The opening night of the St. Mary’s R.C. Boy’s School’s production of The Bohemian Girl took place on Wednesday 30 April 1952. Amongst the audience that evening was former St. Mary’s parishioner and pupil John Edward McDonald (pictured on the left). Born in Batley in 1893, and baptised at St. Mary’s, he was the cousin of Great Britain rugby league player Frank Gallagher.
Now living in Scout Hill, where he was the licensee of the Ravenswharfe Hotel, his previous Batley pubs included the New Inn and West End Hotel. He had served as a Labour Councillor in Dewsbury since 1941, and in 1951 became Mayor of Dewsbury, the first Catholic to hold that position since 1913-14, when the late Alderman John McCann – at that point the only other Catholic Mayor of Dewsbury – held the office.
Married at St. Mary’s in 1923, John Edward’s wife Margaret died on Christmas Day of 1938. He therefore chose his younger unmarried sister Nellie, also baptised at Batley St. Mary’s, to be his Mayoress. Despite their earlier St. Mary’s connections, the pair were now associated with the Dewsbury Catholic Church of St. Paulinus.
The Bohemian Girl was a romantic opera composed by Michael William Balfe, with libretto (script) by Alfred Bunn, first performed at London’s Drury Lane Theatre in November 1843.
The plot is based around an exiled Polish nobleman named Thaddeus who is hiding his identity by living amongst gypsies. He rescues Arline, the young daughter of an Austrian Count, from a deer attack. She is then kidnapped and raised by the gypsies, lead by Devilshoof, though she remains under the protection of Thaddeus.
Twelve years later the two have fallen in love, but are separated when Arline is reunited with her father. Her love for Thaddeus does not fade, and her father – on learning of Thaddeus’ noble credentials – eventually grants permission for their marriage. However Thaddeus is also the object of the desires of the Gypsy Queen, who plans to kill her young rival. The plot is foiled and Devilshoof kills the Gypsy Queen, leaving the couple free to marry.
In 1922 a silent movie version was made starring Ivor Novello, and in which Ellen Terry (later created a Dame for her professional achievements) made her last screen appearance.
However, the best-know film version was the 1936 comedic adaptation starring the iconic movie duo, Laurel and Hardy, the poster for which is shown on the right. Incidentally two of Stan Laurel’s cousins were Mayors of Dewsbury.
The colourful opera was therefore well-known in popular culture, as well as locally given Stan Laurel’s links to the area. It was a formidable task for the St. Mary’s schoolboys, whose average age was only nine. But they carried it off with great credit, putting on an admirable show.
Some of the cast are pictured on the left. The principals were John Breslin, Robert Travis, Alex Roper, Gerard Wilson, Terence Mann, Brian Pickering and Anthony Colleran. Others taking part were Peter Ashton, Colin Brannan, James Cafferty, Bernard Colleran, John Connor, Edward Colbeck, David Freeman, Willliam Firth, James Foley, Michael Grogan, David Housecroft, Biran Kilroy, Dennis King, Dennis Mann, Bernard Maloney, Terence Waterhouse, Roger Smith, George Allen, Peter Bentley, John Chadwick, John Elders, Michael Ellis, Bernard Finneran, Peter Heaton, Colin Glazebrook, Leonard Kelly, James Lloyd, Peter Lemon, Terence Morley, John McNamara, David Preston, Michael Phillips, Brian Roberts, John Sheard, Barry Sheridan, Terence Windle, John Woodhead and James Varley.
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