Emmie Owen

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Life and career

Owen was born in Bristol, where she made her theatrical debut at the age of eleven. Owen's life and career were cut tragically short.

Early career

In 1891, Owen joined D'Oyly Carte on tour in the small role of Cheetah in "The Nautch Girl". She left the company to appear in a Christmas pantomime in Birmingham, returning to tour with the company in 1892 as Cynthia in "The Vicar of Bray", Polly in the companion piece, "Captain Billy", and, late in the tour, as Nance in "Haddon Hall".

" replaced "The Chieftain" later in the tour, she added the role of Gianetta.

". In August she filled in briefly as Yum-Yum in "The Mikado".

Owen left the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company to appear as Suzanne in the musical comedy "Monte Carlo" in the fall of 1896, but then joined the D'Oyly Carte tour of South Africa (December 1896-June 1897), appearing as the title role in "Patience", Phyllis in "Iolanthe", Yum-Yum, Elsie Maynard in "The Yeomen of the Guard", Gianetta, and Nekaya. She returned to the Savoy in July and August 1897 to play Elsie during the first London revival of "Yeomen", then left the company again to play Anita in "La Perichole" in late 1897.

Later career and early death

At the Savoy in 1898, Owen sang Gianetta, created the role of Jacqueline in "The Beauty Stone", and played Constance in "The Sorcerer". In 1899, she created the role of Lazuli in "The Lucky Star" and sang Cousin Hebe in "H.M.S. Pinafore". She then created the role of Honey-of-Life in "The Rose of Persia" (1899-1900), before leaving the D'Oyly Carte organisation for good. She went back to playing in pantomime, appearing as principal girl in "Cinderella" at the Shakespeare Theatre, Clapham Junction (1900-01), before touring Australia and New Zealand with George Musgrove's company in pantomime and comic opera. On that tour she fell seriously ill.

She was able to return to England in 1902, but she never recovered, and she died in Crundale, Kent, at the age of only 33.

References

* [http://math.boisestate.edu/GaS/companions/curtain.doc Information about curtain raisers in which Owen appeared]
*cite book|last=Joseph|first=Tony|year=2005|title=Emmie Owen and Florence Perry: Maidenly Perfection (D'Oyly Carte Personalities)|location=London|publisher=Bunthorne Books ISBN 0-950-79927-0
*Murray, Roderic. "Emmie Owen" in "The Gaiety", Spring 2005 issue [http://www.geocities.com/the_gaiety/biblio.html]
*cite book|last=Ayre|first=Leslie|year=1972|title=The Gilbert & Sullivan Companion|location=London|publisher=W.H. Allen & Co Ltd Introduction by Martyn Green.
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/whowaswho/O/OwenEmmie.htm Emie Owen] at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte

External links

* [http://www.savoyoperas.org.uk/duke/gd1.html Page includes reviews of Owen's performance in "The Grand Duke"]
* [http://pinafore.www3.50megs.com/e-owen-p.html Photographs of Owen]
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/GaS/gallery/owen.html Photo of Owen and list of roles]
* [http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~melbear/hduke.htm Photo of Owen in "The Grand Duke"]
* [http://www.c20th.com/GSarchive.htm Lists programmes showing Owen in various roles]