Henry Wilson Savage (1859 – 1927) was an American theatrical manager and real estate entrepreneur.
Henry Wilson Savage | |
|---|---|
 Henry W. Savage in 1925 | |
| Born | March 21, 1859 |
| Died | November 29, 1927 (aged 68) |
| Occupation | Theatrical Manager |
| Years active | 1900 - 1925 |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse |
Alice Louise Batcheler
(m. 1989; death 1927) |
| Children | Two, John and Bettina |
Biography
editHenry Wilson Savage was born in New Durham, New Hampshire, on March 21, 1859.[1] He earned his degree from Harvard in 1880. In 1895, he was recognized as a wealthy real estate investor in Boston before he got involved with the theater. His initial foray into the theatrical field was in 1900.[2]
Savage was the first pioneer in performing Grand opera in English. He lavishly staged these productions, making each performance a grand spectacle for the viewer. Savage staged some of the most popular musical shows of the early 1900s, earning a second fortune. Before he stepped away from production in 1925, he was acknowledged with over 50 stage successes.[3]
He was the president of the Henry W. Savage Company, Inc., Castle Square Opera Company of Boston, and the Director of the National Association of Theatrical Producing Managers of America.[3]
Productions
editSavage's more notable productions include the following:
- The Sho-Gun
- The Prince of Pilsen
- The Girl of the Golden West
- The Merry Widow
- The College Widow
- The County Chairman
- The Chocolate Soldier
- Madama Butterfly (the first American performance in 1906)
- Little Boy Blue (1912)
- Somewhere Else (1913)
- Toot-Toot (1917) – featuring "The Last Long Mile"
- Everywoman (1913–14)
- Mr. Wu (1914)
- Lass O'Laughter starring Flora Le Breton in 1925, Savage's last production in New York
Death
editSavage died in Boston on November 29, 1927.[1] In the 1953 memoir Bring On the Girls! (by P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton), he is depicted as an "extraordinarily manipulative and money-grubbing entrepreneur."[4]
- Henry W. Savage produced musicals
-
Pom-Pom starring Mitzi Hajos 1916 -
"The Merry Widow" 1908 -
"Peggy from Paris" showgirls 1904. -
"The Florist Shop" Marion Lorne and Louise Drew 1909 -
Wagner's "Parsifal" Flower Maidens 1917
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References
edit- ^ a b "Henry W. Savage, Producer, is dead". The New York Times. New York, New York. November 30, 1927. p. 25. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via timesmachine.nytimes.com/.
- ^ McPherson, J. (Autumn 2002). "The Savage Innocents: Part I, King of the Castle: Henry W. Savage and the Castle Square Opera Company". The Opera Quarterly. 18 (4). Baltimore, Maryland: Oxford University Press: 503–533. doi:10.1093/oq/18.4.503. ISSN 1476-2870. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ a b "SAVAGE, Henry Wilson". Internet Archive. New York : Dodd, Mead. 1914. p. 492. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
New international encyclopedia
- ^ Wodehouse, P.G.; Bolton, G. (1997). Bring on the Girls!: The Improbable Story of Our Life in Musical Comedy, with Pictures to Prove it. Akadine Press. ISBN 978-1-888173-17-8. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
External links
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