Alice Delysia

Alice Henriette Lapize, known professionally as Alice Delysia and occasionally as Elise Delisia, was born on 3 March 1889 in Paris, France, the daughter of sculptor Henri Lapize and Mathilde Douce. A cousin of French cyclist Octave Lapize, she received her education at the Convent des Sœurs de Nevers. Her stage career began in 1903 at the age of 14, when she joined the chorus for the French premiere of The Belle of New York at the Théâtre du Moulin Rouge. Over the following two years she performed in the choruses of the Variétés and the Folies Bergère, building early experience across several Parisian venues.

In 1905, Delysia traveled to New York as one of the French "Gibson Girls" in the musical The Catch of the Season at Daly's Theatre, a production that featured Edna May in the leading role. That Broadway appearance marked the beginning of a stage presence in New York that would extend, intermittently, through 1923. After her time in New York she relocated to London, where she continued performing until 1909, when she temporarily left the profession. During those years she lived with singer and songwriter Harry Fragson. Following their separation in 1912, she returned to Paris and resumed her career, appearing in productions including a French translation of The Quaker Girl.

Her trajectory changed decisively in 1913, when English impresario C. B. Cochran spotted her in a small role at the Olympia variety theatre in Paris. He engaged her at £6 per week to appear in London, and by 1914 had given her the starring role in his first revue, Odds and Ends, written by Harry Grattan and staged at the Ambassadors Theatre. The production attracted the attention of the Lord Chamberlain, who demanded changes to certain elements of the show, but it ultimately became a substantial success. The song "We don't want to lose you, but we think you ought to go" proved a particular hit for Delysia, and within two months of opening she had been invited to participate in a charity matinée attended by Queen Alexandra, alongside performers including Muriel Foster, Charles Hawtrey, and Oscar Asche. Her salary rose from £6 a week to £100 as her standing grew. Throughout the war years she also entertained wounded troops and took French refugees and orphans into her home.

Delysia continued her association with Cochran at the Ambassadors in two further revues: More in 1915, again written by Grattan, and Pell Mell in 1916, with a book by Fred Thompson and Morris Harvey. In 1916 she also made her film debut, taking a leading role in SHE, an adaptation of the Rider Haggard story. In 1917, Cochran moved his productions to the larger Prince of Wales Theatre and staged the operetta Carminetta, with music by Emile Lassailly, Herman Finck, and Herman Darewski and a libretto by André Barde and C. A. Carpentier. Delysia played the title role, described by The Observer as the passionate but prim daughter of Carmen and Don José. The production ran from 23 August 1917 to 23 March 1918, transferring to the Garrick Theatre for its final weeks. She followed that run with As You Were, composed by Herman Darewski and Edouard Mathe with a book and lyrics by Arthur Wimperis, which opened in August 1918 at the London Pavilion and ran for a year. The show was structured around Delysia, casting her in a succession of historical roles including Ninon de l'Enclos, Helen of Troy, Elizabeth I, Cleopatra, and Lucifer, the last of which again drew scrutiny from the Lord Chamberlain.

The first major postwar production for both Cochran and Delysia was the musical Afgar, written by Fred Thompson and Worton David with music by Charles Cuvillier. It opened at the Pavilion in September 1919, casting Delysia as Zaydee, a character who leads a harem strike resulting in general monogamy. The Times praised her performance as indefatigably energetic and full of life. After 300 performances in London, Delysia brought the production to New York, where it became one of her Broadway credits, and subsequently toured the United States. The period from 1919 to 1921 represented the height of her fame. Returning to London in 1922, she fell ill and was compelled to withdraw from the stage temporarily.

By 1924 Delysia was again starring in revues. In 1925 she appeared in On With the Dance in London, a production that contributed to establishing Noël Coward's reputation. Princess Charming followed in 1926. Through the later 1920s and into the 1930s she worked across both musical theatre and non-musical comic plays in London. Her Broadway appearances also included the revue Topics of 1923. During the Second World War she left the West End entirely and devoted her efforts to entertaining British and Allied troops, marrying an officer in the Free French Forces naval service. After the war she retired from performing and accompanied her diplomat husband on overseas postings. She returned to England in her final years and died on 10 February 1979.