Making his Mark in Glasgow Pantomime

A comedian from England's north-east, famous nursery for stage comedians, deserves to be remembered for the outstanding fun talent he brought to pantomime in Glasgow. Throughout his career, Mark Sheridan, from Sunderland, had a string of pantomime triumphs in Glasgow .  One of his earliest appearances was at the Theatre Royal in 1895  in Howard & Wyndham's eighth Royal pantomime, Sinbad the Sailor.

This lavish production, with libretto by Mr. William Morgan and sets by Mr. T.F.Dunn, saw Mark in a small role as Captain Crossbones,
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Steps to Suicide : The Death of Mark Sheridan

On January 15, 1918, two men taking a walk in an unfrequented part of Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, found the body of the music hall comedian Mark Sheridan. The previous evening the actor had completed his act in the revue “ Gay Paree " at the Coliseum Theatre on the city’s south side, entertaining playgoers who knew his talents from earlier successes in the city. Near his body, police found a Browning automatic revolver.Sheridan had shot himself in the foreheard.   Was he so perturbed by professional and  personal doubts that suicide seemed the only
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Summer Seaside Song Became Pantomime Hit!

Glasgow Empire Audiences Heard It First

Variety-goers at the legendary Empire Theatre in Glasgow were the first in the world to hear and give applause to the popular and well-known song “  I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside.”  Mark Sheridan, the singer and comedian , who hailed from the north-east of England, sang it in 1909, that was the year he played the Empire on three occasions - in March, August and December. It was during his March visit that he introduced the song. A review from The Era, from his march week, reads : “ At
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What's In A Name?

Many performers adopted stage names instead of their birth names. In some

cases the influences for these new " identities" are documented, in others unknown  because they were never recorded. Mark Sheridan, the famous music hall comedian and singer of seaside songs, is one performer who changed his name and left us with something of a mystery as to what influenced his choice. He was born Frederick Shaw in 1864,and according to his obituary in the Sunderland Daily Echo , January 16, 1918, he used his real name "...on commencing as an artiste,
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