Sonnie Hale made his first real personal hit in the London Theatre world in 1924, when he was cast as supporting principal in the highly successful revue "The Punch Bowl", which ran for over a year at the Duke of York's Theatre. With each new 'mixture' of the revue (it was ultimately relaunched four times with fresh material in each), his visibility and responsibilities increased, until he was not only singing, dancing, taking the role of "Punch" in the Punch-and-Judy ballet and performing in innumerable assorted sketches, but also choreographing the chorus. The production took a slightly surreal turn when his father, revue veteran Robert Hale, was brought in to replace the principal comedian Alfred Lester in spring 1925 — with Sonnie not only taking over Lester's roles in the interim, but then finding himself in the position of coaching his own father for the latest 'mixture'...
Below is a small selection of the coverage of events in this production from the contemporary Press: see also Sonnie's own column of 26 April 1925 for The People on the subject of "Bringing Up Father"!
The People, Sun May 25, 1924 (p4)
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By THE HONEST CRITIC
[PHOTO: Sonnie Hale, clever son of a brilliant father, in “The Punch Bowl.”]
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— Directly the curtain fell on the first night of “The Punch Bowl,” a crowd of gallery girls, after shouting themselves hoarse, rushed round to meet Evelyn Laye outside the stage door of “Madame Pompadour.” They carried to her the glad tidings that Sonnie Hale had scored the great success of the evening.
Evelyn Laye and Sonnie Hale are not “engaged”—Miss Laye usually denies it when she is asked—but they are constant companions, and it is, in fact, a boy and girl friendship, now grown up. Thus does Romance wander through our streets.
— Sonnie Hale, who is not yet twenty[sic], made his first[sic] stage appearance in “Little Nelly Kelly.” A son of Robert Hale, and a brother of Binnie, who went on the stage as a chorus girl against her father’s will—Evelyn Laye ran away from home, went on the stage against the will of her father, once an actor—he promises to be a very big revue artiste one day.
As Clown in the ballet which forms the most artistic part of”The Punch Bowl,” he mimed with real artistry; and pantomime is the most difficult form of acting. As yet he is unspoiled, and, if he remains so, he will go a long way.
Robert Hale was in front, delighted.
“Why do my children go on the stage?” he always asks.
But they always do.
— Archie de Bear, who produced “The Punch Bowl” and wrote a Barriesque part of it, has got the brightest revue seen in London for months.
“It is the best revue I have ever seen in England,” said Archie Selwyn, the great American theatrical manager, as he walked out. And a good many people in the audience seemed to think the same thing. Alfred Lester and Billy Leonard were very good; and Hermione Baddeley, making her first appearance in revue, was a very welcome newcomer.
The arrangement of the ballet in “Punch and Judy Up-to-Date” was the special triumph of Herbert Mason, who, once the stage manager for Pelissier’s “Follies,” plunged into the war so speedily that I have heard a General call him “the bravest man in the war.”
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The People, Oct 12 1924 (p4)
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Young Sonnie Hale became a star last week. When Billy Leonard left the cast of “The Punch Bowl” last Monday, young Sonnie was promoted to his place. Not long ago he was in the male chorus of “London, Paris and New York”[sic]; after a minor part in “Little Nelly Kely,” he joined “The Punch Bowl” company. By sheer hard work, he so improved his natural ability that he became better every week; and now, the clever son of a brilliant father, his name is twice as big on the bills as it was a week ago, and he has received a big increase in his salary. And he is so modest still that when offered a bigger part he replied: “Do you mind if I ask mother and dad?”
Even when an injured foot was strapped up by Sir Alfred Fripp, so that young Hale could go to the theatre, he did one of his dances, when most actors would have been in bed. More than that, he played Billy Leonard’s part of Punch, Gwen Farrar deputising suddenly for him as the Clown with such success that she is now playing that part permanently.
Sonnie Hale, when on the stage, is almost a duplicate of what his father was twenty years ago. He has many of his mannerisms and something of his voice. He will go a very long way.
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The cleverest election joke of the week was put into the song, “It Ain’t a’Goin’ to Rain No Mo,” which Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney sing at the Duke of York’s. The new verse was as follows:
“Ramsay Mac[Donald] is feeling sad tonight;
He’s had so many pastings.
He’s going to the country;
Perhaps he’ll stand for Hastings.”
The People, Mar 20 1925 (p9)
Mother and daughter, Gertrude Elliot and Jean Forbes Robertson, are playing together in “Dancing Mothers” at the Queen’s Theatre, and now we are to see father, “Bobby” Hale, and son, Sonnie, together at the Duke of York’s in “The Punch Bowl.” Hale follows Alfred Lester as principal comedia.
One of the scenes in which father and son will appear will be a burlesque of “No, No, Nanette.” The youngster will impersonate his own sister, Binnie, and Dad will be both Joe Coyne and George Grossmith.
The People, April 12, 1925 (p9)
Prior to his “Dad” coming into the “Punch Bowl” to-morrow, young Sonnie Hale has been playing quite a lot of the parts that Alfred Lester appeared in at the Duke of York’s Theatre. When father Robert arrives, however, the show will be altered quite a bit. Not until Tuesday will the fourth edition, in its entirety, be presented.
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Daily Mail, Tuesday, Oct 7, 1924 (p9)
Miss Gwen Farrar came to the rescue in a sudden emergency in the “Punch Bowl” revue at the Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s-lane, W.C., last night.
At half an hour’s notice, she took the place of Mr. Sonnie Hale, who has fractured an instep, in the Punch and Judy ballet.
She wore Mr. Hale’s clothes as Joey the clown, being made up by Mr. Hale in remarkable resemblance to himself, and, having had no opportunity to rehearse, had to memorise the stage “business” required between her entrances and exits.
Daily Sketch, Oct 8, 1924 (p3)
“It was a tragedy of feet and ankles, but it gave me the opportunity of playing the clown,” said Miss Gwen Farrar, the well-known comedienne, who is appearing at the Duke of York’s Theatre in “The Punch Bowl.”
Miss Farrar was suddenly called upon to play the part of the clown in the Punch and Judy ballet on Monday night. It was due to the fact that Mr. Sonnie Hale had hurt his foot and Mr. Billy Leonard had sprained his ankle. There was only one understudy to both men.
“Mr. Sonnie Hale supervised my make-up. It was perfectly horrid, for I emerged covered with white paint. Then came the show itself. I am sure the audience enjoyed it more than I did.
“I suppose I shall go on doing it until one of the injured feet is mended.”
[PHOTO of Sonnie’s hand seen making Gwen up]
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