Don't Dilly Dally

Cherry

By luigi_pagano

Mon, 18 May 2020
  • 788 reads
2 comments
 
 
I do regret the loss of the Empire.
Not the political construct where
one strong state dominates others
but the theatre in Leicester Square
in vogue during the Belle Epoque.
 
Vesta Tilley, Dan Leno, Marie Lloyd
were artistes who performed there
doing numbers humorous and gay
but innuendos were hard to avoid
within the lyrics of bawdy songs
 
like “Don't dilly dally on the way”
which was a line in “My Old Man”.
Because of that Marie had to miss
the Royal Command Performance
attended by the King and Queen.
 
The fabled Naughty Nineties was
considered to be a period of fun
but also laxity in sexual morals.
Ambiguity and double entendre
the theatrical puns of those days.
 
 
© Luigi Pagano 2020
Certificate U
Poem
Mutevoli pensieri
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by airyfairy on

I would love to have seen those old music hall stars.  It's hilarious, really, to think that Marie wasn't allowed to perform in front of royalty, when you think what royalty was up to in those days!  

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

She was banned by the impresario of the show to spare the royal blushes even though, as you rightly point out, royalty's hanky-panky was well known to take place. Royal family dysfunction is nothing new, love affairs seemed to be de rigeur. Queen Victoria's son Edward continued to have many affairs throughout his marriage. Actresses Sarah Bernhardt and Lillie Langtry, as well as Lady Randolph Churchill (Winston's mother) and Alice Keppel were among his many trysts.
Thanks very much for reading and commenting and of course for the lustrous cherries.

Luigi x