Lyric Theatre), "Blue Moon" (1905, Lyric), "The Sign of the Cross" (Terriss Theatre), "Alice in Wonderland" (1908, adapted by H. Saville Clarke, with music by Walter Slaughter), "A White Man" (1908, Lyric), "Little Hans Andersen" (1909, by Basil Hood), "The Fires of Fate" (1909, Lyric), "The Rivals" (1910, Lyric), "The Chocolate Soldier" (1910, Lyric), "Baby Mine" (1911, Vaudeville Theatre), "Nightbirds" (1911, Lyric), and "The Girl in the Taxi" (1912, Lyric).

Greet died in Bournemouth at the age of 62 and was buried at Shillingford. [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~pnlowe/egerton/g0000002.html#I342]

References

* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~pnlowe/egerton/g0000008.html Information about Greet]
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/other_sullivan/html/making_emerald.html Description of Greet's management of "Emerald Isle" and the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company]

External links

* [http://library.kent.ac.uk/library/special/icons/playbills/playdat1.htm Lists shows under management of Greet or at theatres that he leased from 1902-09]
* [http://library.kent.ac.uk/library/special/icons/playbills/playdat2.htm Lists shows under management of Greet or at theatres that he leased from 1910-19]