The 1907-08 Tour Season

Despite my search over the years for early touring programmes of Peter Pan, I have not been able to locate programmes from several years including the 1907-08 through 1908-09 seasons. (And let us not forget the 1906-07 tour with Zena Dare; an elusive programme if ever there was one.) While there were two touring companies during the 1906-07 season (the other with Pauline Chase starting on February 25 and closing on May 11th), there was only one touring company per year until the 1913-14 season.

Most of the main company from the Duke of York’s Theatre production of 1907 were also on tour from February 23rd through May 9th (Consult Fifty Years of Peter Pan by Roger Lancelyn Green or my own book, Peter Pan On Stage and Screen 1904-2010, for cast lists of the London productions.) Here are the changes in the cast:

Mrs. Darling……….Madge Murray

Wendy………………..Ela Q. May (her second and final year as Wendy)

Slightly……………….Leslie Oswell

Tiger Lily……………Evelyn Stuart

“Of course it would be frightfully fascinating.”          Ela Q. May as Wendy, 1908

According to the appendix of Roger Lancelyn Green’s book, Leslie Oswald also played Slightly for part of the London run while Hilda Trevelyan played Wendy for a week in Manchester. Maude Love played Tiger Lily for part of the tour.

There is a strong probability that Violet Hollom, who played First Twin on tour and in London played Peter at least a couple of times. Wrote Andrew Cutmore, a descendent of  Hollom, “I have come across a newspaper article from December 1908 which suggests that Violet Hollom actually took over the lead role of Peter Pan for a few performances (though not sure actually where and when this would’ve been!?) Presumably this would’ve been due to Pauline Chase being ill !? So Violet must have been,at one point,Pauline’s understudy! I wonder if this can ever be 100% proved?”

Violet Hollom played First Twin in London and on tour during the 1907-08 season. It has been reported that she also played Peter at the Duke of York’s when Pauline Chase was out with illness. (Photo of Violet after she retired from stage courtesy of Kathleen Hollom)

The programmes from the period do not offer general listings of understudy but rather small inserts announcing the replacements. Has anyone a programme with the insert regarding Violet? Or perhaps someone crossed out Pauline Chases’s name and added it during that time? If so, please let us know; Katherine Hollom as well as Andrew Cutmore would be most appreciative. And of course, we fans of Pan love this trivia.