The Starlight Express
The Starlight Express is a children's play by Violet Pearn,[1] based on the imaginative novel A Prisoner in Fairyland by Algernon Blackwood, with songs and incidental music written by the English composer Sir Edward Elgar in 1915.
[2] The producer was to be Basil Dean: but since he had been called up for army service in France, he was replaced by the actress Lena Ashwell.
On 6 December the two chosen singers, the Australian-born soprano Clytie Hine and baritone Charles Mott,[4] rehearsed with Elgar.
The Starlight Express was produced by Lena Ashwell at the Kingsway Theatre in London, as one of her high-quality wartime entertainments.
The premiere was to have been the conducted by the composer, but because Lady Elgar had suffered concussion a few days before as the result of a traffic accident, he stayed at home with her, and the conductor was the young Julius Harrison.
The reasons for the failure were inappropriate design of the characters and scenery by Henry Wilson (who had been chosen and his work approved by Lena Ashwell), and the difficulty Pearn had in making something theatrical with her adaptation of the book.
The critics who reported their view of the opening night, while praising the music and particular performers, remarked on the lack of substance to the story.
Elgar negotiated with The Gramophone Company, and on 18 February 1916, the music was recorded on eight sides, with the songs performed by Agnes Nicholls and Charles Mott.
Later that year the three Organ Grinder's Songs were published by Elkin, with a piano accompaniment arranged by Julius Harrison.
According to the elgar.org website, "A family of children, trapped in the oppressive world of adults, forms a secret society whose members collect stardust and live in star caves.
Jane Anne & Cousin Henry, duet: "Hearts must be soft-shiny dressed" – "Dustman, Laugher, Tramp and busy Sweep" From Elgar's The Wand of Youth Suites From Elgar's The Music Makers From the Christmas Carol The First Nowell After a short musical overture, the Organ grinder appears in front of the curtain and sings "To the Children".
The Song (first at the words "eyes; Let me sleep a moment") includes self-quotations of "The Little Bells" music from "The Wand of Youth".
The curtain rises on a family living in a pension in the mountains of Switzerland, showing grown-ups with problems which are first expressed unaccompanied by music: there is Daddy (an unsuccessful author), Mother (with domestic problems), the pension manager Widow Jequier with residents that do not pay, old Miss Waghorn always searching for her long-lost brother, and Cousin Henry.
Before the curtain opens, there is a short musical prelude, and the Organ Grinder sings the waltz-song "The Blue-Eyes Fairy".
She is awfully tiny and shy to the sight, But her magic's past believing, For she fills you with light and with laughter, It's the spell of her own sweet weaving.
that's East and West, The North Wind too, She always blows the strongest: You all must draw your deepest breath and longest, With open mouth!
Go, sweep her to'ards the Cave, and break her trance: Thick Mother of the Sprites - She must get in: Even a Haystack's elephantine dance Is somewhere thin!
While from out a railway carriage, Standing ready and alight, Stepped their guests as to a marriage - Asked to dine – and stay the night!
Sweep and Laugher danced together, And a man who had a lamp Capered lightly as a feather With a lazy-looking Tramp; When a Voice disturbed the Lancers: "Children, come, it's time for bed" Railway carriage, Sprites and Dancers Flew up to the stars instead!
Still the children come to hear me In the lane or dingy street; Still the heavy pavement near me Flutters to their happy feet; For my tunes are ne'er forgotten, And they bring the scent of musk: Grown-up folk may call 'em rotten, But I'm looked for when it's dusk!
take of our best, Our sweetest dust And sow earth's little gardens of unrest With joy and trust - For ev'ry hour A golden flower, For ev'ry hour A golden flower, Love, Laughter, Courage, Hope, and all the Jane Anne and Cousin Henry (Organ Grinder): JA ( rest – - – - – -.
B. Clarence[9] Mother ............. Ruth Maitland[10] Grannie ............ Una O'Connor Jimbo ............... Ronald Hammond[11] Monkey ............ Elsie Hall Jane Anne ........ Mercia Cameron Cousin Henry .... Owen Roughwood[12] Mme Jequier ..... Juliette Mylo[13] Miss Waghorn ... Mary Barton Tramp ............... Charles Mott It would be uncandid to pretend that Mr. ALGERNON BLACKWOOD gets everything he has to say in The Starlight Express safely across the footlights – those fateful barriers that trap so many excellent intentions.
In plainer words he wants to present you with a cure for "wumbledness": people who look at the black side of things, who think chiefly of themselves – those are the wumbled.
The treatment was discovered by the children of a poor author in a cheap Swiss pension and by "Cousin Henry" a successful business man of quite an unusual sort.
Then you sprinkle the precious stuff on people and they become miracles of content and unselfishness (The fact that life isn't in the very least like that is a thing you have just got to make yourself forget for three hours or so).
SIR EDWARD ELGAR wove a delightfully patterned music of mysterious import through the queer tangle of the scenes and gave us an atmosphere loaded with the finest stardust.
Lighting and setting were admirably contrived; and the grouping of the little prologue scenes, where that kindly handsome giant of an organ-grinder (MR. CHARLES MOTT), with the superbly cut corduroys, sang so tunefully to as sweet a flock of little maids as one would wish to see, was particularly effective.
Of the players I would especially commend the delicately sensitive performance of MISS MERCIA CAMERON (a name and talent quite new to me) as Jane Anne, the chief opponent of wumbledom.
The jolly spontaneity of RONALD HAMMOND as young Bimbo was a pleasant thing, and ELSIE HALL, concealing less successfully her careful training in the part, prettily co-operated as his sister Monkey.
On what a difficult rail our author was occasionally driving his express you may judge, when he makes this excellent but not particularly fragile British type exclaim "I am melting down in dew".
