October 1912: Harry Lauder in Graham Moffat’s “Scrape ‘o the Pen”, at the Comedy Theatre, London

An article in the “LONDON CORRESPONDENCE 112 Fleet Street, Tuesday Night.” columns, on page nine of The Glasgow

Herald, on Wednesday the 30th of October, 1912, reads:

 

“HARRY LAUDER IN COMEDY.

 

For the sake of charities connected with

children’s hospitals Mr Harry Lauder

made his first appearance this afternoon

on the legitimate stage. I hope it will not

be his last, for his Geordie Pow in Mr Graham

Moffat’s ‘A Scrape o’ the Pen’ was a well-

conceived and consistently realised character.

Mr Lauder did not embroider the part with

gags and songs, but played it as ‘straight comedy’.

It was wonderful how he made much of the

character without in any way making it protrude

unduly from the ensemble. Mr Lauder is

evidently an actor of exceptional talent. It is no

easy matter for an artist accustomed to a solo

turn to adapt himself to the ensemble of a comedy.

Mr Lauder achieved this, and only a slight

nervousness in taking up cues and some want of

precision in giving them showed that he was not

accustomed to act with others.”

 

 

 

 

George Fairfull-Smith, May 2022.