Note: This is the second part of a series that aims to trace performances by the International Ballet. To read Part 1, which I very much recommend doing, click here.
When we left off, the International Ballet were granted a Christmas holiday following 2 successful regional tours, and a successful London engagement. From May-December 1941 the company had spent time proving themselves, steered by founder and choreographer Mona Inglesby.
Their tours in 1942 would take them up and down the country, and they would add to their repertory with a new ballet, and a new production of an old classic. I have mainly used newspapers for this project, and as not all newspapers survive (or are available) there are a few gaps where the company’s whereabouts are unknown to me. That being said a lot of information does survive, so let’s get into it.
Note: The schedule I have written is what was printed in newspaper advertisements. I have taken into account changes that were reported on, but I cannot firmly say it is 100% accurate.
Monday 19th-Saturday 31st January 1942: New Opera House, Blackpool, England
- Evening, Monday 19th: Swan Lake Act II, Fête Bohème, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Tuesday 20th: Carnaval, Les Sylphides, Fête Bohème
- Matinee, Wednesday 21st: Carnaval, Aurora’s Wedding, Fête Bohème
- Evening, Wednesday 21st: Swan Lake Act II, Carnaval, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Thursday 22nd: Les Sylphides, Carnaval, Planetomania
- Evening, Friday 23rd: Les Sylphides, Aurora’s Wedding, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Matinee, Saturday 24th: Les Sylphides, Fête Bohème, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Saturday 24th: Swan Lake Act II, Carnaval, Planetomania
The company got right back into the swings of things with their first engagement of the year. Rovi Pavinoff was still being listed as a Guest Artist, but Nina Tarakanova and Harold Turner joined Inglesby as the three leading dancers of the company. Stanislas Idzikowski, a former dancer with the Ballets Russes, continued as the company’s Maître de ballet, as did Orchestra Director Julian Clifford.
A review of the company’s familiar opening night programme (Lancashire Daily Post, 20th January) noted the ‘interesting new costumes and decors’ and the ‘youth, vivacity and talent of the dancers’. They noted that programming two weeks of ballet in the middle of Winter at a theatre with nearly 3,000 seats was risky, but that the talent of the company meant it may succeed. And it seems to have done.
I thought it would be useful to step back and take a wider look at UK Theatre programming during the Second World War. Blackpool, a city with many theatres, seemed like a good case study. During the second week of the International Ballet’s engagement the Old Vic Company were performing Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Middleton’s The Witch at the Grand Theatre. The Palace Theatre had produced the pantomime Aladdin, starring variety entertainer Wee Georgie Wood and comedian Dave Morris. One could dance at the Tower Ballroom, but dancing at the Empire Ballroom had been suspended. The Tower Circus offered boxing and wrestling.
Since the 1920s the UK theatre scene had been taken over by cinema, with many theatres programming popular films, and a lot of theatres had been converted into cinemas. The week after the International Ballet performed at the New Opera House, the theatre showed the 1941 film The Big Lie starring Bette Davis. Cinema was justifiably popular, but had been threatening ballet and opera companies. That being said, the International Ballet was one of many touring companies of the era, and was becoming one of the strongest.
Fate of the New Opera House: Still Exists! (as the Opera House Theatre)
Monday 2nd-Saturday 7th February 1942: Royal Hall, Harrogate, England
- Evenings, Monday 2nd & Tuesday 3rd: Swan Lake Act II, Fête Bohème, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Thursday 5th: Swan Lake Act II, Dances from Aurora’s Wedding, Planetomania
The Harrogate Herald (28th January) reported on the company ahead of their engagement. They talk about the company’s West End success, their repertory, their association with Stanislas Idzikowski, and the leading dancers. They also list some of the others dancers of the company: Anna Marinova, Barbara Barrie, Anne Negus, Rex Reid, Mavis Ray, Joyce Graeme, David Kerval, Moira Shearer and Gwenda Sheldrake. The fact that there are more women than men is perhaps not unusual for a ballet company, but also highlights the wartime situation (companies loved Les Sylphides and Swan Lake Act II during the war, as they had a strong female corps).
The company received praise from reviewers, with a review of the Monday and Tuesday programme in the Harrogate Herald (4th February) saying the company ‘comes through with the highest marks’ for their performance of Swan Lake Act II. They compliment Inglesby on her mime, meaning that she was still the company’s Odette. They also speak highly of the orchestra, which included John Amadio, an internationally-renowned flute player who spent his wartime years playing in a variety of British orchestras. Their first violinist was Pierra Tas.
Fate of the Royal Hall: Still Exists!
Monday 9th-Saturday 14th February 1942: Unknown
Monday 16th-Saturday 21st February 1942: Leicester Royal Opera House, England
Though I am unsure of what the precise schedule was for Leicester, it obviously included all the usual ballets. The company performed nightly, with matinees on the Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Fate of the Opera House: Closed and demolished in 1960
Monday 23rd-Saturday 28th February 1942: Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, England
Like with the Leicester engagement, precise schedules at Sheffield are unknown to me, though there were matinees on Tuesday and Saturday.
It seems the company took a break after this, as I cannot find records of any performances in March or April. Nevertheless, among my collection I have a series of autographs from the International Ballet dated to March 1942. Among the series are the signatures of Inglesby, Tarakanova, Turner, Rex Reid, Mark Baring, Barbara Barrie, Anne Negus, Joyce Graeme, Claudie Léonard, Patricia Lynne, Muriel Harding, Ann Byatt, Joan Harris, Angela Bayley, Thelma Fabian, Ronald Bruce, Jean Beazley, Eileen Ward and 1 unidentified company member.
The break coincides well with increased preparations for a new ballet. For some time work had been progressing on an a balletic adaptation of Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night. The ballet was to be choreographed by Andrée Howard (1910-1968). Howard was a pupil of Marie Rambert, who moved to choreographing works herself in the 1930s. By 1942 she had worked with the Ballet Rambert, the (future American) Ballet Theatre and Antony Tudor’s London Ballet. The ballet was set to music by Edvard Grieg, but retained three Shakespearian ballads which would be sung. The scenery and costumes were designed by Doris Zinkeisen, who had done the designs for Planetomania.
Monday 18th-Saturday 23rd May 1942: Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, England
- Evening, Monday 18th & Tuesday 19th: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
- Matinee, Wednesday 20th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Endymion, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Wednesday 20th: Amoras, Endymion, Dances from Fête Bohème, Planetomania
- Evening, Thursday 21st: Les Sylphides, Amoras, Planetomania
- Evening, Friday 22nd: Twelfth Night, Planetomania
- Matinee, Saturday 23rd: Amoras, Endymion, Dances from Fête Bohème
- Evening, Saturday 23rd: Twelfth Night, Planetomania
Announcements of new engagements began to pop up in newspapers at the beginning of May, as did the announcement of the new ballet. An article in the Liverpool Echo (15th May) details the fact that over a year had been spent on the production of the ballet, indicating that it was a plan when the International Ballet was giving its very first performances. It was advertised as the first two-act balleteveninf, Tuesday produced in Britain, and adapting Shakespeare to a ballet was presented as a novel concept (though Twelfth Night premiered only a day before Robert Helpmann’s balletic version of Hamlet).
Twelfth Night also marked the beginning of collaborations between the company and Leslie French (1904-1999). French was an actor and a dancer, and was noted for performing Shakespearian clowns. In Twelfth Night he was, as you could probably guess, going to play the jester, Feste. French also danced some of Harold Turner’s roles, as Turner was either injured or had temporarily departed the company.
Other cast members included, Nina Tarakanova as Maria, Joyce Graem as Olivia, John Pygram as Toby Belch, Rex Reid as Andrew Aguecheek, Peter Garst as Malvolio and Raymond Farrell as Duke Orsino. Inglesby was due to perform the role of Viola at the premiere but was indisposed, so Thelma Fabian stepped in to dance the part.
The ballet was received well, with a Liverpool Evening Express review (19th May) noted the enthusiastic reception the ballet met with, and praised the costumes, the dancers and the orchestra. Reviews from the other performances were similarly positive, and once againt focused on the spectacle of the company’s productions. All the ballets added to the repertory in 1942 featured lavish designs, and it seems rather probable that as soon as Twelfth Night premiered, the company turned to preparing another new production.
Fate of the Royal Court: Still Exists!
Monday 25th-Saturday 30th May 1942: Theatre Royal, Newcastle, England
- Evenings, Monday 25th & Tuesday 26th: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
- Matinee, Wednesday 27th: Endymion, Twelfth Night, Fête Bohème
- Evening, Wednesday 27th: Amoras, Endymion, Fête Bohème, Planetomania
- Evening, Thursday 28th: Les Sylphides, Amoras, Planetomania
- Evening, Friday 29th: Twelfth Night, Planetomania
- Matinee, Saturday 30th: Les Sylphides, Amoras, Endymion, Dances from Fête Bohème
- Evening, Saturday 30th: Twelfth Night, Planetomania
Changes in the company roster can be seen through reviews, as a review of the Wednesday Evening programme (Northumberland Evening Chronicle, May 29th) notes the cast of Planetomania. While Nina Tarakanova was still dancing Venus, Leslie French danced Harold Turner’s scientist role, Joyce Graeme dancing the maid (the part originally danced by Inglesby), and Thelma Fabian danced the role of the Scientist’s Wife, originated by Ailne Phillips. Graeme dancing Inglesby’s role perhaps indicates that she was still indisposed. Mark Baring danced Adonis in Planetomania, but also the Devil in Amoras, which had been danced by Rovi Pavinoff when the ballet first entered the repertory.
Fate of the Theatre Royal: Still Exists!
Monday 1st-Saturday 13th June 1942: Grand Theatre, Leeds, England
- Evenings, Monday 1st & Tuesday 2nd: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
- Matinee, Tuesday 2nd: Fête Bohème, Endymion, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Wednesday 3rd: Amoras, Endymion, Dances from Fête Bohème, Planetomania
- Evening, Thursday 4th: Les Sylphides, Amoras, Planetomania
- Evenings, Friday 5th & Saturday 6th: Twelfth Night, Planetomania
- Matinee, Saturday 6th: Les Sylphides, Endymion, Amoras, Fête Bohème
- Evenings, Monday 8th & Thursday 11th: Fête Bohème, Twelfth Night
- Matinee, Tuesday 9th: Les Sylphides, Amoras, Endymion, Fête Bohème
- Evening, Tuesday 9th: Twelfth Night, Planetomania
- Evenings, Wednesday 10th & Friday 12th: Fête Bohème, Amoras, Endymion, Planetomania
- Matinee, Saturday 13th: Fête Bohème, Endymion, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Saturday 13th: Les Sylphides, Fête Bohème, Endymion, Planetomania
The new opening night programme was well-received, particularly Twelfth Night. Les Sylphides was very much a ballet everyone knew, and the reviewer for the Yorkshire Evening Post (2nd June) writes that it felt ‘a little flat’ in comparison with the lively Twelfth Night. The Yorkshire Post and Leeds Mercury (2nd June) praises Tarakanova’s Maria, Peter Garst’s Malvolio and Rex Reid’s Aguecheek, noting the latter was more-suited to that than the male lead in Les Sylphides.
The same review notes that Mona Inglesby had undergone a recent operation, and was still indisposed. They praise Thelma Fabian for stepping in, and are also complimentary towards Leeds-born Joyce Graeme. Fabian substituted for Inglesby in Les Sylphides as well, dancing alongside Anna Marinova and Nina Tarakanova.
Throughout the engagement reviews remained positive, and Inglesby had returned to performing by the Wednesday Evening of the first week. Highlighted artists included Joyce Graeme as Aurora in Endymion, Inglesby as the bride in Amoras and the maid in Planetomania, Leslie French as the scientist in Planetomania and Anne Negus and Nina Tarakanova in Fête Bohème.
Fate of the Grand Theatre: Still Exists!
Monday 15th-Saturday 20th June 1942: Winter Gardens, Morecambe, England
- Evening, Monday 15th: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night went down well in Morecambe, just as in Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool. The Lancashire Daily Post (Tuesday 16th) described Twelfth Night as a ‘charming contrast’ to Les Sylphides and praised Leslie French for ‘his humour and his vocal interpretations’.
Fate of the Winter Gardens: Still Exists, though is not being us as a theatre
Monday 22nd-Saturday 27th June 1942: New Theatre, Hull, England
- Evening, Monday 22nd: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
The Hull Daily Mail (23rd June) gave a glowing review of Twelfth Night, mentioning the performances of Raymond Farrell (Duke Orsino), Joyce Graeme (Olivia), Nina Tarakanova (Maria), Leslie French (Feste), John Healey (Toby Belch), Rex Reid (Andrew Aguecheek), Peter Garst (Malvolio), Mona Inglesby (Viola) and Anthony Dearden (Sebastian). They also mention the songs that French sung in the ballet – The Wind and the Rain; O, Mistress Mine; Come Away, Death and Hey Robin, jolly Robin.
Monday 29th June-Saturday 4th July 1942: Unknown
Monday 6th-Saturday 11th July 1942: King’s Theatre, Portsmouth, England
- Evenings, Monday 6th & Tuesday 7th: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Wednesday 8th: Amoras, Planetomania, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Thursday 9th: Les Sylphides, Amoras, Planetomania
- Evening, Friday 10th: Fête Bohème, Twelfth Night
This week (or the last, when the company’s whereabouts are unknown to me) marked the return of Harold Turner, who hadn’t actually been gone that long. During the week they performed matinees on Thursday and Saturday, but the bill for those performances and the Saturday evening performances are unknown.
Fate of the King’s Theatre: Still Exists!
Monday 13th-Saturday 18th July 1942: Wimbledon Theatre, London, England
It is perhaps worth pointing out here that though the Wimbledon Theatre is in London, is is not a West End theatre, so this engagement was not advertised as a London return for the company. The company would return to this venue in November, and Twelfth Night and Carnaval are advertised as ‘new’ ballets so must not have been performed in Wimbledon before.
Fate of the Wimbledon Theatre: Still Exists! (as the New Wimbledon Theatre)
Monday 20th-Saturday 25th July 1942: Unknown
Monday 27th July-Saturday 1st August 1942: Royal Hippodrome, Preston, England
- Evening, Monday 27th: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Tuesday 28th: Swan Lake Act II, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Wednesday 29th: Les Sylphides, Planetomania, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Matinee, Thursday 30th: Fête Bohème, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Thursday 30th: Fête Bohème, Swan Lake Act II, Planetomania
- Evening, Friday 31st: Amoras, Twelfth Night
- Matinee, Saturday 1st: Les Sylphides, Fête Bohème, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Saturday 1st: Swan Lake Act II, Twelfth Night
Fate of the Royal Hippodrome: Demolished in 1959
Monday 3rd-Saturday 8th August 1942: Stockport Hippodrome, England
- Evening, Monday 3rd & Tuesday 4th: Shakespeareana, Swan Lake Act II, Dances from Prince Igor, Fête Bohème
- Matinee, Wednesday 5th: Shakespeareana, Dances from Prince Igor, Aurora’s Wedding, Fête Bohème
- Evening, Wednesday 5th: Shakespeareana, Les Sylphides, Endymion, Amoras
- Evening, Thursday 6th: Shakespeareana, Aurora’s Wedding, Endymion, Fête Bohème
- Evening, Friday 7th: Shakespeareana, Les Sylphides, Dances from Prince Igor, Aurora’s Wedding
- Matinee, Saturday 8th: Shakespeareana, Les Sylphides, Endymion, Amoras
- Evening, Saturday 8th: Shakespeareana, Swan Lake Act II, Dances from Prince Igor, Fête Bohème
You may be thinking Shakespeareana was Twelfth Night, but a review in the Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser (Friday 7th) indicates it was actually French performing extracts from Shakespeare plays. This was featured at every one of the Stockport performances (the schedules for this engagement do not show the ballets in the order they would be performed, as advertisements did not give that information).
An article on Manchester-native Harold Turner in the same newspaper tells us two important things – one is that Turner was still on deferred service from the RAF, and the second is that he was preparing for a role he was to dance with the company for the first time. This role was Albrecht in Giselle.
Fate of the Hippodrome: Demolished in 1965
Monday 10th-Saturday 15th August 1942: Unknown
Monday 17th-Saturday 22nd August 1942: Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, England
- Evening, Monday 17th: Swan Lake Act II, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Tuesday 18th: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
- Matinee, Wednesday 19th: Les Sylphides, Dances from Fête Bohème, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Wednesday 19th: Amoras, Carnaval, Planetomania
- Evening, Thursday 20th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Friday 21st: Carnaval, Planetomania, Adam and Eve, Dances from Prince Igor
- Matinee, Saturday 22nd: Dances from Fête Bohème, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Saturday 22nd: Swan Lake Act II, Planetomania, Adam and Eve, Dances from Prince Igor
You may be wondering what on Earth Adam and Eve was, particularly as I had just mentioned Giselle. Adam and Eve was actually called Adam and Eve and Ferdinand, and had its premiere at Friday performance. The music for the ballet was by Ernest Irving, and starred Leslie French (Adam), Mona Inglesby (Eve) and Rex Reid (Ferdinand, the snake). A review in the Yorkshire Observer (Saturday 22nd) called the ballet ‘a rather childish business’, and said the piece ‘hovers uncertainly between ballet and mimed farce’. The Yorkshire Post (Saturday 22nd) was more post, but the review still wasn’t a glowing one. It names Inglesby as the composer, which is a mistake, but could perhaps have being trying to name her as the choreographer.
It seems this was the International Ballet’s first flop, and did not survive in the repertory. Information on the ballet is difficult to find, and when Geoffrey Handley-Taylor wrote a biography of Inglesby in 1947, this ballet was not mentioned once.
Fate of the Alhambra: Still Exists!
Monday 24th-Saturday 29th August 1942: Theatre Royal, Birmingham, England
- Evening, Monday 24th: Swan Lake Act II, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Tuesday 25th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Twelfth Night
- Matinee, Wednesday 26th: Amoras, Carnaval, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Wednesday 26th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Giselle
- Evening, Thursday 27th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Twelfth Night
Here is Giselle. A popular choice for a wartime production (as with Les Sylphides, a lot of the featured roles are female), it premiered at the Wednesday evening performance with Mona Inglesby and Harold Turner as Giselle and Albrecht. Anna Marinova danced Myrtha, the Queen of the Wilis. Doris Zinkeisen, who had done the designs for Planetomania and Twelfth Night, would design Giselle as well.
Nicholas Sergeyev staged the production for the company, based on the choreographic notations he brought with him when he left Russia in the late 1910s. These notations, which today make up past of the Sergeyev Collection, contain the choreography produced by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov for the Imperial Russian Ballet. In England he had already used them for productions by the Sadler’s Wells Ballet.
The production was praised across the board, but the staging by Sergeyev and the decor by Zinkeisen were particularly singled out. Mona Inglesby received merit for her acting skills, and Turner’s dancing was complimented.
The reviews of Twelfth Night were also quite positive, commending the mime work and the dancers, although the Birmingham Post (Tuesday 25th) does touch on the biggest complaint about the production, and that is that the plot of the play is too complicated to be mimed out efficiently.
Fate of the Theatre Royal: Demolished in 1956
Wednesday 2nd September-Saturday 3rd October 1942: His Majesty’s Theatre, London, England
- Evening, Wednesday 2nd: Swan Lake Act II, Twelfth Night, Dances from Prince Igor
The company returned to London for their second season, primed with a large repertory and a lot more experience. Their theatre this time was His Majesty’s Theatre, which is today best known for being home to The Phantom of the Opera since 1986.
The original cast of Twelfth Night reprised their roles for London, and the ballet met with a slightly more tepid reception. The Stage (Thursday 10th) suggested that the ballet could do with being a bit shorter as the choreography ‘does not always justify the leisurely presentation’. They also point out that it was too long to be presented with two other ballets, and that on the opening night 3 hours had passed and Dances from Prince Igor was still to be performed.
Reviews of the opening night were included in the Liverpool Daily Post (Thursday 3rd) and the Yorkshire Post (Friday 4th), both noting the same problem. Compliments were given all-round to the dancing, the decor, and the use of Grieg’s music, and are overall more positive than negative. The Liverpool review contains what I believe could be the mantra for the company – ‘Miss Inglesby does not do things by halves’.
Praise for the company remained consistent throughout their London performances, and it was deemed another success for the company. It was generally agreed upon by newspapers that the intention was to have the London seasons happen more frequently, especially now the company had proven themselves.
Fate of His Majesty’s: Still Exists!
Monday 12th-Saturday 17th October 1942: Sunderland Empire, England
- Evening, Monday 12th: Dances from Fête Boheme, Swan Lake Act II, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Tuesday 13th: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
- Matinee, Wednesday 14th: Unknown
- Evening, Wednesday 14th: Carnaval, Planetomania, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Thursday 15th: Planetomania, Carnaval, Les Sylphides
- Evening, Friday 16th: Twelfth Night, Dances from Aurora’s Wedding
- Matinee, Saturday 17th: Unknown
- Evening, Saturday 17th: Swan Lake Act II, Endymion, Planetomania, Dances from Prince Igor
Only a week after ending their London run the company set off again for another . For most of the company’s existence Julian Clifford had worked as their conductor, but George Weldon took over in Sunderland at short notice (according to the Sunderland Echo on Tuesday 13th). Weldon (1908-1963) was a graduate of the Royal College of Music who would be appointed Principal Conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra in 1943, and would later conduct for the Sadler’s Wells Ballet and work with the Hallé Orchestra.
Twelfth Night was received well, with a review in the Sunderland Echo (Wednesday 14th) saying the audience followed the piece, and called it a ‘beautifully staged production exquisitely performed’. The other ballets were received in the same manner, as was the orchestra. Planetomania was particularly singled out for praise, as were the performances of David Kernal (Pierrot), Harold Turner (Harlequin), Nina Tarakanova (Columbine) and Mona Inglesby (Paillon) in Carnaval.
Fate of the Empire: Still Exists!
Monday 19th-Saturday 31st October 1942: Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland
- Evening, Monday 19th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Giselle
- Evening, Tuesday 20th: Twelfth Night, Les Sylphides
- Matinee, Wednesday 21st: Twelfth Night, Carnaval
- Evening, Wednesday 21st: Dances from Fēte Bohème, Les Sylphides, Planetomania
- Evening, Thursday 22nd: Shakespeareana, Giselle, Endymion
- Evening, Friday 23rd: Carnaval, Fête Bohème, Shakespeareana, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Matinee, Saturday 24th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Endymion, Shakespeareana, Les Sylphides
- Evening, Saturday 24th: Swan Lake Act II, Planetomania, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
The company had returned to the theatre they gave their first ever performances in, now with a year and a half of experience and more ballets in their repertory. Shakespeareana was back, and looking at its placement on the bill suggests it was to give Leslie French more opportunities to perform at shows where he might not be doing as much. The length of the work seemed to be flexible, but would often involve several speeches and a song or two.
After George Weldon’s short notice week as conductor, Gideon Fagan (1904-1980) was brought in for this week. Fagan was also a Royal College of Music alumnus, who did a lot of work guest conducting.
Short review of the first week’s performances include reviews of Twelfth Night and Giselle, with Nina Tarakanova (Maria) earning the most praise for the former, and Inglesby had success in the titular role of the latter.
Fate of the Alhambra: Demolished in 1971
Monday 2nd-Saturday 7th November 1942: Leicester Royal Opera House, England
- Evening, Monday 2nd: Swan Lake Act II, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Tuesday 3rd: Twelfth Night, Les Sylphides
- Matinee, Wednesday 4th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Endymion, Shakespeareana, Les Sylphides
- Evening, Wednesday 4th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Giselle
- Evening, Thursday 5th: Unknown
- Evening, Friday 6th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Swan Lake Act II, Planetomania
- Matinee, Saturday 7th: Twelfth Night, Carnaval
- Evening, Saturday 7th: Swan Lake Act II, Endymion, Planetomania, Dances from Prince Igor
Leicester was celebrating British-Soviet Friendship Week at the beginning of November, and so the company’s connections with the Soviet Union were played up in newspapers. A positive review of Twelfth Night (reviewed in London) had been published in the Leicester Chronicle on the 31st October. This meant that the two biggest new ventures (Twelfth Night and Giselle) had received promotion before the company even arrived in the city.
Fate of the Opera House: Closed and demolished in 1960
Monday 9th-Saturday 14th November 1942: Unknown
Monday 16th-Saturday 21st November 1942: Wimbledon Theatre, London, England
- Evenings, Monday 16th & Thursday 19th: Fête Bohème, Giselle
- Evening, Tuesday 17th: Carnaval, Twelfth Night
- Evenings, Wednesday 18th & Saturday 21st: Swan Lake Act II, Planetomania, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Matinee, Thursday 19th: Carnaval, Fête Bohème, Shakespeareana, Les Sylphides
- Evening, Friday 20th & Matinee, Saturday 21st: Les Sylphides, Twelfth Night
Fate of the Wimbledon Theatre: Still Exists! (as the New Wimbledon Theatre)
Monday 23rd-Saturday 28th November 1942: Unknown
I cannot tell you where the International Ballet were performing this week, but I can tell you that on Wednesday 25th November one of their members was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. Anthony Wallis joined the company in 1942 after performing as an actor in Stratford-upon-Avon, and his roles had included Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night.
Wallis, who’s real name was Joseph Edward Van Denbulcke, was a conscientious objector, and had been ordered into non-combatant service after appearing before a tribunal court. He refused a medical examination, and it was on this charge that he was detained and sentenced. I cannot find records from early 1943, but by May he was back with the company, indicating his sentence was either reduced or was never carried out.
Monday 30th November-Saturday 5th December 1942: Sheffield Lyceum, England
Monday 7th-Saturday 12th December 1942: Bristol Hippodrome, England
- Evening, Monday 7th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Swan Lake Act II, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Evening, Tuesday 8th: Swan Lake Act II, Twelfth Night
- Matinee, Wednesday 9th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Shakespeareana, Les Sylphides, Carnaval
- Evening, Wednesday 9th: Twelfth Night, Les Sylphides
- Evening, Thursday 10th: Dances from Fête Bohème, Giselle
- Evening, Friday 11th: Carnaval, Planetomania, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
- Matinee, Saturday 12th: Carnaval, Twelfth Night
- Evening, Saturday 12th: Swan Lake Act II, Planetomania, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
Bristol prepared for the International Ballet by holding a series of lectures on the works they were to present. These lectures were given by Erik Chisholm, a Scottish composer. A report in the Western Daily Press and Bristol Mirror (Saturday 5th) details he spoke of Twelfth Night and Giselle, and also discussed the company’s connection to the Russian ballet tradition.
George Weldon was back conducting with the company this week, and when they arrived they were received well. The same newspaper as above (Tuesday 8th) singled out Turner, Inglesby and Tarakanova, as well as the musicians who played Endymion. The two violinists were Pierre Tas and a Miss Dyer, and a Mr Amadio played the flute. They also praise Weldon. Other ballets in the repertory were received well, and they describe the company playing to crowded audiences.
Fate of the Hippodrome: Still Exists!
Saturday 26th December 1942-Saturday 23rd January 1943: Piccadilly Theatre, London, England
- Matinee, Saturday 26th December: Twelfth Night, Les Sylphides
- Evening, Saturday 26th December: Fête Bohème, Swan Lake Act II, Shakespeareana, Endymion, Dances from Prince Igor
Another four-week London season began on Boxing Day, with the company bringing all the usual ballets. George Weldon also came with them to conduct. Their performances had actually began on Christmas Day, when in the evening they gave a special performance for soldiers of the Allied Armies. They performed Swan Lake Act II and Twelfth Night.
A report on the season in the Dundee Evening Telegraph (Thursday 21st January) indicates that playing to the forces continued, as the author of the piece writes that there were a lot of American soldiers in the audience. According to the writer the soldiers enjoyed the performances, at which Shakespeareana was one of the pieces on the bill.
Fate of the Piccadilly: Still Exists!
Secondary Sources
Eliot, K. (2008). Starved for Beauty: British Ballet and Public Morale during the Second World War. In Dance Chronicle, 31(2), pp. 175-210
Eliot, K. (2012). English in Flavor and Form: Mona Inglesby’s Choreography for the International Ballet. In Dance Chronicle, 35(1), pp.54-83
Handley-Taylor, G. (1947). Mona Inglesby: Ballerina and Choreographer. Vawser & Wiles.
Inglesby, M. & Hunter, K. (2008). Ballet in the Blitz: the history of a ballet company. Groundnut Books.
Madeleine's Stage 