No 8 — November 1977 Edited by Michael Walters
Thumbing through the pages of Rollins & Witts' remarkable book on the D'Oyly Carte O.C. I was intrigued by the career of this actor. So many names who are no more than names flit through those pages. Some brief research revealed the following data on Fisher, which someone else may care to continue. According to the Dictionary of National Biography, David Fisher was the descendant of a very theatrical family. His father, David Fisher (?1816–1887) was born at East Dersham, Norfolk, and had a considerable career on the English stage in spite of a damaged leg. He died on 4 October 1887 at Camden Town and was buried in Highgate cemetery. The Era said that not a single actor attended his funeral. John Oxenford said of him that "he came to the Adelphi a second–rate eccentric comedian, and showed himself an able supporter of the serious drama." In 1850 he wrote a play called Music hath Charms and subsequently a few other plays, four in all. Fisher's grandfather, also called David Fisher (1788?–1858) was one of the managers of Suffolk Theatres, and was the son of yet another David Fisher (who died 6 August 1832). Fisher's grandfather was pronounced a sound actor but with no claim to genius. He created the roles of Titus in Howard Payne's Brutus, or the Fall of Tarquin (1818) and Angelo in Buck's Italians, or the Fatal Accusation (1819). He retired to Woodthorpe, where he died 20 August 1858. For some time after leaving school our David Fisher travelled with his father and ultimately followed in his footsteps. His first appearance was in Liverpool in the Alexandra pantomime of Robinson Cruesoe, in which he played the part of Friday. In the summer of 1870 he took the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh, in conjunction with Marie Rhodes, producing Formosa, Princess, Lancashire Lass, & other pieces; the short season was apparently "very successful". In 1873 he appeared in Paris at the Athenée Theatre with an English company, with which were associated Mr. Ryder, Mr. Swinburne, Charles Warner etc. In 1874 he joined Mrs. Hermann Vesin's "Cora" company, with which he remained until his first appearance in London at the Haymarket as Moses in The School for Scandal. After a provincial tour he returned to London and appeared with great success as Potain at the Globe in a new version of Cora. He was subsequently a member of Messrs Glover & Francis's resident company at Glasgow and Newcastle–upon–Tyne, leaving them in 1880 to join D'Oyly Carte's company. He joined the B company October 11, 1880, then still being called David Fisher Jr, playing General Stanley. The company became the C company on March 7th 1881, and the tour terminated on Dec. 17, 1881. Fisher next appears on April 10, 1882 in Mr. D'Oyly Carte's No 1 "Pirates" company still as David Fisher Jr. and still playing General Stanley. This tour finished on 16 December 1882, and from Christmas of that year to July 1883, a D'Oyly Carte company, which included David Fisher, toured in Rip van Winkle.
Fisher next appears on Dec 26th 1883, in "Mr. D'Oyly Carte's Pinafore & Pirates Company", a new company, which toured till Feb 2,1884 and was then disbanded. Fisher played Sir Joseph and Gen. Stanley, by this time he was no longer called "Jnr." He transferred to Mr. D'Oyly Carte's D (Princess Ida No 1) Company that began a long tour on Feb. 4, playing Gama. The previous tour finished Feb 2, in Exeter, and he opened (in a new role) on the 4th, in Glasgow! The tour ended Dec. 6th 1884. Presumably they rested over Christmas (a long Christmas break) and the D Company began touring again on Feb 23, 1885, with two operas, Trial/Sorcerer & Ida. Fisher played Wells & Gama. They broke from May 9th to July 27th and then began touring again, with Fisher playing Ko–Ko. This tour continued till June 19, 1886, but Fisher left the cast at the end of May and went on a tour of Germany with Mr. D'Oyly Carte's G (Continental) Company. They toured Pinafore & Mikado in Germany and Austria, Fisher playing Sir Joseph and Ko–Ko. The tour returned in January 1887 and Fisher was put into a short Mikado tour with the A Company from January 17th to February 26th, 1887 playing Ko–Ko. In March 1887 he joined the D Company who were touring Mikado and took over the role of Ko–Ko which he played till the end of the tour on April 2nd. The company went abroad on April 9th, to tour Germany, Austria and Holland with Patience and Mikado, Fisher again playing Ko–Ko, and a new role, Bunthorne. This tour returned to England on September 5. The company then continued to tour, but Fisher was not with them, (presumably due to the illness and death of his father) and did not rejoin till November 1888 when he joined the C Company to play Shadbolt (George Thorne was playing the Grossmith roles on this tour). This was the first provincial production of Yeomen, so Fisher was presumably the first to play Shadbolt outside London. The tour continued till December 1889 but Fisher died in May 25 of that year while the Company were in Bradford. The Era of 1 June 1889 said:
The theatrical profession and the public generally will hear with regret that Mr. David Fisher died at his lodgings in Seymour Street, Liverpool, last Saturday evening, after a comparatively brief illness. The primary cause of death was brain fever, which baffled the skill of the various medical men who were called to attend upon him in his illness. During the early part of the previous week Mr. Fisher sustained his old (sic) part of Shadbolt in The Yeomen of the Guard, at the Court Theatre, but he was compelled to give up on Wednesday evening in consequence of indisposition. The deceased, born in 1845, was the third son of the late Mr. David Fisher, an admirable musician and late actor, who was very well known in the city where his son has died after only a brief illness. … He was [first] seized with illness when playing in The Mikado [in Germany], but rapidly recovered and rejoined the company, only to succumb at last in the prime of life. Among his confréres his loss will be deeply mourned. His remains were interred at Anfield Cemetery, near Liverpool, on Tuesday afternoon, amongst the chief mourners being Mrs. Fisher, daughter and two sons, and Miss Fisher, sister. The representatives of the "Yeomen of the Guard" Company, who travelled from Leeds, were Mr. G. Thorne, Mr. F. Billington, Mr. H. D'Egville, Mr. C. Conyers, Mr. P.W. Halton and Mr. Herbert Brooke. Amongst the wreaths placed on the coffin one sent by the "Yeomen" Company.
Fisher played the following parts:– Gen. Stanley, Sir Joseph, King Gama, Mr. Wells, Ko–Ko, Bunthorne & Shadbolt. Apart from Robin Oakapple, the only major Grossmith role he never got a chance to play was the Lord Chancellor, and one wonders why. One likes to think that he would have played Jack Point had he lived longer, but George Thorne (reputedly a very great Point) was playing it during all of that final tour. Presumably his voice was never recorded. I would be interested in any further information anyone might have on this interesting man. MICHAEL WALTERS
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