Oscar Asche & Frederic Norton.

The masterminds behind Chu Chin Chow

Oscar Asche - Author of Chu Chin Chow

John Stanger Heiss Oscar Asche, better known as Oscar Asche (26 January 1871 – 23 March 1936), was an Australian actor, director and writer, best known for having written, directed, and acted in the record-breaking musical Chu Chin Chow, both on stage and film, and for acting in, directing, or producing many Shakespeare plays and successful musicals.

On 25 March 1893 he made his first appearance on the stage, at the Opera Comique Theatre, London, as Roberts in Man and Woman. He then joined the F. R. Benson Company and for eight years gained experience an actor. Among other venues, they played at the summer Stratford festivals. He began with small parts and was eventually cast as Charles the Wrestler in As You Like It, for which he was well-suited because of his excellent physique. He also played Biondello in The Taming of the Shrew, among other early roles.

Asche played over 100 roles with this company including Brutus, King Claudius and other important Shakespearian parts. His resonant voice and his dignified, formal bearing are often mentioned in the reviews of his performances. Asche was a good athlete and a fair cricketer and played for the M.C.C. against minor counties. He was a constant attendant at important matches at Lords.

Chu Chin Chow was undoubtably one of Asche's most sucsesfull pieces of work earning him some of the notariety he deserved. For more information on his life and works, click here. 

Frederic Norton - Composer of Chu Chin Chow

Frederic Norton born Gordon Frederic Norton on 11 October 1869 in Broughton-in-Salford, England. Died on 15 December 1946 in Holford, England. British composer, most associated with the record breaking Chu Chin Chow, which opened in 1916.

A trained singer, Norton studied with Francesco Paolo Tosti and appeared on stage in variety theatre. Some of these acts included the delivery of monologues.

These monologues led Norton to compose songs, many of them humorous. Songs published included 1908's "Rosemary" with words by Graham Robertson, and "Maid of the morning", "When a Pullet is Plump" and "The Elephant and the Portmanteau". In turn, these songs resulted in Norton composing music for stage shows, starting with "The Water Maidens" in 1901.

In 1911, Norton provided additional music for a production of Orpheus in the Underworld at His Majesty's Theatre, which was based on the Offenbach opera of the same name.

Norton was never again to achieve the same degree of success that he earned with Chu Chin Chow.