Cigarette card for the week ending
Saturday, 15 July 2006
Florrie Robina (d. 1953)
English music hall singer and burlesque and pantomime actress
Florrie Robina in the title role of the pantomime, Robinson Crusoe,
a part that she played for the first time at the Metropole Theatre, Camberwell, Christmas, 1895
(photo: unknown, probably Hana, London, circa 1895/96)
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This real photograph cigarette card of Florrie Robina was issued in England about 1900 in one of Ogden's Guinea Gold series. Miss Robina was married on 7 March 1886 to T. Reed Pinaud of the celebrated Pinauds |
Florrie Robina at about the time she was appearing
at the Gaiety Theatre Company, London
(photo: London Stereoscopic Co Ltd, mid 1880s)
'Miss Florrie Robina's parents were famous in their day, and aptitude for the stage seems to be hereditary in some families. Her mother, Miss Mortimer, was one of the earliest exponents of high-class ballad music on the variety stage. At the early age of five Miss Florrie Robina was committed to the care of Miss Anderson, who used to travel with a troupe of girls; and her début took place at Hobson's, Leeds, being speedily followed by an appearance at Day's, Birmingham. Miss Robina sang the pathetic ballas popular at the time, but she identified herself particularly with "Teddy O'Neil" and "Esmeralda." Miss Anderson's troupe used to accept engagements to sing and dance at Cardiff and Swansea theatres, and the manager, the late Mr Andrew Melville, regarding Miss Florrie was a promising child, pressed her into service with Willie Carlyle in a performance of East Lynne, the Lady Isabel being Miss Robertha Erskine.
Some of Miss Robina's early triumphs were achieved at the Middlesex. She was taught dancing, notably the clog dance, but friends intervened, and assured Miss Robina's mistress that if her young charge were encouraged to dance in clogs at two or three halls nightly she would soon injure her voice, so that clog dancing was not persisted in.
Miss Fannie Robina joined the Anderson forces, which eventually became the Sisters Robina, and one or two coadjutors who assumed the name for the nonce. The Robinas were engaged in the pantomime of Robinson Crusoe at Drury-lane, in the season of 1882-3, and were re-engaged for the next season. Small parts were allotted to the girls, but Sir Augustus, then plain Mr. Harris, thought well of them, and was disposed to advance them, offering a re-engagement for a term of years. But there came a yet more gratifying overture, and Mr. John Hollingshead attached the sisters (Florrie and Fannie) to the Gaiety company. They remained therewith a year and a-half, spending part of the time at Manchester, whither the operations of Mr. Hollingshead had extended. During Miss Robina's earlier days upon the variety stage she was very popular in her Tyrolean exercises. One of her first successes was with a song entitled "Marguerite," written by Mr Felix M'Glennon. He strictly enjoined Miss Robina to make up like Miss Ellen Terry, in Faust, and to get appropriate scenic surroundings. The latter injunction had to be disobeyed, but Miss Robina visited the Lyceum and reproduced Miss Terry's costume as nearly as might be. The result was that when she appeared upon the stage there was a hush, and a whisper "Marguerite!" that instantly settled the fame of the song. The idea of condensing a drama in this way was repeated in "The English rose," which was written for Miss Robina at the time of the popularity of the play at the Adelphi. Since that time she has had many successes at the halls, her recent ones including "I'm going to have one too" and "Not in England." The first pantomime in which Miss Robina appeared was Red Riding Hood, at the Eden Theatre, Brighton, 1894-95, when she was principal girl, the character she represented being that of Miss Muffitt. Her first appearance as principal boy was with Mr J.B. Mullholland at the Metropole, Camberwell, where she played the part of Robinson Crusoe during the season of 1895-96. The following season, 1896-97, she played Selim, in Blue Beard at the Theatre Royal, Cardiff, then under the management of the late Mrs Fletcher, Miss Robina played Crusoe for the second time. During this engagement Mr Oswald Stoll saw her performance and booked her for three tours of all his theatres. She had many tempting offers for the season of 1898-99 to play principal boy, one being from the Shakespeare Theatre, Liverpool, and another from the late Mrs Lane, of the Britannia, but Miss Robina was already engaged to appear at three halls nightly in London, and as she herself says: "Pantomime is very hard work, especially when one puts one's heart and soul into it," and Miss Robina has never yet appeared in a pantomime that was a failure. On the contrary, each one in which she has taken part has been a pronounced success. Only a few weeks ago Miss Robina was offered a long season's engagement (a tour of forty-eight weeks) to play in burlesque in America, but her present engagements in London and the provinces prevent her from accepting.'
(The Era, London, Saturday, 28 October 1899, p.19c)
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© John Culme, 2006
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'Miss Florrie Robina's parents were famous in their day, and aptitude for the stage seems to be hereditary in some families. Her mother, Miss Mortimer, was one of the earliest exponents of high-class ballad music on the variety stage. At the early age of five Miss Florrie Robina was committed to the care of Miss Anderson, who used to travel with a troupe of girls; and her début took place at Hobson's, Leeds, being speedily followed by an appearance at Day's, Birmingham. Miss Robina sang the pathetic ballas popular at the time, but she identified herself particularly with "Teddy O'Neil" and "Esmeralda." Miss Anderson's troupe used to accept engagements to sing and dance at Cardiff and Swansea theatres, and the manager, the late Mr Andrew Melville, regarding Miss Florrie was a promising child, pressed her into service with Willie Carlyle in a performance of East Lynne, the Lady Isabel being Miss Robertha Erskine.
Some of Miss Robina's early triumphs were achieved at the Middlesex. She was taught dancing, notably the clog dance, but friends intervened, and assured Miss Robina's mistress that if her young charge were encouraged to dance in clogs at two or three halls nightly she would soon injure her voice, so that clog dancing was not persisted in.
Miss Fannie Robina joined the Anderson forces, which eventually became the Sisters Robina, and one or two coadjutors who assumed the name for the nonce. The Robinas were engaged in the pantomime of Robinson Crusoe at Drury-lane, in the season of 1882-3, and were re-engaged for the next season. Small parts were allotted to the girls, but Sir Augustus, then plain Mr. Harris, thought well of them, and was disposed to advance them, offering a re-engagement for a term of years. But there came a yet more gratifying overture, and Mr. John Hollingshead attached the sisters (Florrie and Fannie) to the Gaiety company. They remained therewith a year and a-half, spending part of the time at Manchester, whither the operations of Mr. Hollingshead had extended. During Miss Robina's earlier days upon the variety stage she was very popular in her Tyrolean exercises. One of her first successes was with a song entitled "Marguerite," written by Mr Felix M'Glennon. He strictly enjoined Miss Robina to make up like Miss Ellen Terry, in Faust, and to get appropriate scenic surroundings. The latter injunction had to be disobeyed, but Miss Robina visited the Lyceum and reproduced Miss Terry's costume as nearly as might be. The result was that when she appeared upon the stage there was a hush, and a whisper "Marguerite!" that instantly settled the fame of the song. The idea of condensing a drama in this way was repeated in "The English rose," which was written for Miss Robina at the time of the popularity of the play at the Adelphi. Since that time she has had many successes at the halls, her recent ones including "I'm going to have one too" and "Not in England." The first pantomime in which Miss Robina appeared was Red Riding Hood, at the Eden Theatre, Brighton, 1894-95, when she was principal girl, the character she represented being that of Miss Muffitt. Her first appearance as principal boy was with Mr J.B. Mullholland at the Metropole, Camberwell, where she played the part of Robinson Crusoe during the season of 1895-96. The following season, 1896-97, she played Selim, in Blue Beard at the Theatre Royal, Cardiff, then under the management of the late Mrs Fletcher, Miss Robina played Crusoe for the second time. During this engagement Mr Oswald Stoll saw her performance and booked her for three tours of all his theatres. She had many tempting offers for the season of 1898-99 to play principal boy, one being from the Shakespeare Theatre, Liverpool, and another from the late Mrs Lane, of the Britannia, but Miss Robina was already engaged to appear at three halls nightly in London, and as she herself says: "Pantomime is very hard work, especially when one puts one's heart and soul into it," and Miss Robina has never yet appeared in a pantomime that was a failure. On the contrary, each one in which she has taken part has been a pronounced success. Only a few weeks ago Miss Robina was offered a long season's engagement (a tour of forty-eight weeks) to play in burlesque in America, but her present engagements in London and the provinces prevent her from accepting.'
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© John Culme, 2006