THE D'OYLY CARTE OPERA COMPANY

W. H. Kemble as Captain Rossiter in Monte Carlo

William H. Kemble (1884-95)

[Born Bayswater, London 17 Jan 1867, died Wandsworth, London 24 May 1908]

Part of a famous theatrical family, William Harold Kemble (nee Poole) played a variety of baritone roles over an eleven-year career with D'Oyly Carte Opera Companies. He was born to Fanny Poole, sister of D'Oyly Carte contralto Alice Barnett, and during his first four years with the Carte organization went by the name of Harold Poole.

Harold Poole began as a touring bass-baritone chorister and small part player with Mr. D'Oyly Carte's "D" Company, Carte's American Mikado and Ruddygore companies, and on Carte's First Continental tour between February 1884 and November 1887, and principal bass-baritone with Carte's "E" Company from December 1887 to May 1890.

With "D" Company his roles were the Foreman of the Jury in Trial by Jury (February-May 1885) and Go-To in The Mikado (September-November 1887). In America he was in the chorus of with Carte's First American Mikado Company (August 1885-May 1886) and (as a ghostly ancestor) in with Carte's First American Ruddygore Company (February-April 1887), then transferred to the Second Ruddygore Company in New England where he filled in for a time as Sir Despard Murgatroyd in April and May of that year. Between The Mikado and Ruddygore in America, Poole toured Germany and Austria as a chorister with Carte's First Continental Company (June 1886-January 1887).

He joined "E" Company in December 1887 as Bill Bobstay in H.M.S. Pinafore. When The Pirates of Penzance was added to the tour in April, he was the Pirate King, and when The Mikado joined in June he took the title role. Poole also filled in briefly for Lawrence Gridley as Dick Deadeye in Pinafore in May 1888. In November 1888 "E" Company took up The Yeomen of the Guard exclusively. It was at this point that he took up the stage name of William H. Kemble.

With Company "E," his roles were Sergeant Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard (November 1888-February 1890), the Mikado of Japan in The Mikado (April 1889-February 1890), and Giuseppe in the first provincial production of The Gondoliers (beginning in February 1890).

Kemble transferred to Company "B" in May 1890, replacing Edward Clowes as Giuseppe, then took up Sergeant Meryll again when Yeomen joined Gondoliers on the tour in December of that year. The Nautch Girl was added in December 1891, with Kemble as Baboo Curree. The Gondoliers and The Nautch Girl were replaced by The Vicar of Bray in July 1892, Kemble taking Tommy Merton in the new opera, as well as Sir George Vernon in Haddon Hall when the Grundy & Sullivan opera was added in November. Yeomen was dropped at the end of the year.

Company "B" began 1893 with The Vicar of Bray and Haddon Hall, but dropped The Vicar in April. In July Patience was added with Kemble playing Archibald Grosvenor. Both Patience and Haddon Hall gave way to the newest Savoy Opera, Utopia Limited, in February 1894. Utopia toured exclusively, with Kemble as Mr. Goldbury, until October when Patience was added, Kemble as Grosvenor again.

H.M.S. Pinafore was added to the tour in January 1895, with Kemble taking Captain Corcoran. Both Patience and Utopia were dropped in favor of The Chieftain in February, with Kemble as Ferdinand de Roxas in the revived Burnand & Sullivan work. The Mikado was added in April, and this time Kemble played Pooh-Bah. He also played Sergeant Bouncer when Cox and Box was added as a curtain-raiser in May, before leaving the D'Oyly Carte in July. Later that year he appeared on tour with George Edwardes' Company as Harold in Gilbert & Carr's "His Excellency".

Kemble later returned to London as Captain Rossiter in the musical comedy Monte Carlo (Avenue, 1896). Between 1900 and 1905 he appeared in many legitimate works, but no musical plays. His last role in London was King Phanor in a revival of W. S. Gilbert's fairy comedy The Palace of Truth (Great Queen Street Theatre, May-June 1905). It was produced by Gilbert himself.

William H. Kemble married fellow D'Oyly Carte artist Nancy Pounds in 1888. The marriage ended in divorce in 1907 and Kemble died a year later at age forty-one.

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