Richard Temple (opera singer)
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Richard Barker Cobb Temple (March 2, 1847–October 19, 1912) was an English opera singer, actor and stage director, best known for his work in the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas.
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[edit] Early opera career
Born in London, he performed as a singer and amateur actor, before making his professional stage debut at the Crystal Palace in May 1869 as Count Rodolpho in La Sonnambula. He subsequently toured the provinces with opera and opera bouffe companies, playing the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto, among others. In 1873, he appeared in the very successful English-language premiere of La fille de Madame Angot, adapted by H. B. Farnie, at the Gaiety Theatre, London.
In 1875, Temple directed, and appeared as Thomas Brown in, a production of Arthur Sullivan's one-act comic opera The Zoo at the Philharmonic Theatre, Islington.
[edit] D'Oyly Carte years
In 1877 he was engaged to create the part of Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre in the first production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Sorcerer at the Opera Comique. The following year, he created the role of Dick Deadeye in H.M.S. Pinafore. During the original runs of The Sorcerer and Pinafore, Temple also took parts in the short companion pieces that accompanied the longer works. He was Fred Fancourt in the 1877–1878 revival of Dora's Dream, the title role in The Spectre Knight (1878), General Deelah in Cups and Saucers (1878–1879), and Selworthy in After All! (1878–1879).
Temple was the Pirate King in the first London production of The Pirates of Penzance (1880–1881). He next created the part of Colonel Calverley in Patience (Opera Comique, 1881), but left in September of that year, shortly before the opera transferred to the new Savoy Theatre. Temple returned to the Opera Comique where, from October–December 1881, he appeared as King Portico in a revival of Gilbert and Clay's Princess Toto.
He returned to Gilbert and Sullivan, creating the role of Strephon in Iolanthe (1882–1884), the only Savoy Opera in which he was cast as the romantic hero. Next, he created the role of Arac in Princess Ida (1884) and revisited the role of Sir Marmaduke in the first revival of The Sorcerer (1884–1885). He then created his most celebrated role, the Mikado of Japan in The Mikado (1885–1887), and Sir Roderick Murgatroyd in Ruddigore (1887). After revivals of Pinafore, Pirates and Mikado, in which he repeated his original roles, Temple created his final role for Gilbert and Sullivan, Sergeant Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard (1888–1889).
[edit] Journeyman actor and director
Temple did not have a part in the next Gilbert and Sullivan opera, The Gondoliers when it opened at the Savoy in December 1889, but in February 1890 he was one of the replacements rushed to New York for the restaging of The Gondoliers at Palmer's Theatre, taking the role of Giuseppe. In July 1890, he left the company again to pursue a directing career.
But Temple was back with a D'Oyly Carte touring company briefly the following year, touring as Pyjama in The Nautch Girl from October to December 1891. He then left again, making occasional appearances in London in L'Impresario (Olympic, 1892), The Golden Web (Lyric, 1893), Miami (Princess's, 1893), Morocco Bound (music by Osmond Carr) (Shaftesbury and Trafalgar, 1893–1894), and Wapping Old Stairs (Vaudeville, 1894). He also directed matinees of Orpheus (Lyceum, 1892) and Genovena (Drury Lane, 1893), and produced the aforementioned Wapping Old Stairs.
Temple returned to the Savoy in October 1894, replacing John Coates as Baron Van den Berg in Mirette. In December, he created the part of Sancho in Sullivan and Burnand's The Chieftain, and later that month played Sergeant Bouncer when Cox and Box was added to the bill. Temple left the D'Oyly Carte organization yet again in March 1895. In November of that year he produced a matinee of Dido and Aeneas at the Lyceum. He returned to the Savoy briefly in 1896 to give some performances in the title role for a revival of The Mikado, and he also stage managed a production of Shamus O'Brien at the Opera Comique that year. He then appeared in the first revival of Yeomen in 1897. In December 1898 he filled in as Sir Marmaduke in The Sorcerer, and in 1899 he was Dick Deadeye again for the third revival of H.M.S. Pinafore at the Savoy.
[edit] Later years
In October 1904, Temple appeared briefly on tour in two of his original roles—as Dick Deadeye in Pinafore and Strephon in Iolanthe. In October 1908, he returned to the Savoy to give a few performances in place of Henry Lytton as Deadeye. In March 1909, he played Sergeant Meryll in Yeomen.
While he appeared on stage occasionally in his last years, Temple devoted himself primarily to recitals and to teaching. He taught primarily at The Royal College of Music where he was a professor of Elocution and Acting,[2] and where George Baker met him. He directed many student productions with C. V. Stanford conducting, including Falstaff, Dido and Aeneas, and the famous production of Orfeo that featured Clara Butt.
Temple died in London at the age of 65. His son, also named Richard, became an actor.[2]
Temple is portrayed by Timothy Spall in the 1999 Mike Leigh film, Topsy-Turvy.
[edit] Recordings
Temple also did some recording in 1902–03 for the Gramophone & Typewriter Company. His renditions of "A More Humane Mikado" and "O Better Far to Live and Die" appear on the Pearl CD, "The Art of the Savoyard" (GEMM CD 9991).
[edit] Note
- ^ Mrs Paul, nee Isabella Featherstone (1833–1879), left her husband around 1977 because he was having an affair with the actress-dancer Letty Lind, with whom he sired two illegitimate children.
- ^ a b "Gilbertian Memories" in the New York Times, June 16, 1912
[edit] References
- Ayre, Leslie (1972). The Gilbert & Sullivan Companion. London: W.H. Allen & Co Ltd. Introduction by Martyn Green.
[edit] External links
- Richard Temple at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte
- Profile of Temple
