King's Rhapsody - Production and Backstage Images, 1958
Title
King's Rhapsody - Production and Backstage Images, 1958
Date
17 March 1958
Description
Production and backstage images for Nottingham Operatic Society production of Ivor Novello musical King's Rhapsody.
What's the story?
King's Rhapsody is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall and was first produced at the Palace Theatre in London in September 1949.
These photographs from the 1958 production by Nottingham Operatic Society show the scale and cast of this production, plus a rather revealing dressing room image featuring Kathleen Davis, in costume in the role of Princess Christiane and an unknown member of the cast.
These photographs form part of a collection of Theatre Royal material that belonged to Kathleen Davis (nee Beales), 1922 to 2014.
During World War Two, Kathleen worked for a company, whose work included developing pictures taken of productions at the Theatre Royal. This sparked an interest in the Theatre Royal and performing in general.
She took singing lessons and joined the Nora Morrison School of Dance, which led her to becoming a member of Nottingham Operatic Society, who regularly performed at the Theatre Royal.
Kathleen became a leading light of the society, which led to offers to sing and perform in London and the possibility of a professional career. However, Kathleen, now having met her husband Louis through NOS, chose to remain in Nottingham.
Kathleen continued to sing locally, performing with other groups at Nottingham’s Co-Op theatre and in Beeston. In the mid-1970s, Kathleen was performing around the Midlands area enjoying singing in working men’s clubs.
We would like to thank Kathleen’s son, Glyn Davis, for loaning and donating the programmes, scrapbooks, photographs and other ephemera from his mother’s collection to the Theatre Royal archive.
We are also grateful to him for sharing some of his own Theatre Royal memories of standing in the wings as a little boy and watching his Mum perform on our stage.
These photographs from the 1958 production by Nottingham Operatic Society show the scale and cast of this production, plus a rather revealing dressing room image featuring Kathleen Davis, in costume in the role of Princess Christiane and an unknown member of the cast.
These photographs form part of a collection of Theatre Royal material that belonged to Kathleen Davis (nee Beales), 1922 to 2014.
During World War Two, Kathleen worked for a company, whose work included developing pictures taken of productions at the Theatre Royal. This sparked an interest in the Theatre Royal and performing in general.
She took singing lessons and joined the Nora Morrison School of Dance, which led her to becoming a member of Nottingham Operatic Society, who regularly performed at the Theatre Royal.
Kathleen became a leading light of the society, which led to offers to sing and perform in London and the possibility of a professional career. However, Kathleen, now having met her husband Louis through NOS, chose to remain in Nottingham.
Kathleen continued to sing locally, performing with other groups at Nottingham’s Co-Op theatre and in Beeston. In the mid-1970s, Kathleen was performing around the Midlands area enjoying singing in working men’s clubs.
We would like to thank Kathleen’s son, Glyn Davis, for loaning and donating the programmes, scrapbooks, photographs and other ephemera from his mother’s collection to the Theatre Royal archive.
We are also grateful to him for sharing some of his own Theatre Royal memories of standing in the wings as a little boy and watching his Mum perform on our stage.
Type
Photographs
Location of item
Private Collection - Glyn Davis / Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Private Collection - Glyn Davis / Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Researcher: David Longford
