Charles Courtice Pounds (30 May 1861Gänzl, Kurt. "Pounds of Pyes, or mea culpa No. 2", Kurt Gänzl's blog, 4 May 2018. Note that his birth registration is in central London in the third quarter of 1861 – 21 December 1927), better known by the stage name Courtice Pounds, was an English singer and actor known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and his later roles in Shakespeare plays and Edwardian musical comedies.
As a young member of D'Oyly Carte, Pounds played tenor leads in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas in New York and on tour in Britain and continental Europe from 1881 to 1887. After being promoted to principal tenor at the Savoy Theatre, he created the principal tenor roles in The Yeomen of the Guard (1888), The Gondoliers (1889), The Nautch Girl (1891) and Haddon Hall (1892), and played other principal roles.
After leaving D'Oyly Carte in 1895, Pounds became a prominent performer during the transition of musical theatre from comic opera to musical comedy, creating roles in the West End in both genres from the late 1890s to the 1920s. The operettas and musical comedies in which he starred included La poupée, The Duchess of Dantzic, The Belle of Mayfair, Princess Caprice, and the long-running hits Chu Chin Chow and Lilac Time. He also played in variety and was well received in comedy roles in Shakespeare plays during the same period.
Life and career
Early years
Pounds was born in Pimlico, London,Obituary, The Times, 22 December 1927, p. 17 the only son and eldest child of five, of Charles Pounds (1833–1903), a builder,"Pounds, Charles Courtice". Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 2 August 2010 and his wife Mary Ann Jane, née Curtice (1833–1877), a well-known singer. After his mother died, his father remarried and had four more sons.Lamb, Andrew. "Pounds, Charles Curtice (Courtice) (1861–1927), singer and actor", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 14 November 2019, accessed 9 June 2020 He was educated at St. Mark's College, Chelsea. Pounds was a choirboy at St. Saviour's church, Pimlico, and also sang at St. Stephen's church, Kensington, and the Italian Church, Hatton Garden. When his voice broke, he went to work for his father, but continued to study music.Obituary, The Manchester Guardian, 22 December 1927, p. 5 He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and returned to St. Stephen's as tenor soloist. He sang in variety at the Royal Aquarium theatre for six months while working as a builder.
D'Oyly Carte years Pounds joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1881 in the chorus of the original production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience, understudying the company's principal tenor, Durward Lely, for whom he went on in November 1881 at the new Savoy Theatre. The theatrical newspaper The Era, and The Morning Post both singled him out as "a young tenor of high promise.""Theatrical Gossip", The Era, 12 November 1881, p. 8; and "Theatrical Intelligence", The Morning Post, 14 November 1881, p. 6 He soon played the role of Mr. Wranglebury in the curtain raiser Mock Turtles.Walters, Michael and George Low. "Mock Turtles". The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, accessed 1 August 2010 Arthur Sullivan recognised Pounds's talent and persuaded him to remain with D'Oyly Carte rather than join Christy's Minstrels, from whom he had received an offer. At the end of 1882, Pounds began touring in Iolanthe in the leading tenor role of Earl Tolloller.Rollins and Witts, p. 48 In 1884, he toured as Prince Hilarion in the first provincial production of Princess Ida,Rollins and Witts, p. 53
In 1885 Pounds toured as the Defendant in Trial by Jury,Rollins and Witts, p. 57 a role he later played in numerous benefit performances in London and elsewhere.For example, Rutland Barrington's benefit performance at the Savoy Theatre in 1889. See "Theatrical Gossip", The Era, 11 May 1889, p. 10 He also toured in the role of Ralph in H.M.S. Pinafore.Stone, David. "Courtice Pounds". Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 27 March 2003, accessed 1 August 2010 Later that year, he travelled to New York to play Nanki-Poo, in D'Oyly Carte's first American production of The Mikado."The Drama in America", The Era, 13 February 1886, p. 18 After that, he toured in Germany and Austria as Nanki-Poo."The Mikado on the Continent", The Era, 5 June 1886, p. 8 In 1886, he returned to the Savoy to fill in for Lely for two weeks as Nanki-Poo, then rejoined the European touring company in Vienna."Theatrical Gossip", The Era, 21 August 1886, p. 7
In late 1886, Pounds joined the company of John Stetson, the American manager, playing Hilarion and Nanki-Poo in authorised productions in New York. The Era wrote, "Mr Courtice Pounds sang the part of Hilarion in a very nice voice, acted it in a very nice way, looked nice enough to capture all the girls' hearts and was a very nice young man altogether.""The Drama in America", The Era, 11 December 1886, p. 14 In 1887 he played Grosvenor in Patience in Boston. He then returned to England to rehearse Gilbert and Sullivan's new opera, Ruddygore, performing in two matinee performances as Richard Dauntless, before sailing for New York again to play Richard there."Theatrical Gossip", The Era, 12 February 1887, p. 8 Pounds stayed in New York to appear in Paul Lacome's The Marquis"The Drama in America", The Era, 13 August 1887, p. 8. This was an adaptation of Lacome's 1876 hit Jeanne, Jeannette et Jeanneton and Charles Lecocq's Madelon.Bordman, Gerald Martin. American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle, p. 104, Oxford University Press US, 2001 , accessed 1 August 2010
In May 1888, Pounds returned to London to create the part of Colonel Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard at the Savoy Theatre. His notices were excellent. The Times called him "a better actor and a better tenor than any of his predecessors."The Times, 4 October 1888, p. 11 The Era judged him "the most efficient tenor the Savoy has had … a pure tenor voice, artistic and pleasing … clever acting and a good stage appearance.""The New Savoy Opera", The Era, 6 October 1888, p. 9 The Observer called him "that rara avis, a tenor able to act.""At the Play", The Observer, 7 October 1888, p. 2 He created several more lead roles at the Savoy: Marco in The Gondoliers in 1889;Rollins and Witts, p. 12 Indru in The Nautch Girl in 1891;"The New Savoy Opera", The Era, 4 July 1891, p. 9 the Rev. Henry Sandford in The Vicar of Bray in 1892;"The Vicar of Bray", The Era, 30 January 1892, p. 11 and John Manners in Haddon Hall later that year."Haddon Hall," The Era, 1 October 1892, p. 6
Pounds left the D'Oyly Carte company in 1892. He appeared in another West End management, as Vincent in Ma mie Rosette, by Lacome and Ivan Caryll (1892)."Ma Mie Rosette", The Era, 19 November 1892, p. 6 In mid-1893, Pounds produced his own company touring an "operatic triple bill" in which he played roles in each piece: Harry Croyland in the operetta The Lass that Loved a Sailor, by Bond Andrews to a libretto by Neville Doone; Harry Hamper in the vaudeville The Burglar and the Bishop, by Wellesley Batson to a libretto by J. Jocelyn Coghill; and Charley Dacre in Helen of Troy Up to Date; or, The Statue Shop, by John Crook to a farcical, pantomimic libretto by Wilton Jones. He brought with him on this tour several D'Oyly Carte colleagues, including Pounds's romantic partner, Millicent Pyne."An Operatic Triple Bill", The Era, 27 May 1893, p. 11 Pounds returned to the West End as Ange Pitout in La fille de Madame Angot (1893);"Theatrical and Musical Intelligence", The Morning Post, 10 July 1893, p. 2 Connor Kennedy in Haydn Parry's Miami (1893);"The London Theatres", The Era, 21 October 1893, p. 8 and Mark Mainstay in Howard Talbot's Wapping Old Stairs (1894)."The London Theatres", The Era, 24 February 1894, p. 9
Returning to D'Oyly Carte in 1894, Pounds played Picorin in Mirette"Savoy Theatre", The Morning Post, 4 July 1894, p. 3 and created the role of Count Vasquez de Gonzago in The Chieftain late in 1894. The Morning Post described him in this role as "the jeune premier par excellence of the operatic stage.""Savoy Theatre", The Morning Post, 13 December 1894, p. 3. In 1895 he went on tour briefly with D'Oyly Carte as Picorin, Vasquez,"Liverpool Theatres", Liverpool Mercury, 28 May 1895, p. 6 and the Rev. Henry Sandford"Amusements in Manchester", The Era, 18 May 1895, p. 18 before leaving D'Oyly Carte again. He then travelled to Australia, appearing in the first half of 1896 with J. C. Williamson's opera company in Yeomen, The Gondoliers,"Amusements in Australia", The Era, 4 April 1896, p. 18 Miss Decima,"Amusements in Australia", The Era, 18 April 1896, p. 12 The Vicar of Bray and Ma Mie Rosette."Amusements in Adelaide", The Era, 20 June 1896, p. 22
Musicals, operetta and Shakespeare clowns In June 1896, Pounds returned to Britain. He toured as Mr. Shepherd in the musical comedy Belinda during the latter part of that year,"Amusements in Edinburgh", The Era, 7 November 1896, p. 20 and briefly played in music hall in January 1897, appearing at the Palace Theatre of Varieties."To-Night's Entertainments", The Pall Mall Gazette, 8 February 1897, p. 1 He also sang in concert at St. James's Hall with Marie Tempest and Ben Davies."Yesterday's Concerts", The Standard, 11 February 1897, p. 2 In February, Pounds returned to the West End, playing Lancelot in Edmond Audran's La Poupée, which ran until September 1898."To-Night's Entertainments", The Pall Mall Gazette, 3 September 1898, p. 1 Lancelot, a comic role, marked the beginning of Pounds's transition from juvenile leads to character and comedy parts in both straight and musical theatre.Gänzl, Kurt. "Pounds, Courtice", Grove Music Online, accessed 2 August 2010 This was succeeded by two more comic operas, both by Justin Clérice: The Royal Star, in which Pounds played Jack Horton,"Theatrical Gossip", The Era, 10 September 1898, p. 8 and The Coquette, in which he played Michele."The Coquette", The Era, 18 February 1899, p. 15
Pounds continued to perform in comic opera and operetta. In 1900 he starred in a revival of Dorothy.The Times, 14 February 1900, p. 4 In 1903 he took the title role in Hervé's opéra bouffe Chilpéric,The Times, 10 March 1903, p. 10 and in 1905 he starred in The Blue Moon. In 1912, he played the title role in Herbert Beerbohm Tree's production of Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underground.The Times, 11 January 1912, p. 9 In 1916 he appeared as Harry Benn in the premiere of Ethel Smyth's comic opera The Boatswain's Mate, described by The Manchester Guardian as "something of a triumph for Miss Rosina Buckman and Mr. Courtice Pounds as well as for Dr. Ethel Smyth."The Manchester Guardian, 29 January 1916, p. 8
In the first quarter of the 20th century, Pounds appeared regularly in London in a range of roles ranging from Shakespeare to variety. He established himself as a popular Shakespearean character actor with Tree's company, as the clown Feste in Twelfth Night (1901),The Times, 8 October 1901, p. 3 the preposterous Sir Hugh Evans in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Touchstone in As You Like It (1907), of which The Times said he "acts even better than he sings, which is, of course, saying a good deal."The Times, 8 October 1907, p. 6 The Manchester Guardian wrote of him, "Courtice Pounds had all that Shakespeare asked of his clowns – the gift of song and a robustness of comedy that could change at will to a tender and poignant moment."The Manchester Guardian, 22 December 1927, p. 8