Gaiety Girls facts for kids
Gaiety Girls were famous chorus girls who performed in popular musical shows in London. These shows started in the 1890s at the Gaiety Theatre, London, and were produced by George Edwardes. The Gaiety Girls were known for their beauty and elegant dancing. They helped make these musical comedies very popular. Unlike actresses from earlier London shows, Gaiety Girls were seen as respectable young ladies. Later, even the main stars of these shows were called Gaiety Girls.
Gaiety Girls: Stage Stars and Trendsetters
Fashion Icons of Their Time
Gaiety Girls were very important for fashion. An American newspaper, reviewing the show A Gaiety Girl in 1894, explained why they were so popular. The show featured "pretty girls, English humor, singing, dancing and bathing machines and dresses of the English fashion." The dancing was a big part of the show's appeal.
Many top London fashion designers created costumes for stage shows in the 1890s. Magazines loved to print photos of actresses wearing the newest stage outfits. This made the theatre a great way for clothing designers to show off their latest styles. Gaiety Girls became popular attractions and symbols of ideal womanhood.
George Edwardes even arranged for his girls to eat at Romano's Restaurant on the Strand for half price. This was good for the girls and made Romano's a popular spot in London's nightlife. Many Gaiety Girls became famous actresses, including Marie Studholme, Ellaline Terriss, Lily Elsie, Florence Collingbourne, Cicely Courtneidge, Gladys Cooper, Phyllis Dare, Zena Dare, Mabel Love, Evelyn Laye, Jennie McNulty, Gaby Deslys, Camille Clifford, Gabrielle Ray, Sylvia Grey and Constance Collier. One Gaiety Girl, Mabel Russell, even became a Member of Parliament, which is a person elected to represent people in government.
Stage Door Johnnies and High Society Marriages
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The young women in Edwardes's shows became so popular that wealthy gentlemen would wait outside the stage door. These men were called "Stage Door Johnnies." They hoped to ask the girls out for dinner. Sometimes, these relationships led to marriage into wealthy families or even noble families.
For example, May Gates, a chorus girl in The Beauty of Bath, married a nobleman from Norway, Baron Von Ditton. Another chorus girl from the same show, Sylvia Storey, married William Poulett, 7th Earl Poulett. Maudi Darrell and Lily Elsie both married the same wealthy Scotsman, Ian Bullough. Gertie Millar became the Countess of Dudley. Olive May married into noble families twice. First, she became Lady Victor Paget, and later the Countess of Drogheda.
These kinds of marriages became a common theme in stories, like those by P. G. Wodehouse. Alan Hyman, who wrote a book called The Gaiety Years, explained this trend. He said that the Gaiety Theatre's chorus became a way for girls to marry into noble families. This started in the 1890s when Connie Gilchrist, a star, married the 7th Earl of Orkney. Then, in 1901, the 4th Marquess of Headfort married Rosie Boote.
After Connie Gilchrist and Rosie Boote, many other Gaiety Girls married noblemen or wealthy men like bankers. Because so many of his stars were leaving to get married, George Edwardes started adding a "nuptial clause" (a marriage rule) to every contract. This trend was so strong that young women from upper-class families even tried to join the Gaiety chorus.
