RICHARD TEMPLE (OPERA SINGER)

'Richard Barker Cobb Temple' (March 2 1847–October 19 1912) was an English opera singer, actor and stage director, best known for his work in the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas.

Contents

Early opera career

D'Oyly Carte years

Journeyman actor and director

Later years

Recordings

Note

Reference

External links

Early opera career

Born in London, he performed as a singer and amateur actor, before making his professional stage debut at the Crystal Palace in May 1869 as Count Rodolpho in ''La Sonnambula''. He subsequently toured the provinces with opera and opera bouffe companies, playing the title role in Verdi's ''Rigoletto'', among others. In 1875, he directed, and appeared as Thomas Brown in, a production of Arthur Sullivan's ''The Zoo'' at the Philharmonic Theatre, Islington.

D'Oyly Carte years

In 1877 he was engaged to create the part of Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre in the first production of Gilbert and Sullivan's ''The Sorcerer'' at the Opera Comique. The following year, he created the role of Dick Deadeye in ''H.M.S. Pinafore''. During the original runs of ''The Sorcerer'' and ''Pinafore'', Temple also took parts in the short companion pieces that accompanied the longer works. He was Fred Fancourt in ''Dora's Dream'' (1877–1878), the title role in ''The Spectre Knight'' (1878), General Deelah in ''Cups and Saucers'' (1878–1879), and Selworthy in ''After All!'' (1878–1879).
Temple was the Pirate King in the first London production of ''The Pirates of Penzance'' (1880–1881). He next created the part of Colonel Calverley in ''Patience'' (Opera Comique, 1881), but left in September of that year, shortly before the opera transferred to the new Savoy Theatre. Temple returned to the Opera Comique where, from October–December 1881, he appeared as King Portico in a revival of Gilbert and Clay's ''Princess Toto''.
He returned to Gilbert and Sullivan, creating the role of Strephon in ''Iolanthe'' (1882–1884), the only Savoy Opera in which he was cast as the romantic hero. Next, he created the role of Arac in ''Princess Ida'' (1884) and revisited the role of Sir Marmaduke in the first revival of ''The Sorcerer'' (1884–1885). He then created his most celebrated role, the Mikado of Japan in ''The Mikado'' (1885–1887), and Sir Roderick Murgatroyd in ''Ruddigore'' (1887). After revivals of ''Pinafore'', ''Pirates'' and ''Mikado'', in which he repeated his original roles, Temple created his final role for Gilbert and Sullivan, Sergeant Meryll in ''The Yeomen of the Guard'' (1888–1889).

Journeyman actor and director

Temple did not have a part in the next Gilbert and Sullivan opera, ''The Gondoliers'' when it opened at the Savoy in December 1889, but in February 1890 he was one of the replacements rushed to New York for the restaging of ''The Gondoliers'' at Palmer's Theatre, taking the role of Giuseppe. In July 1890, he left the company again to pursue a directing career.
But Temple was back with a D'Oyly Carte touring company briefly the following year, touring as Pyjama in ''The Nautch Girl'' from October to December 1891. He then left again, making occasional appearances in London in ''L'Impresario'' (Olympic, 1892), ''The Golden Web'' (Lyric, 1893), ''Miami'' (Princess's, 1893), ''Morocco Bound'' (music by Osmond Carr) (Shaftesbury and Trafalgar, 1893-94), and ''Wapping Old Stairs'' (Vaudeville, 1894). He also directed matinees of ''Orpheus'' (Lyceum, 1892) and ''Genovena'' (Drury Lane, 1893), and produced the aforementioned ''Wapping Old Stairs''.
Temple returned to the Savoy in October 1894, replacing John Coates as Baron Van den Berg in ''Mirette''. In December, he created the part of Sancho in Sullivan and Burnand's ''The Chieftain'', and later that month played Sergeant Bouncer when ''Cox and Box'' was added to the bill. Temple left the D'Oyly Carte organization yet again in March 1895. In November of that year he produced a matinee of ''Dido and Aeneas'' at the Lyceum. He returned to the Savoy briefly in 1896 to give some performances in the title role for a revival of ''The Mikado'', and he also stage managed a production of ''Shamus O'Brien'' at the Opera Comique that year. He then appeared in the first revival of ''Yeomen'' in 1897. In December 1898 he filled in as Sir Marmaduke in ''The Sorcerer'', and in 1899 he was Dick Deadeye again for the third revival of ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' at the Savoy.

Later years

In October 1904, Temple appeared briefly on tour in two of his original roles—as Dick Deadeye in ''Pinafore'' and Strephon in ''Iolanthe''. In October 1908, he returned to the Savoy to give a few performances in place of Henry Lytton as Deadeye during the Second London Repertory Season. In March 1909, he played Sergeant Meryll in ''Yeomen''.
While he appeared on stage occasionally in his last years, Temple devoted himself primarily to recitals and to teaching. He taught primarily at The Royal College of Music where George Baker (record singer) met him. He directed many student productions with C. V. Stanford conducting, including ''Falstaff'', ''Dido and Aeneas'', and the famous production of ''Orfeo'' that featured Clara Butt.
Temple died in London at the age of 65. He is portrayed by Timothy Spall in the 1999 Mike Leigh film, ''Topsy-Turvy''.

Recordings

Temple also did some recording in 1902–03 for the Gramophone & Typewriter Company. His renditions of "A More Humane Mikado" and "O Better Far to Live and Die" appear on the Pearl CD, "The Art of the Savoyard" (GEMM CD 9991).

Note

Reference

★ The Gilbert & Sullivan Companion, , Leslie, Ayre, W.H. Allen & Co Ltd, 1972, Introduction by Martyn Green.

External links

★ Richard Temple at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte

★ Profile of Temple