The Starlight Express


The Starlight Express is a children's play by Violet Pearn, based on the imaginative novel A Prisoner in Fairyland by Algernon Blackwood, with songs and incidental music written by the English composer Sir Edward Elgar in 1915.

Production

On 9 November 1915, Sir Edward Elgar was invited by Robin Legge, music critic of The Daily Telegraph, to write the music for a children's fantasy play to be produced at the Kingsway Theatre that Christmas. The play was The Starlight Express, an adaptation of a novel by Algernon Blackwood called A Prisoner in Fairyland, by Blackwood and Violet Pearn. The baritone and composer Clive Carey had already started his own setting, but abandoned it when Elgar was commissioned.
The producer was to be Basil Dean: but since he had been called up for army service in France, he was replaced by the actress Lena Ashwell. Elgar was soon shown the script by Ashwell and had successful meetings with her and with Blackwood. The story appealed to Elgar because of its similarities to the private fantasy world of his own childhood which he had depicted in the music he wrote for "The Wand of Youth"; his first thought was to re-use that music, and he wove many reminiscences of it into the score. He worked on it enthusiastically, and in just over a month had produced over 300 pages of score – songs and incidental music – in time for the rehearsals. On 6 December the two chosen singers, the Australian-born soprano Clytie Hine and baritone Charles Mott, rehearsed with Elgar.
The Starlight Express was produced by Lena Ashwell at the Kingsway Theatre in London, as one of her high-quality wartime entertainments. The production was announced in The Times, mentioning that the small orchestra pit of the theatre would be enlarged to accommodate a full orchestra. It opened on 29 December 1915. The premiere was to have been the conducted by the composer, but because Lady Elgar had suffered concussion a few days before as the result of a traffic accident, he stayed at home with her, and the conductor was the young Julius Harrison. It ran for only one month, closing on 29 January 1916.
The reasons for the failure were inappropriate design of the characters and scenery by Henry Wilson, and the difficulty Pearn had in making something theatrical with her adaptation of the book. Both Blackwood and Elgar had expressed misgivings about the design, and Blackwood had considered using his right to object and get a new artist. Blackwood objected to "this murder of my simple little Play... Arts & Crafts pretentious rubbish stitched onto your music by a silly crank who has never read the play". Elgar agreed. This would have meant postponement of the opening. The critics who reported their view of the opening night, while praising the music and particular performers, remarked on the lack of substance to the story. The music did not deserve to be forgotten. Elgar negotiated with The Gramophone Company, and on 18 February 1916, the music was recorded on eight sides, with the songs performed by Agnes Nicholls and Charles Mott. Later that year the three Organ Grinder's Songs were published by Elkin, with a piano accompaniment arranged by Julius Harrison.

Cast of characters

Cast list:
;Act I
1. Organ Grinder : "To the Children" – "O children, open your arms to me,"
;Act II
2. Organ Grinder: "The Blue-Eyes Fairy" – "There's a fairy that hides"
;Act II Scene 1
3. Organ Grinder: "Curfew Song" – "The sun has gone"
4. Laugher : "The Laugher's Song" – "I'm ev'rywhere"
5. Organ Grinder: "Come Little Winds" – "Wake up you little night winds"
;Act II Scene 3
6. Laugher: "Tears and Laughter" – "Oh! stars shine brightly!"
7. Jane Anne : "Sunrise Song" – "We shall meet the morning spiders"
;Act III
8. Organ Grinder: "My Old Tunes" – "My old tunes are rather broken"
;Act III Scene 1
9. Jane Anne: – "Dandelions, daffodils"
;Act III Scene 2
10. Laugher: – "Laugh a little ev'ry day"
11. Organ Grinder: "The Dawn" – "They're all soft-shiny now"
12. Jane Anne: – "Oh, think Beauty"
;Act III Finale
13. Jane Anne & Cousin Henry, duet: "Hearts must be soft-shiny dressed" – "Dustman, Laugher, Tramp and busy Sweep"

Musical quotations

From Elgar's The Wand of Youth Suites
From Elgar's The Music Makers
From the Christmas Carol The First Nowell

Act I

After a short musical overture, the Organ grinder appears in front of the curtain and sings "To the Children". The Song includes self-quotations of "The Little Bells" music from "The Wand of Youth".
;Song
1. The Organ Grinder: "To the Children"

O children, open your arms to me,
Let your hair fall over my eyes;
Let me sleep a moment – and then awake
In your garden of sweet surprise !
For the grown up folk are a wearisome folk,
And they laugh all my fancies to scorn,
The grown up folk are a wearisome folk,
And they laugh all my fancies to scorn,
They laugh all my fancies to scorn.
O children, open your hearts to me,
And tell me your wonder thoughts,
Who lives in the palace inside your brain?
Who plays in its outer courts?
Who hides in the hours To-morrow holds?
Who sleeps in your Yesterdays?
Who tip-toes along past the curtained folds
Of the shadow that Twilight lays?
O children, open your eyes to me,
And tell me your visions too.
Who squeezes the sponge when the salt tears flow
To dim their magical blue?
Who brushes the fringe of their lace-veined lids?
Who trims their innocent light?
Who draws up the blinds when the sun peeps in?
Who fastens them down at night?
O children, I pray you speak low to me,
And cover my eyes with your hands.
O kiss me again till I sleep and dream
That I'm lost in your fairy-lands;
That I'm lost in your fairy-lands;
For the grown-up folk are a troublesome folk,
And the book of their childhood is torn!
Is blotted, and crumpled, and torn!

The music continues through the curtain rise on the first scene

Scene 1

The curtain rises on a family living in a pension in the mountains of Switzerland, showing grown-ups with problems which are first expressed unaccompanied by music: there is Daddy, Mother, the pension manager Widow Jequier with residents that do not pay, old Miss Waghorn always searching for her long-lost brother, and Cousin Henry. The children identify with star constellations: Jane Anne the Pleiades, Jimbo the Pole Star, and Monkey with the Great and Little Bear. Cousin Henry is Orion. The children are concerned that the adults who have become 'wumbled' need 'sympathy' in the form of star-dust.
There is incidental music but there are no songs in this act, which has only one scene.

Act II

Before the curtain opens, there is a short musical prelude, and the Organ Grinder sings the waltz-song "The Blue-Eyes Fairy".
;Song
2. The Organ Grinder: "The Blue-Eyes Fairy"

There's a fairy that hides in the beautiful eyes
Of the children who treat her well;
In the little round hole where the eyeball lies
She weaves her magical Spell.
She is awfully tiny and shy to the sight,
But her magic's past believing,
For she fills you with light and with laughter,
It's the spell of her own sweet weaving.
But! the eyes must be blue,
And the heart must be true,
And the child must be better than gold!
And then if you'll let her,
The quicker the better
She'll make you forget that you're old.
So, if such a child you should chance to see,
Or with such a child to play,
No matter how tired or dull you be,
Nor how many tons you weigh
You will suddenly find that you're young again,
And your movements light and airy
And you'll try to be solemn and stiff in vain-
It's the spell of the Blue-Eyes Fairy.''

The scene is concluded by an Entr’acte "In the Forest".

Scene 1

;Scene 1 – Part 1
The curtain rises during the Entr’acte music.
Cousin Henry, Monkey and Jimbo are outside the Star-Cave at the edge of a pine-forest. The cave is too narrow for them to enter. They fall asleep. The Sprites appear and Night falls. The Organ-Grinder sings the Curfew Song. The Sprites hide.
;Song
3. The Organ Grinder: "The Curfew Song"

The sun has gone;
The tide of stars is setting all our way,
The Pleiades call softly to Orion,
As nightly they have called these million years;
The children lie asleep; now let them out,
And, over-hearing,
We waft the fairy call into your dreams,
That you may swim upon that tide of gold
And list'ning in your hearts,
Just over-hear
That deep tremendous thunder
Signalling reply:
All's well!
Orion answering the Pleiades!

There is the Dance of the Pleiades as the curtain falls.
;Scene 1 – Part 2
The curtain rises. It is now night-time and the children are awake. The introduction includes a violin and harp duet, and the "Little Bells" music from "The Wand of Youth".
The Sprites descend from the Starlight Express: they are the Organ Grinder, the Sweep who sweeps worries away, the Dustman with the stardust of sympathy, the Lamplighter who lights up hope, the Head Gardener who makes things grow, the Tramp with instinctive simplicity, and the 'Laugher' who sings troubles into joy. The Woman-of-the-Haystack is the mother of them all, borne on the winds.
;Song
4. The Laugher: "I'm everywhere"

'
I'm everywhere,
The universal solvent of despair,
'
Ah! that sings away the half
Of ev'ry care because I laugh!
I laugh

;Song
5. The Organ Grinder: "Come Little Winds"

Wake up, you little Night Winds :
Blow your best !
We want you all -
Ha-ha! that's East and West,
The North Wind too,
She always blows the strongest:
You all must draw your deepest breath and longest,
With open mouth!
Now go and blow the Haystack out of bed!
Whistle her dreams of straw across the sky
And whirl her canvas skirts about her head -
You can but try!
Go, sweep her to'ards the Cave, and break her trance:
Thick Mother of the Sprites -
She must get in:
Even a Haystack's elephantine dance
Is somewhere thin!
Is somewhere thin!''

;Interlude
The "Sun Dance" and "Moths and Butterflies" music from the "Wand of Youth"

Scene 2

;Prelude
The prelude includes a quotation from the "Fairy Pipers" of "The Wand of Youth".
The Sprites enter the cave and scatter stardust on the sleeping villagers. The Dustman scatters the finest dust on the ancient Miss Waghorn, who rests from the search for her brother. The Lamplighter exits to tend "the fires that are going out round the world."

Scene 3

The Introduction while the curtain rises includes "Moths and Butterflies" from "The Wand of Youth".
;Song
6. The Laugher: "Tears and Laughter"

Oh! stars shine brightly!
He's sleeping tightly !
His pattern's pouring through!
Oh! Sprites come swiftly!
Unwumble deftly!
The world has need of you!
They'll listen to my song
And understand
That, exiled over long,
From Fairyland,
The weary world has rather lost its way!
Rather lost its way!
My secret's double,
For tears of trouble
Are really tears of laughter gone astray.

;Song
7. Soprano : "Dawn Song"

We shall meet the morning spiders,
The fairy cotton riders,
Each mounted, each mounted on a star's reflected ray.
With their tiny nets of feather.
They collect our thoughts together,
And on strips of windy weather bring the Day,
And on strips of windy weather bring the Day!

The curtain falls at the end of the scene.

Act III

After a short prelude which includes part of the "March" from "The Wand of Youth", The Organ Grinder sings "My Old Tunes".
;Song
8. The Organ Grinder: "My Old Tunes"

My old tunes are rather broken
And they come from far away,
Bring just a little token
Of a long-forgotten day;
When the children came to listen,
T'other side the garden fence,
And my heart leapt out of prison
At the gift – of seven pence!
Just beyond the Haystack's shadow,
Long ago, that leafy June,
How they danced about the meadow
At the rising of the moon!
While from out a railway carriage,
Standing ready and alight,
Stepped their guests as to a marriage -
Asked to dine – and stay the night!
Sweep and Laugher danced together,
And a man who had a lamp
Capered lightly as a feather
With a lazy-looking Tramp;
When a Voice disturbed the Lancers:
"Children, come, it's time for bed"
Railway carriage, Sprites and Dancers
Flew up to the stars instead!
Now I am a Constellation,
Free from ev'ry earthly care,
Playing nightly at my station
For the Big and Little Bear.
But my tunes are still entrancing
As that night in leafy June,
When I caught the children dancing
With the Sprites beneath the moon!
Still the children come to hear me
In the lane or dingy street;
Still the heavy pavement near me
Flutters to their happy feet;
For my tunes are ne'er forgotten,
And they bring the scent of musk:
Grown-up folk may call 'em rotten,
''But I'm looked for when it's dusk!

Scene 1

The curtain rises on Jane Anne.
;Song
9. Jane Anne: "Dandelions, daffodils"

Dandelions, daffodils,
Sheets of yaller roses,
Goldenrods and Marigolds,
Buttercups for posies!

The curtain closes for the Entr’acte which is the "Blue-Eyes Fairy" Waltz, and this is followed by the "Dance of the Pleiades".

Scene 2

The final scene is the Pine forest by night, before the Star Cave.
Madame Jequier rejoices because Cousin Henry has secretly paid all the debts of her pension. Daddy enters, speaking through the "Starlight" music:
;Song
10. The Laugher: "Laugh a little ev'ry day"

Laugh a little ev'ry day
At yourself, that is to say.
Plan it, seed it.
Millions want it.
Hark! Their dreams
Have split the seams.

;Song
11. Organ Grinder: "The Dawn"

They're all soft-shiny now
The time draws near;
Their hearts are dusted
And the path's swept clear!
The tide of stars is setting all one way,
Bring on the dawn – yet not the dawn of day!

Incidental music, including the "Dance of the Pleides" and "Fairy Pipers" from "The Wand of Youth".
;Song
12. Jane Anne: "Oh, think Beauty"

Oh, think Beauty,
It's your duty.
Ev'ry loving gentle thought
Of this fairy brilliance wrought.
While the busy Pleiades,
Sisters to the Hyades,
Seven by seven,
Across the Heaven.

Finale

The stone is rolled away from the Star-cave. The scene is brightened by the entrance of the Sprites, and the humans enter. The ghost of Miss Waghorn enters 'clothed in light'.
;Song
13. Jane Anne and Cousin Henry :
Jane Anne :

Dustman, Laugher, Tramp and busy Sweep,
Head Gardener too,
The world now waking from her heavy sleep
Has need of You!
Gypsy, Lampman, come! take of our best,
Our sweetest dust
And sow earth's little gardens of unrest
With joy and trust -
For ev'ry hour
A golden flower,
For ev'ry hour
A golden flower,
Love, Laughter, Courage, Hope, and all the

;Duet:
Jane Anne and Cousin Henry :

JA
CH




















The Star of Bethlehem rises while the melody of the Christmas carol "The First Nowell" merges into the music.

Contemporary Review

Review from the weekly magazine "Punch", 5 January 1916. The reviewer, the drama critic Joseph Thorp, used to sign himself "T".
Curiously, Clytie Hine, 'The Laugher', gets no mention. The Musical Times thought well of her.
The Starlight Express
Daddy.............. O. B. Clarence
Mother............. Ruth Maitland
Grannie............ Una O'Connor
Jimbo............... Ronald Hammond
Monkey............ Elsie Hall
Jane Anne........ Mercia Cameron
Cousin Henry.... Owen Roughwood
Mme Jequier..... Juliette Mylo
Miss Waghorn... Mary Barton
Tramp............... Charles Mott

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