 MR CINDERS
Music by Vivian Ellis and Richard Myers
Libretto and Lyrics by Clifford Grey and Greatrex Newman
Additional Lyrics by Leo Robin and Vivian Ellis
Adelphi Theatre, London - 11 February, 1929
THE STORY
(The late 1920s)
In this very amusing inversion of the fairy story,
Jim is the down-trodden Cinderella figure. Living at Merton Chase he
is the adopted son of Sir George Lancaster and Lady Lancaster. She
has two sons, Lumley and Guy, from her previous marriage when she lived
at the neighbouring stately home, The Towers. The present owner of
The Towers is Henry Kemp, an American millionaire who has a pretty
daughter called Jill. To escape from the law in the shape of P.C. Merks
after a traffic offence, Jill pretends to be the new maid at Merton
Chase. Lumley gets friendly with Jill's cousin and companion, Minerva,
and Guy is similarly smitten with Phyllis Paterson. An invitation comes
from Jill's father for all at Merton Chase to attend a costume ball
at The Towers. Jim is not allowed to attend the ball but Jill, still
pretending to be the maid Sarah, persuades him to disguise himself
as the celebrated South American explorer, the Earl of Ditcham. The
day of the ball coincides with Jill's 21st birthday and on that day
she inherits the priceless Verity necklace. Lumley reveals, with the
help of a newspaper report, that the real Earl of Ditcham sailed for
South America that morning, so the disguised Jim is shown to be an
imposter. After Jill has announced that her necklace has been stolen
and it is discovered in Jim's pocket, things couldn't look blacker
for him. However, with Jill's help he escapes through a secret panel
and captures Smith the butler, the real thief of the necklace. P.C.
Merks comes later to Merton Chase looking for the owner of the hat
worn by the so-called Earl of Ditcham, who valiantly captured and trussed
up the thief. It is obviously nowhere near the right size for the heads
of Lumley or Guy or even Sir George, but it fits Jim perfectly. He
wins £1,000 reward
and when asked to return the necklace to Mr Kemp's daughter, Jim is astonished
to learn that the maid "Sarah" is really Al. With engagements
announced between Lumley and Minerva, between Guy and Phyllis, and of
course between Jim and Jill, all ends happily.
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