Lily Elsie
| Anything But Merry! |
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Discover the extraordinary life of one of Edwardian England’s most celebrated and revered musical
comedy stars, Lily Elsie. From her childhood days in the music halls of Salford and her rise to fame as the
child singing star “Little Elsie” (hailed by press and public as “the infant Patti”, after the world famous opera
star Adelina Patti) to her arrival in London as a young woman with an almost reluctant desire to conquer the
West End stage, her ever-present mother urging her to make the most of every opportunity.
Her association with the most powerful theatre impresario of the time, George Edwardes, the father of the
musical comedy genre, with his innovative and lavish productions at The Gaiety and Daly’s Theatre. Her
friends included Gertie Millar, the most powerful and luminous of the “Gaiety Girls”, as well as Zena and
Phyllis Dare, Beatrice Edwardes and Marie Lloyd.
Elsie’s rise to fame as Sonia in Lehar’s The Merry Widow in 1907, produced by Edwardes at Daly’s
Theatre, was achieved in spite of her lack of confidence and overwhelming stage fright that would leave her
sick with nervous exhaustion and cause the press to accuse her of being “a part time actress” when she missed
performances. In spite of this she became the most celebrated actress of her time. Her image would endorse
everything from toothpaste to face creams; the costumes and hats she wore for The Merry Widow were
emulated everywhere. Retiring from the stage in 1911 to marry a handsome and wealthy husband, she enjoyed
a brief period of domestic harmony as Mrs Bullough. But it wasn’t to last.
The early signs of the paranoid neurosis and mental health problems which would overwhelm her in later years
were already in evidence. She mastered the art of being reclusive long before Garbo took up the mantle. Her
final years were spent in isolation, her personality eroded by her mental health problems. Elsie died alone in
1962, a tragic end to a life which had promised so much. In fact her life had been Anything But Merry from
the very beginning.
Copyright: David Slattery-Christy 2007. All rights reserved.
comedy stars, Lily Elsie. From her childhood days in the music halls of Salford and her rise to fame as the
child singing star “Little Elsie” (hailed by press and public as “the infant Patti”, after the world famous opera
star Adelina Patti) to her arrival in London as a young woman with an almost reluctant desire to conquer the
West End stage, her ever-present mother urging her to make the most of every opportunity.
Her association with the most powerful theatre impresario of the time, George Edwardes, the father of the
musical comedy genre, with his innovative and lavish productions at The Gaiety and Daly’s Theatre. Her
friends included Gertie Millar, the most powerful and luminous of the “Gaiety Girls”, as well as Zena and
Phyllis Dare, Beatrice Edwardes and Marie Lloyd.
Elsie’s rise to fame as Sonia in Lehar’s The Merry Widow in 1907, produced by Edwardes at Daly’s
Theatre, was achieved in spite of her lack of confidence and overwhelming stage fright that would leave her
sick with nervous exhaustion and cause the press to accuse her of being “a part time actress” when she missed
performances. In spite of this she became the most celebrated actress of her time. Her image would endorse
everything from toothpaste to face creams; the costumes and hats she wore for The Merry Widow were
emulated everywhere. Retiring from the stage in 1911 to marry a handsome and wealthy husband, she enjoyed
a brief period of domestic harmony as Mrs Bullough. But it wasn’t to last.
The early signs of the paranoid neurosis and mental health problems which would overwhelm her in later years
were already in evidence. She mastered the art of being reclusive long before Garbo took up the mantle. Her
final years were spent in isolation, her personality eroded by her mental health problems. Elsie died alone in
1962, a tragic end to a life which had promised so much. In fact her life had been Anything But Merry from
the very beginning.
Copyright: David Slattery-Christy 2007. All rights reserved.
| "It is unthinkable to see The Merry Widow without Lily Elsie..." Winston Churchill |
| "Lily Elsie wrapped the whole of my childhood in a haze of roses." Cecil Beaton |
| Anything But Merry! The life and times of Lily Elsie. By David Slattery-Christy NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK - £9.99 +pp HARDBACK EDITION - £14.99 + pp |
| Paperback only £9.99 + pp - Click here |
| Lily Elsie as Alice & Joseph Coyne as Harry Condor in The Dollar Princess, Daly's Theatre, London, 1909. |
Joseph Coyne who starred with Lily Elsie in
The Merry Widow and The Dollar Princess
The Merry Widow and The Dollar Princess
| Lily Elsie as Sonia in The Merry Widow, 1907 |
| Lily Elsie & Bertram Wallis in The Count Of Luxembourg, Daly's Theatre, 1911. |
| Lily Elsie in a popular post card image |
| Elsie's friend Gertie Millar |
The life and times of Lily Elsie...
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| Grateful thanks to Rob Sedman, Matthew Lloyd, John Culme, Daniel Creasey for their invaluable help and special thanks to my friend and editor Lynn Nortcliff. |
Paperback: £9.99 + pp
Hardback: £14.99 + pp
Hardback: £14.99 + pp