Everything about J H Ryley totally explained
John Handford Ryley, (c.
1841 –
July 28 1922) was an
English singer and actor, best known for his performances in the comic
baritone roles of the
Savoy Operas with the
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, particularly in America. His second wife was D'Oyly Carte performer, actress and playwright Madeleine Lucette Ryley.
Life and career
Ryley appeared as Fernando in
Cattarina, a comic opera by
Robert Reece and
Frederic Clay, at the
Charing Cross Theatre in London in 1875, and as Captain Flint in
Alfred Cellier's
The Sultan of Mocha in Manchester in 1876. He was the original Zapeter in
W. S. Gilbert and Clay's
Princess Toto (and on tour in 1876), and Amen Squeak in Cellier's
Nell Gwynne in Manchester in late 1876.
Ryley joined the
Richard D'Oyly Carte's Comedy-Opera Company Ltd. in 1878, appearing as John Wellington Wells in the first provincial production of
The Sorcerer, and the Learned Judge in
Trial by Jury on the same bill. In September 1878, the company gave the first provincial tour of
H.M.S. Pinafore, with Ryley as Sir Joseph Porter. In October the company added
Congenial Souls, a one-act farce written by Riley using music by
Jacques Offenbach, to the program. This appears to be the only play written by Riley. Riley appeared in this curtain raiser as Adolphus Fitzbrown. In 1879, Ryley was chosen to play Sir Joseph in the first authentic American production of
Pinafore at
New York City's Fifth Avenue Theatre, which opened on
December 1 1879. On December 31 of that year, in the same theatre, he created the role of Major General Stanley in
The Pirates of Penzance and continued with the role in the U.S. tour until June 1880.
Ryley appearing in leading roles in all of the New York productions of the
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company until 1883. He was Captain Felix Flapper in
Billee Taylor (1881), Reginald Bunthorne in
Patience (1881-82), Blood Red Bill in
Edward Solomon's
Claude Duval (1882), Philip of Aragon and Don Jose de Mantilla
Les Manteaux Noirs (1882), Peter van Dunk in
Rip Van Winkle (1882, with
Selina Dolaro), and the Lord Chancellor in
Iolanthe and Mr. Cox in
Cox and Box (1882-83). He continued to appear in major
Gilbert and Sullivan productions in America after leaving the company. In 1884, he played King Gama in New York's first production of
Princess Ida at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. In 1885, he played Ko-Ko in
The Mikado at the Standard Theatre in New York and then in Chicago.
In 1887, Ryley starred in
Gasparone by
Karl Millöcker in
New York City at the Standard Theatre, together with
Lillian Russell and
Eugene Oudin. He also appeared with Russell in a tour that included
Iolanthe (as Lord Chancellor, 1887), and was Jack Point in
The Yeomen of the Guard in
Boston, Massachusetts in February 1889. Ryley continued to appear in New York and on tour in America during the 1890s.
He eventually returned to England, appearing in London on several occasions between 1900 and 1913. Among his London roles were Kit Barniger in
Mice and Men (1902 at the
Lyric Theatre, leased by
William Greet) and Josh Harmony in
Mrs. Grundy (
Scala Theatre, 1905), both plays by his second wife Madeleine Lucette (1868 - 1934).
Riley made two films later in his career (see below) and died at the age of 81, survived by Lucette.
Films
Ryley appeared on screen late in his career as the Gravedigger in a 1913 silent film version of
Hamlet, starring
Johnston Forbes-Robertson. His only other film credit was the 1916 mystery,
Who Killed Simon Baird?.
Further Information
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