Poster
1919 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Les Rouges et Noirs was formed by members of the British army serving in France during the First World War in response to a call from Lord Horne, Commander of the First Army, in 1917, for a touring concert party from among his troops. So-called because of the regimental colours of the First Army, the troupe entertained fellow soldiers in the trenches of France and Belgium. Not wanting an all-male revue, the troupe included a chorus of women played by soldiers, but the genuinely feminine appearance of the 'Beauty Chorus' meant that it did not come across as a drag show, but as a heterosexual concert party with an intriguing element. The revue title Splinters was chosen to describe the various sketches, songs and dances which made up their programme.
In December 1918 Les Rouges et Noirs was called by the War Office to appear in London and played a three-day engagement at the Canadian YMCA's Beaver Hut Theatre in London's Strand, followed by a Command Performance at Windsor Castle for George V and Queen Mary. The troupe returned to France in 1919, and after hostilities ended appeared in London's West End in June and August 1919 and toured new versions of the revue commercially throughout the British Isles until 1924.
In December 1918 Les Rouges et Noirs was called by the War Office to appear in London and played a three-day engagement at the Canadian YMCA's Beaver Hut Theatre in London's Strand, followed by a Command Performance at Windsor Castle for George V and Queen Mary. The troupe returned to France in 1919, and after hostilities ended appeared in London's West End in June and August 1919 and toured new versions of the revue commercially throughout the British Isles until 1924.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Printed paper |
| Brief description | Poster advertising the Revue Splinters presented by Les Rouges et Noirs, The First Army Show, at the Shakespeare Theatre Liverpool, for the week beginning Monday 9th June 1919. |
| Physical description | Typographic poster printed in red and blue letterpress on cream paper, advertising the revue Splinters, Shakespeare Theatre Liverpool, week beginning Monday 9th June 1919. SPLINTERS and QUALITY STREET (the following week's programme) in red uppercase lettering, with blue lettering for the other information, including: 'LEW LAKE presents THE FIRST ARMY SHOW KNOWN AS LES ROUGES ET NOIRS' 'An Entirely New Revusical Production From the Queen's Theatre, W.' The edges have suffered a few tears and areas of paper loss, especially along the top and bottom edges. The poster features the name of the lessee of the theatre W.W. Kelly, and the names of the cast in blue typeface - the men Eliot Makeham, Will B. Willby, Will Burns, Cecil Griffin, Harry Watson, Gordon Blackford, Victor Campbell, Jack Cottrell, Ernie Barrett, Alfred Grant, and the '? ladies' Vivian Taylor, Jack Hives, Jack Richards, Francis Vale, Roy Byng, Ernest Greene,Willie Gunn, Henri Harper, Stanley Bennett. The musical director was C. Gordon Blackford. At the bottom of the poster the next production Quality Street by J.M. Barrie is announced, presented by the Macdona Players presented by Charles Macdona. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs D.K. Richards |
| Association | |
| Summary | Les Rouges et Noirs was formed by members of the British army serving in France during the First World War in response to a call from Lord Horne, Commander of the First Army, in 1917, for a touring concert party from among his troops. So-called because of the regimental colours of the First Army, the troupe entertained fellow soldiers in the trenches of France and Belgium. Not wanting an all-male revue, the troupe included a chorus of women played by soldiers, but the genuinely feminine appearance of the 'Beauty Chorus' meant that it did not come across as a drag show, but as a heterosexual concert party with an intriguing element. The revue title Splinters was chosen to describe the various sketches, songs and dances which made up their programme. In December 1918 Les Rouges et Noirs was called by the War Office to appear in London and played a three-day engagement at the Canadian YMCA's Beaver Hut Theatre in London's Strand, followed by a Command Performance at Windsor Castle for George V and Queen Mary. The troupe returned to France in 1919, and after hostilities ended appeared in London's West End in June and August 1919 and toured new versions of the revue commercially throughout the British Isles until 1924. |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.89-2008 |
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| Record created | May 2, 2008 |
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