May Leslie Stuart

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May Leslie Stuart
Head and shoulders of a woman with dark hair, wearing a draped dress and flat hat
May Leslie Stuart, photographed by Lallie Charles (c. 1910)
Born
Mary Catherine Barrett

1886
London, England, U.K.
Died20 June 1956(1956-06-20) (aged 69–70)
Richmond, London, England, U.K.
NationalityEnglish
OccupationActress, singer
Spouse(s)
Cecil Cameron
​
​
(m. 1911; div. 1916)​

James Mayhew
​
(m. 1917)​
Children1

May Leslie Stuart (born Mary Catherine Barrett, 1886 – 20 June 1956) was an English actress and singer in operetta and Edwardian musical comedy from 1909 to 1915. She also sang on the vaudeville circuit, performing with her father, British composer Leslie Stuart.

Early life[]

Stuart was born in London, the daughter of composer Leslie Stuart (born Thomas Augustine Barrett) and his wife, Katherine Mary Fox.[1][2] Her younger sister Constance ("Lola") married an American banker and, while living in Maine, taught a young George H. W. Bush to play tennis.[3] Her father's song "Sweetheart May" was written about Stuart when she was a girl.[1]

Head and shoulders of a woman with long dark hair, wearing a draped costume and an ivy wreath in her hair
Stuart, photographed by Lallie Charles, from a 1906 publication

Career[]

Stuart acted and sang on the London stage, with roles in Pinkie and the Fairies (1909),[4] Sunlight and Shadow (1910),[5] The Slim Princess (1910),[6] The Count of Luxembourg (1911), The Hope (1911), Delhi in The Crown of India (1912),[7] an adaptation of Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford (1913),[5] The Girl Next Door (1915),[8][9] Florodora (1915 revival)[10][11] and The Case of Lady Camber (1915). A reviewer mentioned her "brilliant" acting in creating the role of Lady Camber as a highlight of the last work.[12]

Stuart appeared in one British silent film, The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (1916).[13] She appeared on the vaudeville stage[14] and made some recordings as a singer in 1915, in both settings accompanied by her father on piano, and singing his songs.[15][16]

In 1910, she was the subject of a photograph in Lallie Charles' exhibit, "Five Hundred Fair Women".[17] Later in life, she wrote radio scripts and was an on-air presenter for the BBC.[1][18][19]

Personal life[]

In 1911, she married a fellow actor, Cecil Cameron, son of actress Violet Cameron.[20] They divorced in 1916.[21] She married again in 1917, to James Mayhew, a theatrical producer; they had a daughter, Mary.[1] Stuart died in 1956, in Richmond, London. Her obituary in Variety indicated that she was involved in theatrical production later in life.[22]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Lamb, Andrew (2002). Leslie Stuart: Composer of Florodora. Psychology Press. pp. 29, 36, 56–58. ISBN 9780415937474.
  2. ^ "Miss May Leslie Stuart, daughter of Mr. Leslie Stuart". The Sketch. 56: 58. 24 October 1906.
  3. ^ "Lola Stuart-Hine". Tampa Bay Times. 7 October 1988. p. 33. Retrieved 23 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Pinkie and the Fairies". The Observer. 19 December 1909. p. 6. Retrieved 23 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Wearing, J. P. (19 December 2013). The London Stage 1910-1919: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810893009.
  6. ^ Bull, George (6 March 1910). "Will Appear in Father's Play in America". Detroit Free Press. p. 52. Retrieved 22 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Untitled item". The Observer. 10 March 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 23 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.; The Stage year book. Robarts – University of Toronto. London Carson & Comerford. 1913. p. 140 – via Internet Archive.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link); and "Sir Edward Elgar's Masque". The Guardian. 12 March 1912. p. 14. Retrieved 22 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com. This performance was a one-day masque, with music by Edward Elgar, that marked the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India, for their coronation as Emperor and Empress of India.
  8. ^ The Stage Year Book. Robarts - University of Toronto. London Carson & Comerford. 1916. pp. 97.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ^ "Savoy Show Finally On". Variety: 4. October 1915 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ "Theatre Heritage Australia - Florodora". theatreheritage.org.au. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Florodora Reviva". The Observer. 21 February 1915. p. 11. Retrieved 23 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Well-Made Tragedy". The Guardian. 18 October 1915. p. 8. Retrieved 23 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Sir George Alexander Comes to Australia in the Pictures". Table Talk. 28 June 1917. pp. 18, 33. Retrieved 23 May 2019 – via Trove.
  14. ^ "British Composer, Leslie Stuart, Dies". The New York Times. 28 March 1928. p. 27 – via ProQuest.
  15. ^ "Florodora". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  16. ^ "Musical Comedy Composer Dies". The Daily Colonist. 8 April 1928. p. 36. Retrieved 22 May 2019 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ "Miss May Leslie Stuart, in the Exhibition of 'Five Hundred Fair Women'", The Playgoer and Society Illustrated (1910): 224.
  18. ^ "The Life of Leslie Stuart". The Radio Times. No. 1411. 24 November 1950. p. 18. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  19. ^ "A Leslie Stuart Programme". The Radio Times. No. 331. 31 January 1930. p. 48. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  20. ^ "A Drury Lane Romance". The Guardian. 7 October 1911. p. 8. Retrieved 23 May 2019 – via Newspapers.com.; and Who's who in the Theatre. Pitman. 1922. pp. 1002. May Leslie Stuart.
  21. ^ "Cecil Cameron Divorced". Variety. 14 July 1916. p. 4. Retrieved 22 May 2019 – via Internet Archive.
  22. ^ "May Leslie-Stuart". Variety. 27 June 1956. p. 63. Retrieved 22 May 2019 – via Internet Archive.

External links[]

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