Henry William LEONARD-HERBERT [10716]

  General Notes:

Henry was aged 29 at his marriage a batchelor and gentleman of 31 Westborne Park Rd.
He was of course Henry Herbert the celebrated Shakespearean actor and impresario of the time.

Folkestone Theatre.
Farewell Visit of the F.R. Benson North Company.
On July 1st Mr Henry Herbert and Miss Gladys Vanderzee with their brilliant company, sail for South Africa for a prolonged tour of the principal cities, and they will pay their farewell visit to Folkestone next week, when the theatre should be packed by admirers anxious to wish them a safe voyage, a successful tour, and a safe return. The company is, as usual, a very powerful one, and in addition to Mr Herbert and Miss Vanderzee includes such well-known names as John Cairns, Charles Warburton, H.S Cohen, Francis Roberts, Joseph O'Dowd, the Misses Berge Gordon, Olive Everest, Thea Johnson, Rosalind Gray, Brunhild Miller, Tugrit Miller, etc etc.
There will be new scenery and costumes, and the whole will be mounted on stage in artistic in convincing style. The programme for the week is as follows: Monday, "The Merry Wives of Windsor"; Tuesday "Twelfth Night"; Wednesday "Hamlet"; Thursday, "King Lear"; Friday, "A Midsummer Nights Dream"; Saturday, "The Taming of the Shrew". Matinees: Wednesday, "A Midsummer Nights Dream"; Saturday, "The Tempest". Seats are now being rapidly booked, so that it is advisable to pay the box office and early visit and secure the best positions.
Dover Express Friday, 9 June 1911.
Henry and Gladys appeared to be associated with the famous Shakespearean actor of the time Sir Francis Robert Benson.

The Week's Amusements.
Pleasure Gardens Theatre.
Monday, June 12 "The Merry Wives of Windsor"; Tuesday, "Twelfth Night"; Wednesday "Hamlet"; Thursday, "King Lear"; Friday, "A Midsummer Nights Dream"; Saturday, "The Taming of the Shrew";. Matinees; Wednesday, "A Midsummer Nights Dream"; Saturday, "The Tempest".
It will be seen by the above programme that the list of plays to be presented next week by the celebrated F R Benson North Shakespearean Company is a well chosen an interesting one. The versatile and brilliant Shakespearean actor, Mr Henry Herbert, will be seen in the leading characters, and he will be supported by Miss Gladys Vanderzee and a brilliant combination of over 30 artists.
On July 1 Mr Herbert, Miss Vanderzee, and the entire company will sail by the Castle Line for Cape Town, for a long tour in South Africa, and the opportunity should not be missed next week of wishing these clever actors and actresses "God speed".
The Benson companies, especially the North, are always heartily welcomed at the Pleasure Gardens, and we feel sure that the success achieved on previous visits will be repeated. The box office is now open, and the plans already show indications of big houses during the week. We advise our readers to book at once, in order to avoid disappointment.
The business management is in the hands of Mr P McLeod Foster who will also accompany the combination to South Africa.
Folkestone Hythe Sandgate and Sheraton Herald Saturday, 10 June 1911.

Shakespeare in South Africa
Shakespeare suffered along with the rest of the theatre, but there were bright spots. Henry Herbert and his wife Gladys Vanderzee arrived in the Cape in 1912 and gave a boost to classical theatre, playing in works such as She Stoops to Conquer, Macbeth, The Rivals, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Later, in 1921, Henry Herbert subjected Cape Town to a full-length Hamlet, which started at 6 pm and finished at midnight. According to Stopforth, "those who saw it vowed that it did not drag for a minute".
http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/Criticism/shakespearein/sa3.html

Henry married Gladys Rosalie VANDERZEE [9081] [MRIN: 3143], daughter of George Yorke VANDERZEE [3234] and Rosalie Zillah HOLT [9079], on 29 Jun 1907 in St Stephens Paddington London MDX. (Gladys Rosalie VANDERZEE [9081] was born Apr Qtr 1883 in Marylebone MDX, baptised on 20 Jul 1883 in Christ Church Hamptstead LND and died in Mar 1965 in Kensington Adelaide.)