Stage Production Notes
A new musical revue starring Beatrice Lillie and Walter Crisham.
Not to be confused with the later “light entertainment” program Better Late! starring Patricia Raine et al. which was broadcast on the BBC in November and December of 1958, or Better Late…, a review “puncturing the 'pundits and deflating the diehards” that aired in the summer of 1970.
In January 1946, it was announced that Beatrice Lillie and Walter Crisham would be starring in a new “nine o’clock revue” which was scheduled to open in the West End in March. It was the first production “of a new young firm, James Lavall, Leslie Julian Jones and Tony Wickham,” and also billed as the “first late-night post-war revue.”
Written by Leslie Julian Jones, along with Robert MacDermot, Diana Mogan, Nicholas Phipps, H.F. Ellis, with music by Jones and Geoffrey Wright, Better Late was billed as a “new revue” starring Beatrice Lillie and Walter Crisham.
The revue featured 27 “continuous items,” including the songs “At Your Service,” “Because,” “Out of This World,” “Paree,” a spoof of Lady Windermere’s Fan (or, as Lillie called it according biographer Bruce Laffey, “Lady Fandemere’s Wind”), the famous coloratura waltz from the comic opera Tom Jones, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” “Frankie and Johnnie,” “Where Do We Dream From Here,” and “Give My Love to London,” performed by Walter Crisham as a returned American soldier in New York.
Better Late first opened at the Pavilion in Bournemouth on March 26, 1946. A reviewer for The Stage noted “It is a really new revue, fast moving entertainment with a colourful international touch about it.”
The revue then played at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, and the Palace Theatre in Manchester in early April, 1946. In a review for The Stage, the critic noted “Beatrice Lillie as the scintillating star, provides excellent entertainment,” and that her artistry was “sure and delicate.” The reviewer also gave praise to Joan Winstead, Walter Crisham, and the “young and hard-working chorus.”
Better Late opened in the West End at The Garrick on April 24, 1946.
Initial reports had announced the revue would play at 9pm — as Ivor Brown noted in The Observer, “Dinner… took place at seven; then came the play.” However, the war “broke that timetable completely, and now there seems to be very little demand for a return to it.” A story published in The Stage in January also noted that “London does not seem ready for late plays…[even] 8.15 was considered too late a starting hour, with transport int is present condition.” As such, the revue was scheduled to play at 7pm, and as Brown remarked “though the title remains, the hour does not.”
The war had also impacted attendance at London theatres, and managers were struggling to find material that appealed to the masses. Better Late proved to be popular fare, and according to The Western Mail (Cardiff) within a month of the revue’s opening was taking in £3000 a week, which “smashed the theatre’s 58 years record.”
Critics felt tepid about the show overall, but Beatrice Lillie continued to receive rave reviews for her performance. Writing for The Observer, Ivor Brown stated the revue was “perhaps inevitably uneven, and some of it quite banal,” but “A personality as amazing as Miss Lillie’s gloriously animates all it touches and consequently dulls everything that it doesn’t.” A reviewer for The Stage noted “there are certain things in this show that are pointless, and meaningless. One finds oneself all the time longing for Beatrice Lillie to appear again.” The Western Morning News (Plymouth) enthused “She has the most astonishing ability for demolishing pretence and sentimentality,” and G.P., writing for The Guardian, described her as “incomparable,” and that “…there is only one fairy in the garden when Beatrice Lillie on the stage and an impishness that is all her own seems absolutely unimpaired.”
Walter Crisham also received positive notices, with Ivor Brown noting Crisham had “the capacity to sing perfectly the song of post-war sentiment which he would tear to pieces in his satiric mood.”
Princess Elizabeth’s visit to see the revue on May 12, 1946 warranted front page news. The Daily Telegraph reported that the Princess attended the revue “with a party of friends…[and] occupied seats in the stalls,” and “joined in a particularly warm welcome to Miss Lillie, who had been unable to appear at the matinee on Saturday… [due to] an attack of malaria.” The People reported that Lillie had received “an injection to allay the fever” and against the advice of her doctor, “determined not to disappoint her public, though very groggy went through with it.”
On June 20, 1946 an excerpt from Better Late was broadcast on radio via the BBC’s Home Service.
A little under a month later on July 15, 1946, Better Late was broadcast on BBC television, the first outside broadcast from a theatre post World War II (see Filmed Production Notes below). Variety later erroneously stated that it was the “first West End show to be televised” by the BBC. In July 1946, Variety reported that, despite a slight dip in attendance, the revue remained “very profitable.”
It seemed Lillie suffered from poor health during the run of Better Late. In August 10, 1946, The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington reported that Lillie had received a blood transfusion and was “in urgent need of rest and treatment because of the exacting work she was called upon to do in the revue.” Variety reported that September saw a “dive” in ticket sales due to Lillie’s “indisposition.”
Lillie didn’t only suffer ill health during the run of Better Late. On October 1, 1946, Lillie’s Park Lane flat was reportedly robbed whilst she was performing at the theatre. The thieves stole clothes and jewelry, valued at around £8,000 or $12,000. The theft included “an uncut sapphire” that had belonged to Lillie’s son, who had died during the war. According to various press reports, Lillie requested only the return of the sapphire.
As reported by The Stage, on September 24, 1946, Better Late celebrated its 200th performance. The article also noted that a new trio, “Heigh-Ho for Peace,” had been added to the show, and that Beatrice Lillie “nightly varies her songs.”
According to the call sheet published in The Stage, the revue played until the end of October, 1946.
A new musical revue starring Beatrice Lillie and Walter Crisham.
Not to be confused with the later “light entertainment” program Better Late! starring Patricia Raine et al. which was broadcast on the BBC in November and December of 1958, or Better Late…, a review “puncturing the 'pundits and deflating the diehards” that aired in the summer of 1970.
In January 1946, it was announced that Beatrice Lillie and Walter Crisham would be starring in a new “nine o’clock revue” which was scheduled to open in the West End in March. It was the first production “of a new young firm, James Lavall, Leslie Julian Jones and Tony Wickham,” and also billed as the “first late-night post-war revue.”
Written by Leslie Julian Jones, along with Robert MacDermot, Diana Mogan, Nicholas Phipps, H.F. Ellis, with music by Jones and Geoffrey Wright, Better Late was billed as a “new revue” starring Beatrice Lillie and Walter Crisham.
The revue featured 27 “continuous items,” including the songs “At Your Service,” “Because,” “Out of This World,” “Paree,” a spoof of Lady Windermere’s Fan (or, as Lillie called it according biographer Bruce Laffey, “Lady Fandemere’s Wind”), the famous coloratura waltz from the comic opera Tom Jones, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” “Frankie and Johnnie,” “Where Do We Dream From Here,” and “Give My Love to London,” performed by Walter Crisham as a returned American soldier in New York.
Better Late first opened at the Pavilion in Bournemouth on March 26, 1946. A reviewer for The Stage noted “It is a really new revue, fast moving entertainment with a colourful international touch about it.”
The revue then played at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, and the Palace Theatre in Manchester in early April, 1946. In a review for The Stage, the critic noted “Beatrice Lillie as the scintillating star, provides excellent entertainment,” and that her artistry was “sure and delicate.” The reviewer also gave praise to Joan Winstead, Walter Crisham, and the “young and hard-working chorus.”
Better Late opened in the West End at The Garrick on April 24, 1946.
Initial reports had announced the revue would play at 9pm — as Ivor Brown noted in The Observer, “Dinner… took place at seven; then came the play.” However, the war “broke that timetable completely, and now there seems to be very little demand for a return to it.” A story published in The Stage in January also noted that “London does not seem ready for late plays…[even] 8.15 was considered too late a starting hour, with transport int is present condition.” As such, the revue was scheduled to play at 7pm, and as Brown remarked “though the title remains, the hour does not.”
The war had also impacted attendance at London theatres, and managers were struggling to find material that appealed to the masses. Better Late proved to be popular fare, and according to The Western Mail (Cardiff) within a month of the revue’s opening was taking in £3000 a week, which “smashed the theatre’s 58 years record.”
Critics felt tepid about the show overall, but Beatrice Lillie continued to receive rave reviews for her performance. Writing for The Observer, Ivor Brown stated the revue was “perhaps inevitably uneven, and some of it quite banal,” but “A personality as amazing as Miss Lillie’s gloriously animates all it touches and consequently dulls everything that it doesn’t.” A reviewer for The Stage noted “there are certain things in this show that are pointless, and meaningless. One finds oneself all the time longing for Beatrice Lillie to appear again.” The Western Morning News (Plymouth) enthused “She has the most astonishing ability for demolishing pretence and sentimentality,” and G.P., writing for The Guardian, described her as “incomparable,” and that “…there is only one fairy in the garden when Beatrice Lillie on the stage and an impishness that is all her own seems absolutely unimpaired.”
Walter Crisham also received positive notices, with Ivor Brown noting Crisham had “the capacity to sing perfectly the song of post-war sentiment which he would tear to pieces in his satiric mood.”
Princess Elizabeth’s visit to see the revue on May 12, 1946 warranted front page news. The Daily Telegraph reported that the Princess attended the revue “with a party of friends…[and] occupied seats in the stalls,” and “joined in a particularly warm welcome to Miss Lillie, who had been unable to appear at the matinee on Saturday… [due to] an attack of malaria.” The People reported that Lillie had received “an injection to allay the fever” and against the advice of her doctor, “determined not to disappoint her public, though very groggy went through with it.”
On June 20, 1946 an excerpt from Better Late was broadcast on radio via the BBC’s Home Service.
A little under a month later on July 15, 1946, Better Late was broadcast on BBC television, the first outside broadcast from a theatre post World War II (see Filmed Production Notes below). Variety later erroneously stated that it was the “first West End show to be televised” by the BBC. In July 1946, Variety reported that, despite a slight dip in attendance, the revue remained “very profitable.”
It seemed Lillie suffered from poor health during the run of Better Late. In August 10, 1946, The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington reported that Lillie had received a blood transfusion and was “in urgent need of rest and treatment because of the exacting work she was called upon to do in the revue.” Variety reported that September saw a “dive” in ticket sales due to Lillie’s “indisposition.”
Lillie didn’t only suffer ill health during the run of Better Late. On October 1, 1946, Lillie’s Park Lane flat was reportedly robbed whilst she was performing at the theatre. The thieves stole clothes and jewelry, valued at around £8,000 or $12,000. The theft included “an uncut sapphire” that had belonged to Lillie’s son, who had died during the war. According to various press reports, Lillie requested only the return of the sapphire.
As reported by The Stage, on September 24, 1946, Better Late celebrated its 200th performance. The article also noted that a new trio, “Heigh-Ho for Peace,” had been added to the show, and that Beatrice Lillie “nightly varies her songs.”
According to the call sheet published in The Stage, the revue played until the end of October, 1946.
Filmed Production Notes
As noted in the Radio Times, Better Late was “televised direct from the Garrick Theatre, London” on July 15, 1946.
Much like the run of the revue, the broadcast was beset with problems. According to a report in The Stage, a cameraman “collapsed from exhaustion following two days of intensive preparation,” and a cable failure led to the “breakdown of two of the tree cameras almost as soon as the broadcast began.”
Given Beatrice Lillie’s fame, and the revue being the first post-war outside theatre broadcast, it is strange that there are no reviews of the program.
As television programs were not recorded at this time, Better Late is not available to view.
As noted in the Radio Times, Better Late was “televised direct from the Garrick Theatre, London” on July 15, 1946.
Much like the run of the revue, the broadcast was beset with problems. According to a report in The Stage, a cameraman “collapsed from exhaustion following two days of intensive preparation,” and a cable failure led to the “breakdown of two of the tree cameras almost as soon as the broadcast began.”
Given Beatrice Lillie’s fame, and the revue being the first post-war outside theatre broadcast, it is strange that there are no reviews of the program.
As television programs were not recorded at this time, Better Late is not available to view.
Better Late PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: The Garrick, London
Producer: Geo T. Smith, Norman Marshall, James Lavall, Leslie Julian Jones, Anthony Wickham
Book: Leslie Julian Jones, Robert MacDermot, Diana Mogan, Nicholas Phipps, H.F. Ellis
Music: Leslie Julian Jones and Geoffrey Wright
Director: Norman Marshall
Musical Director: John Prichett
Choreography: William Chappell
Scenic Design: Rolf Gérard
Costume Design: Robert St. John Roper
Cast:
Beatrice Lillie, Walter Crisham, Joan Swinstead, George Benson, Prudence Hyman, Virginia Winter, Kay Young, Bernard Hunter, Murray Matheson, Grant Tyler, Norman Hackforth
Theatre: The Garrick, London
Producer: Geo T. Smith, Norman Marshall, James Lavall, Leslie Julian Jones, Anthony Wickham
Book: Leslie Julian Jones, Robert MacDermot, Diana Mogan, Nicholas Phipps, H.F. Ellis
Music: Leslie Julian Jones and Geoffrey Wright
Director: Norman Marshall
Musical Director: John Prichett
Choreography: William Chappell
Scenic Design: Rolf Gérard
Costume Design: Robert St. John Roper
Cast:
Beatrice Lillie, Walter Crisham, Joan Swinstead, George Benson, Prudence Hyman, Virginia Winter, Kay Young, Bernard Hunter, Murray Matheson, Grant Tyler, Norman Hackforth
Sources
Books
Articles
- Bruce Laffey, Beatrice Lillie: The Funniest Woman in the World, Wynwood Press (1989)
Articles
- Associated Press, “‘Sporting Offer’ Made to Jewel Thieves,” The Decatur Daily Review (Oct 2, 1946), p.13
- Alan Bendle, “Theatre: Next Week,” Manchester Evening News (March 30, 1946), p.2
- Ivor Brown, “Theatre and Life,” The Observer (London), (April 14, 1946), p.2
- Ivor Brown, “Theatre and Life,” The Observer (London), (April 28, 1946), p.2
- G.P., “Manchester Stage and Screen: Opera House: “Better Late”,” The Guardian (April 3, 1946) p.3
- Harry Regensberg, “Big Fall Forecast for London Legit Despite Current Dip; Old Vic, Miller, Dreyfus, Littlers, Tennent Active,” Variety (July 10, 1946) p.17
- Daily Telegraph Reporter, “Princess Sees “Better Late”: Party in Stalls,” The Daily Telegraph (May 14, 1946) p.1
- Daily Telegraph Reporter, “Jewels Stolen from Lady Peel: Son’s Last Gift,” The Daily Telegraph (London), (Oct 1, 1946), p.5
- “Calls for Next Week,” The Stage (Oct 24, 1946), p.2
- Uncredited, “Chit Chat: Better Late,” The Stage (Jan 3, 1946), p.8
- Uncredited, “Chit Chat: “Better Late,” The Stage (Jan 31, 1946), p.4
- Uncredited, “Beatrice Lillie Revue,” The Stage (March 7, 1946), p.5
- Uncredited, “At Bournemouth: “Better Late”,” The Stage (March 28, 1946), p.5
- Uncredited, “In the Provinces: Manchester,” The Stage (April 4, 1946), p.9
- Uncredited, “Next Week’s Entertainments: Theatre Royal, Brighton,” West Sussex County Times (April 5, 1946), p.7
- Uncredited, “The Garrick: “Better Late”,” The Stage (May 2, 1946), p.7
- Uncredited, “Our London Letter: Miss Beatrice Lillie,” Western Morning News, Plymouth, (May 14, 1946) p.2
- Uncredited, “Emlyn Williams Returns,” Western Mail & South Wales News (Cardiff), (May 20, 1946), p.2
- Uncredited, “Thursday June 20: Home Service: Your Evening Listening,” Radio Times (July 14, 1946), p.14
- Uncredited, “Programmes: July 14 - 20,” Radio Times (July 12, 1946), p.25
- Uncredited, “Chit Chat,” The Stage (July 18, 1946), p.4
- Uncredited, “‘Merrie England’ Fades, Princes Shuttering; Delfont’s New ‘Noose’,” Variety (July 24, 1946) p.23
- Uncredited, “Chatter: London,” Variety (July 24, 1946), p.63
- Uncredited, “Beatrice Lillie Better: Had Blood Transfusion,” The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington), (Aug 10, 1946) p.10
- Uncredited, “London Legit Recovers,” Variety (Sept 4, 1946), p.19
- Uncredited, “Better Late,” The Stage (Sept 26, 1946), p.4
Written by Luisa Lyons (September, 2022)