Figure 1.--This photograph shows Maurice as Cinderella with her brother Montague as the Prince.
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Figure 1.--This photograph shows Maurice as Cinderella with her brother Montague as the Prince. |
Madame Pollock was quite active and produced a substantial number of dramatic performances. Information is available on several of Madame Pollock's productions, including the roles played by Maurice and his brothers. Maurice, from the age of 3 years, took part in his mother’s tableaux. The productions were billed as Madame Pollock's Juvenile Operas. Some of the most important were "Cinderella", "The Doll's Fairy", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Star of the East", "Costuime Recital", and "Little Lord Fauntleroy". The information we have begins with productions done beginning in 1895 when Maurice was about 10 years of age. We are not sure what part Maurice played in earlier productions.
Cinderella was areal family affair. It looks to have been produced about 1895. Martyn Pollock played an ugly sister. Montague Pollock played the Prince. A boy named Raphael Cerito, apparently a foreihn boy in London, played a Lord in Waiting. Maurice had at least two parts, the Doll's Fairy and the Chinese Dolly. I
Melanie’s next production was a juvenile ballet and opera titled “The Doll’s Fairy,” an adaptation of a popular German pantomimic ballet. This production featured Maurice as the female lead, “Marguerite of Monte Carlo.” As in this production and nearly all others, Melanie designed and sewed Maurice’s costumes, many of which were unique.
Marice's first female role came in 1897 as the princess in Sleeping Beauty. His biographer comments: “It is a remarkable fact that in spite of having numerous girls in her [acting] company, Madame nevertheless chose her youngest son for the part of the Beauty ....” The performance was a raving success, and as an advert for subsequent performances, Melanie placed photos of Maurice as Sleeping Beauty in the windows of fashionable photographers, and passersby were encouraged to identify the new young “actress”.
In early 1897 appeared Melanie’s next drama, “The Star of the East,” which featured Maurice as femme fatal Princess Zoë. [See photo.] This production had a cast of thirty and was rather an extravaganza. Reviewers were enthusiastic. The Birmingham Journal wrote of Maurice: “This youthful prodigy has been exciting a very considerable interest recently by his public performances. His impersonation of female characters is a masterpiece of histrionic art. The voice, mannerisms, and general deportment are so faithful as to make it difficult to believe that is it is really an impersonation.”
His mother’s next production, a “costume recital,” featured Maurice in nine different female roles, wearing some costumes from previous productions and several which were new. [See photos.] Again, reviewers were enthusiastic. One wrote, “When he appeared as the dashing Mademoiselle or Marguerite of Monte Carlo, it was almost impossible to imagine that he was a boy of twelve only, for he sang in a most pleasing manner, and his dancing was of the most graceful character. His costumes were beautifully designed, and could hardly been surpassed in elegance of style.”
In several productions, he performed male as well as female roles, and of the former, his portrayal of Cedrick in Little Lord Fauntleroy was the most outstanding. He played in larger venues than before, and from all accounts gave an excellent performance. This, was, however to be his last major role, as his voice, at age 14, was beginning to deepen with adolescence, and he went on to other pursuits. One source reports that Maurice was also the first English boy actor to play Little Lord Faunleroy. Cedric was usually played by a girl since it was much easier to find a girl who could both act and had the requisite long hair. If this was true there would have had to have been quite a number of girls who played Cedric as the play was performed for nearly a decade before Mauruce began playing the part. Little Lord Fauntleroy was first performed in London's Prince Albert Theater on February, 1888. Cedric was played by Vera Berringer. This was a pirated version. Maurice was 3 at the time. The second time, sanctioned by Mrs. Burnett, under the name of the real Little Lord Fauntleroy, opened in Boston in September of 1888. Cedric was played by Elsie Leslie, who was only 7 ywars old at the time. When the play moved to New York, the role was split between Elsie and Tommy Russel. Maurice didn't play the role until 1899 at age 14. He was the first English boy actor to play the part. All the previsious versions in England had cast girls in the part. In America, both boys and girls has played the part. Maurice at 14 was one of the older boys to play the part. One wonders why his mother had waited so long to produce Little Lord Fauntleroy and cast her son in the part.
Farrer, Peter. The Life of Maurice Pollack (1885-1918), a Birmingham Actor (Karn Publications: Garston, Liverpool, 1998). USBN 0951238574
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