SAVED THE "OLD VIC."

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1933, Page 8 (Supplement)

SAVED THE "OLD VIC."

PLAWBIGHJFS 3 DRATH.* i -J ; Sir George- .Dance, the - veteran; playwright and -.theatrical recently lat- his! home in the. Inner’ Circle, Regent’s Park.'He] was ?67,: years', of; age, and his had keen ;fani^. : fOT-atHn« time,-’. j ; Although Sir - Georges earlier.fam* came through his authorship of j many musical comedies’' arid songs,' his name will always t»;asw.dat»d; above everything! wgSv- the .pr^entetami-,ofrthe Old Vic,' says <the Daily Mail It was in 1922, when it looked * M though”this historic theatre would -have to be closed ’owing to the. lack qf money needed for drastic structural alterations, that Sir George-;then Mr. Dance— gave - .anonymously'; £30,000 in • memory;' of., the enjoyment he gct from the theatre as a boy. , ■ ’■ -.’•L Sir> George Dance’;was bpm in Note tingham, and;• it 'was there, .as a young clerk, that he wrote his first theatrical sketch for a local variety wrote-his first! music-hall song.;for* Miss Vesta Tilley, following it. up with numerous numbers which \bfecame popular all over the country. It was he who wrote a certain song, the tune of which so pleased Queen Victoria, that,- hearing it played at a garden party, she asked the title. '.. '.•■ ■ ■•_ , • There was considerable hesitation; before one bold guest ventured - the information: “The song is' entitled, ‘Come Where the Booze is Cheaper’.’ ” - Among the most successful stage pieces from Sir George’s pen were “The Nautch Girl,” “A Modem Don Quixote,” “The Lady Slavey,” and 7“A Chinese ■ Honeymoon.”’ The' last-named, play 'was?per* formed more than 1000. times successively at the Strand Theatre’ from. 1901. to 1904. ;C ' -j •?..< Later he .joined'. forces, with George Edwardes' in,.starting the system of;serxiing out first-class.tpur3ig..eomponies; into the previnoesi ' Some.<years .ago .Sir George was., reputed to . ’be a .millionaire. In the 'days when.- he was. siding. out theatrical .companies to Capada he kept a sum well exceeding . £50,000 .on deposit in that .country, alone.’..’ ..