Biography
Born in 1890 in Bluffton, Indiana, Howard Warren Marsh passed away on 7 August 1969 in Long Branch, New Jersey. His commanding presence onstage, paired with a robust vocal delivery, positioned him perfectly for principal parts in musical comedies of the early 1920s, an era when the American stage had yet to sever its links to European operetta conventions. Initial New York credits included The Grass Widow in 1917, Sigmund Romberg’s Maytime the following year, and Greenwich Village Follies in 1920. He renewed his collaboration with Romberg for Blossom Time in 1921 and The Student Prince In Heidelberg in 1924; in the latter production he performed the enduring numbers “Deep In My Heart,” “Golden Days,” and “Serenade,” the last also identified by its opening line, “Overhead the moon is beaming.” A short run in Cherry Blossoms in 1927 preceded his portrayal of Gaylord Ravenal in Jerome Kern’s Show Boat that same year, where he premiered “Make Believe,” “You Are Love,” and the duet “Why Do I Love You” alongside Norma Terris. The two performers appeared together once more in The Well Of Romance in 1930, though that production closed quickly.
From May 1931 through January 1932 Marsh took part in a Gilbert and Sullivan repertory season encompassing The Mikado, The Gondoliers, Patience, The Pirates Of Penzance, Iolanthe, Trial By Jury, and H.M.S. Pinafore. He next joined a short-lived revival of Harry B. Smith and Reginald DeKoven’s Robin Hood, then appeared in The Dubarry at the George M. Cohan Theatre toward the close of the year. Between July and September 1935 he participated in another Gilbert and Sullivan cycle that featured The Mikado, The Pirates Of Penzance, The Yeomen Of The Guard, The Gondoliers, Trial By Jury, and H.M.S. Pinafore. Not long afterward he withdrew from the theatre to pursue a career in corporate finance.
From May 1931 through January 1932 Marsh took part in a Gilbert and Sullivan repertory season encompassing The Mikado, The Gondoliers, Patience, The Pirates Of Penzance, Iolanthe, Trial By Jury, and H.M.S. Pinafore. He next joined a short-lived revival of Harry B. Smith and Reginald DeKoven’s Robin Hood, then appeared in The Dubarry at the George M. Cohan Theatre toward the close of the year. Between July and September 1935 he participated in another Gilbert and Sullivan cycle that featured The Mikado, The Pirates Of Penzance, The Yeomen Of The Guard, The Gondoliers, Trial By Jury, and H.M.S. Pinafore. Not long afterward he withdrew from the theatre to pursue a career in corporate finance.
Singles
