Charles Klein

Charles Klein (January 7, 1867 - May 7, 1915) was an English-born playwright who wrote in America.

Biography

Klein was born in London, England to Herman Klein and his wife Adelaide (née Soman). Apparently, the elder Klein emigrated from Riga, Lativa. Once in Norwich, Hermann became a professor of foreign languages at the King Edward VI Grammar School, and Adelaide taught dance. The younger Klein's five brothers included Max, a violinist; Manuel, a composer; Herman, a music critic and music teacher; Alfred, an actor; and Philip. He was the uncle of producer Philip Klein (1888-1935). He was educated at North London College.

Klein moved to New York City, where for a time he was play censor for producer Charles Frohman. Like many dramatists from the late 19th century and early 20th cCentury, Klein's plays are dated and little revived today. He wrote the libretto of John Philip Sousa's best remembered operetta, El Capitan, which is still revived occasionally.

The play The Lion and the Mouse was his best regarded drama. The story concerns a young woman taking on a powerful business tycoon. One of the corporate figures in the play was made to look like one of John D. Rockefeller's partner H. H. Rogers. In The Auctioneer and The Music Master, David Warfield had great successes.

He died during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, reportedly entering the Grand Staircase, and shutting the door behind him.

Selected plays

• A Mile a Minute (1890)
• By Proxy (1892)
• The District Attorney (1895)
• El Capitan (1896)
• Two Little Vagrants (1896)
• Heartsease (1897)
• The Charlatan (1898)
• A Royal Rogue (1900)
• The Auctioneer (1901)
• The Hon. John Grigsby (1902)
• Mrs. Pickwick (1903)
• The Music Master (1904)
• The Lion and the Mouse (1905)
• The Daughters of Men (1906)
• The Step-Sister (1907)
• The Third Degree (1908)
• The Next of Kin (1909)
• The Gamblers (1910)
• Maggie Pepper (1911)
• The Outsiders (1911)
• The Ne'er Do Well (1912)
• The Moneymakers (1914)

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)