Cory James (1895-98)

Cory James was in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company chorus at the Savoy during the revival of The Mikado in July 1896. (It seems likely he was present for the November 1895 revival and the intervening production of The Grand Duke as well. See note below.) In the May 1897 revival of The Yeomen of the Guard he was initially the First Yeoman, but later that month took Leonard Meryll, which he played until August. In The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (December 1897-March 1898) he was Lt. Nierstein, and for the March 1898 revival of The Gondoliers he was Francesco. From May to July 1898 he played the Lord of Serault in The Beauty Stone, and when The Gondoliers was brought back in July he resumed Francesco. In August 1898 he filled in for a spell for Jones Hewson as Luiz. In the September 1898 revival of Trial by Jury and The Sorcerer, Cory James played the Defendant in the shorter work until December 1898 when he left the Company.

(Excerpts from "The Diaries of William Winckworth" published in The Savoyard, May 1972, make reference to a William James who was in the Savoy chorus in December 1895 and understudy to principal tenor Charles Kenningham. This is almost certainly Cory James by another name.)