THE D'OYLY CARTE OPERA COMPANY

W. G. Lennox

W. G. Lennox (1896-1902)

[Born Dundee, Scotland c.1868, died Plymouth, Devon 31 Dec 1936

William George Lennox joined D'Oyly Carte Opera Company "C" as tenor chorister and understudy in the Summer of 1896, filling in briefly in October as Prince Hilarion in Princess Ida. He then took part in the December 1896-June 1896 tour of South Africa. During that tour he appeared as Sir Bailey Barre in Utopia Limited, and is known to have gone on for Richard Clarke on occasion as Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, and Colonel Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard.

Upon his return he appeared with the same Company (then known as D'Oyly Carte Opera Company "B"), then transferred to D'Oyly Carte Opera Company "C" in August 1897. That autumn he occasionally sang the Counsel in Trial by Jury, Alexis in The Sorcerer, Fairfax in Yeomen, and Marco in The Gondoliers.

He remained with Company "C" until October 1902, appearing as Sir Bailey Barre in Utopia Limited (November 1897-March 1900), Prince Hilarion in Princess Ida (October 1898, January 1899-December 1900 and September 1901-October 1902), the Counsel in Trial and ,occasionally, Archibald Grosvenor in Patience (both September 1900), Henry in the companion piece The Outpost (late 1901), Leonard Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard and Annibale in The Gondoliers (both March-October 1902), and Marco in The Gondoliers (briefly, March 1902).

Little is known of his career beyond the D'Oyly Carte. A William Lennox did appear in London as a chorister in the musical comedy Kid Boots (Winter Garden, February-July 1926), and may well have been the same gentleman.

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