Vernon Martinus

Martinus dancing with Rose Eberwein in The Legend of Frankie and Johnnie as part of Show Business in August 1952

Vernon Philip Martinus (19 August 1932 – September 2022) was a pioneer ballet dancer and choreographer in Singapore. He produced and performed in Show Business, a series of popular musical variety shows staged in the 1950s, and led the Frances School of Dancing with his wife, ballet dancer Frances Poh. The school merged with the Malaya School of Ballet in 1958 to form the Singapore Ballet Academy. He also formed, directed and choreographed for the Singapore Ballet Company, a non-profit ballet group active in the later 1950s and the early 1960s. In 1963, he joined the newly-established Television Singapura as a producer and was involved with initiating a number of programmes for the station. He claimed to have produced the programme on which Lee Kuan Yew announced that Singapore would no longer be part of Malaysia.

Early life and education

Martinus was born in Singapore on 19 August 1932 to William Clarence Martinus and Evelyn Gauder. His father was the bandleader of the Sambodians Orchestra, a popular local musical group. He was of Eurasian descent. He received his education at the Saint Andrew's School. By June 1940, Martinus had begun learning music at the Far Eastern Music School in Singapore, founded by Marcelo Anciano. In June 1949, he participated in Radio Malaya's Talentime, a talent competition, performing a piano duet with Derrick Newman.

Career

Radio and Show Business (1950 – 1956)

After finishing school, Martinus landed his first job in 1950, which was at the Pan-Malayan Department of Broadcasting at the Cathay Building as a Record Library Assistant. The following year, he was asked by his cousin Norma Sheffield on behalf of her mother to organise a variety show in aid of the Dr. Patricia Elliot Memorial Fund for the "crippled" children at the St. Andrew's Mission Hospital. It received the support of the St. Hilda's Church on Ceylon Road, who had initially planned for the programme to be staged at its church hall. The musical variety show, titled Show Business, featured local crooner Maisie Conceicao in a leading role and was held at the Victoria Theatre on 4 April. Also included in the cast were Sheffield, singer Barbara Deans, magician Tan Hock Chuan, Larry Fenton and his Tin Can Toledos and vocalist Bunny Gregory. However, many of the performers did not have prior stage experience. The cast was also largely Eurasian. The show was his "first effort at producing on a large scale". In addition to producing, he also acted and choreographed for the show's Slaughter in Tenth Avenue sketch. A critic of The Singapore Free Press considered it to be the show's best act and opined that Martinus had "nailed his colours soundly to the mast". The show was reportedly a great success, with over a hundred people being turned away. As such, he organised a repeat performance on 27 April, again held at the Victoria Theatre in aid of the Dr. Patricia Elliot Memorial Fund. The repeat show was also a success, selling out "days in advance."

Martinus remained with Radio Malaya for just over a year before he left to join Rediffusion Singapore, which offered him a job which paid double what he made at the Department of Broadcasting. In 1952, Martinus produced Show Business, 1952, which he claimed would be a "bigger, brighter and better show", held again at the Victoria Theatre on 27 and 28 August, this time in aid of the Girls Sports Club Building Fund. The highlight of the show was a full-length performance of the Frankie and Johnny ballet, which had not been staged in Singapore before. Martinus danced in the ballet along with Rose Eberwein and Deans. Returning performers included Conceicao, Fenton and Tan, with the cast also including Barbara Aeria, Laddie Duckworth, who performed Lightning Sketches and singer Douglas Gomes. Deans played the lead in another full-length dance titled The Man From Cuba. The show also included acrobatic acts. The Singapore Free Press called it "one of the brightest musicals presented in the Colony this year." Both houses sold out, generating a profit of $2001.50. The two shows were attended by nearly 1,000 people in total, with hundreds being turned away. Though there were requests for a repeat performance, this was not possible as the theatre would not be available for the next few months. By 1953, he had become the English Programs Manager at Rediffusion Singapore. He received "no training" for the role, which also involved serving as a "manager of people". There was no Show Business that year.

In 1954, Martinus produced Show Business, 1954. To be held in aid of the Girls Sports Club at the Victoria Theatre for four nights from 17 June with a matinee performance on 20 June, the show was Martinus's "biggest and most ambitious yet". With a cast of over 100, the show featured four song-and-dance acts with 18 numbers overall which Martinus choreographed. The cast included Miss Malaya contestants Phyllis Westerhout and Corrine Siddons, crooner Leslie Rozario, the Manasseh Sisters, Ronald Alcantra and Maureen Clarke. Returning performers included Sheffield and Aeria. Vernon Palmer served as the stage manager. Each night sold out, generating a profit of 4,808.96. A critic of The Straits Times called it "another step forward" for Martinus, stating: "His sets were good and his show tastefully presented." Martinus did not produce another Show Business. Writer Denyse Tessensohn opined that the shows' "legacies to Singapore theatre and music are incalculable and will be remembered." He was cast in his "first straight part" in a local staging of Noël Coward's Relative Values by The Stage Club, held at the Victoria Memorial Hall in early October 1954. In the same year, Martinus began taking ballet lessons at the Maudrene Yap Dancing School. Maudrene Yap later recounted that Martinus, who was one of the few male students she had, "did not attend classes regularly, often disappearing for long stretches at a time." In August 1955, he and Palmer served as the stage managers of the Magic Carpet, which was staged at the Capitol Cinema by the Singapore branch of the British Red Cross Society.

Singapore Ballet Academy and the Singapore Ballet Company (1957 – 1962)

Martinus made his debut as a ballet dancer with Time to Dance, staged in aid of the Deaf and Dumb School fund by his wife Frances Poh, a teacher at the Maudrene Yap Dancing School, at the Singapore Badminton Hall on 25 and 26 January 1957. In February, it was announced that he would be leaving Rediffusion Singapore as he would be leaving for England in April to study modern musical comedy and dancing. He was to be replaced as English programmes manager on 1 March by Mike Ellery, previously of Radio Malaya. Martinus had personally recommended Ellery for the job as he had believed that the latter had more experience than he did. Martinus and Poh, under Frances-Vernon Productions, presented On Stage, a show comprising 2 plays and several ballet numbers, which opened at the Victoria Memorial Hall on 10 April. By October, he had gotten into the Royal Ballet School of Sadler Wells for a year and had already passed the examinations for the International Dancing Masters' Association. Poh had left for England with him also to study dance. Martinus later studied under dancer and pedagogue Marie Rambert and completed his Royal Academy of Dance examinations earlier than he had expected to. The couple returned to Singapore in January 1958 with the intention of collecting funds to a non-profit ballet group to "make Singaporeans ballet-minded." They had already collected $700 through a show they had put on just before leaving Britain. Martinus would lead the group while Poh would continue to head the Frances School of Dancing. Both of them had returned to teaching at the school by the following month.

At the end of April 1958, the Frances School of Dancing merged with the Malaya School of Ballet to form the Singapore Ballet Academy. The newly-formed academy, which was to operate out of a new building on Peck Hay Road, was to be led by Martinus as director and Poh as ballet principal. The Malaya School of Ballet's former co-principals, Soonee Goh and Blossom Shek were to serve on the academy's teaching staff alongside Florrie Tait, who was a teacher at the Frances School. It was the first school in Malaya to offer "full-time training in all classes of ballet work, stage dancing, costuming and stage makeup, similar to those conducted in large ballet schools in Britain." Martinus and Poh presented a ballet performance at the Canning Rise Cultural Centre on 2, 3 and 4 May. Featuring 25 senior dancers from the academy, pianist Ricardo Anciano and Design for Dancers, a new ballet by Martinus, the proceeds went to the formation of their planned ballet group.

By the conclusion of the first series of performances, Martinus and Poh had already begun planning for a second performance in August, in collaboration with Shek and dance teacher Elaine Vine. In August, Martinus formed the Singapore Ballet Company, comprising 30 female and 12 male dancers who were all senior ballet students from the Colony. Members included Jean Chew, Goh Lay Kuan, Tan Hock Lye, Tan Swee Leong and Francis Yeoh, with Martinus serving as company director and ballet master. The company did not charge fees and was funded through the proceeds of performances. The second show, also staged at the Canning Rise Cultural Centre opened on 14 August and ran till 20 August, was directed by Martinus and featured Martinus, Poh, Soonee Goh, Vine, Tait and Tan Hock Lye as principals, dancing with the company in its first production. It was described as "one of the fullest and most ambitious ballet ventures yet seen in Malaya." In the same year, Martinus was offered a bursary by the British Council to study ballet production at the Royal Ballet School and the Convent Garden School. However, Poh was then expecting their first child so he turned the offer down. The company's second season opened at the Victoria Theatre on 24 April 1959, with Goh Soo Khim as the prima ballerina. A critic with The Straits Times praised the "Ming Toi" act, created and choreographed by Martinus, as "most original and effective", though stated that while Martinus gave a "polished" performance, he was "too restrained".

The Singapore Ballet's third season ran from 20 to 30 August. It featured the Southeast Asian debut of the Western Symphony, as well as a performance of the second act of Swan Lake and the premiere of Passions. Also included in the show were two pas de deux, Don Quixote and Bluebird Pas de Deux, as well as Design for Dancers, Winter Frolic and the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor. Martinus and Poh played the leading roles of Prince Sigfried and Princess Odette respectively in Swan Lake. The couple also performed the Bluebird Pas de Deux, while Goh Soo Khim, Goh Lay Kuan, Tan Hock Lye were among those with prominent roles. In a positive review of the performance, "A.B.A." of The Straits Times stated: "There is no doubt that Vernon Martinus has brought the ballet to stay in Singapore with his brilliant presentation". By then, the Singapore Ballet Academy had over 500 pupils and was the only ballet school on the island which had male pupils. Martinus announced that he would be introducing lessons for Chinese, Indian and Malay dances, to be taught by special instructors. The company was to perform these dances in addition to classical ballet in future seasons.

In October 1959, Martinus was again awarded a bursary from the British Council to study ballet production at the Royal Ballet School and at the Convent Garden School, which he accepted. It was decided that Poh and their child would accompany him in London, with Poh studying at the Russian School of Ballet in Chelsea instead. He was the first from Singapore to receive such a bursary from the British Council. Both he and Poh performed in the Loyalty Week concert staged on 7 December at the Singapore Badminton Hall by Radio Singapore. Martinus and Poh, supported by dancers from the Singapore Ballet Academy, performed "Bunga Perchinta'an", a "Malayan ballet" choreographed by Martinus. From 17 to 20 December, the Singapore Ballet Company performed The Nutcracker at the Victoria Theatre, with Martinus and Poh serving as the principal dancers. This was the first the entire ballet had been presented in Singapore. Martinus left for London to study at the Royal Ballet School on 14 January while Poh left on 21 January, with Daphne Grant and Soonee Goh acting as the heads of the academy in their place and Patricia Sadka being placed in charge of the company. At the institution, he studied "all departments of the ballet, from choreography, make-up and wardrobe to the diet ballet dancers observe to keep trim." He then claimed that while he did not regret leaving radio for ballet, his "heart still [belonged] to radio."

While studying at the Convent Garden School, Martinus performed in a performance staged at the Royal Opera House in Convent Garden by the Royal Ballet Company for its annual gala event on 1 March, dancing with 12 other students. The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret were among the audience. He was also given a small part in a performance of Swan Lake, staged by the Royal Ballet Company on 28 March. The couple returned to Singapore in June. By then, Martinus had already made plans for performances by the Singapore Ballet Company, a performance featuring both the company and a British troupe which he had invited to Singapore, and to take the company on a tour in Hong Kong in April of the following year, and then to the Federation of Malaya in August. From 29 to 31 October, the Singapore Ballet Company performed Le Triangle de la Peur, based on an idea of Jean-Paul Sartre, choreographed by Martinus and danced to the music of Béla Bartók, as well as Grand Valse, Chandra and Western Symphony, at the Victoria Theatre. Of the four, only Western Symphony had previously been staged by the company. Le Triangle de la Peur, which promised to be the "highlight", was danced by Martinus, Poh and Tan Hock Lye. Grand Valse, also choreographed by Martinus, featured costumes and decor designed by William Glass. Chandra was created by Martinus. The cast for the entire performance numbered 73, with Poh as prima ballerina and Martinus as premier danseur.

The Singapore Ballet Company's sixth season opened at the Victoria Theatre on 13 December 1960 and lasted for a fortnight, with the proceeds from the first night being donated to the Rotary Cheer Fund. The Straits Times remarked that it was "surely the longest any company has attempted in our country." The season had three programmes and included Vivace, a creation of Martinus danced to music by Don Gillis which served as "filler". The first programme featured performances of Les Sylphides and the Bluebird Pas de Deux, while the second featured performances of Grande Valse, the pas de deux from Don Quixote, the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor and the second act of Swan Lake. The third featured a full-length performance of the Nutcracker. In a review of the first programme, critic "A.B.A.", now with The Singapore Free Press, described Vivace as "witty in the extreme, with choreography and music in splendid rapport" and praised Martinus's performance in both Les Sylphides and the Bluebird Pas de Deux. However, he noted that its opening night was only attended by at most around 200.

The company performed at the Pavilion Theatre in Kuala Lumpur on 12 and 13 April 1961. The performance, organised with the aid of the Arts Council of Malaya, featured Act II of Swan Lake, Chandra, Prince Igor and the Western Symphony. Also included was the Peasant Pas de Deux from Giselle, danced by Soonee Goh and Martinus. The company's eighth season opened at the Victoria Theatre on 9 August, lasting til 12 August, with the proceeds of the first performance going to the St. John's Home for the Aged with the programme featuring Les Sylphides and Chandra, as well as Florestan Pas de Trois from The Sleeping Beauty and Chiaboscuro, another original ballet by Martinus. The opening night performance was well-attended, with the audience reportedly "filling the auditorium almost to capacity." "A.B.A." of The Singapore Free Press called Chiaboscuro, which was set to music by Darius Milhaud and featured sets, decor and lighting designed by Martinus, "outstandingly original" and opined that it "sparkles over with wit and general good humour."

Tessensohn argued that Martinus's contribution to the local scene could be "tangibly measured in the triumphs of" the students of the Singapore Ballet Academy, including Goh Soo Khim, Goh Choo San, Anthony Then, Yang Yee, Sylvia Anne McCully, Chen Hai Chow, Goh Lay Kuan, Lim Fei Shen, Cecilia Hon, Patricia Hon, Francis Yeoh and Michael Ho, as well as musicians Seow Yit Kin and Dick Lee, who both credited Martinus as a major influence.

Return to radio and the Singapore Dance Theatre (1962 – 1966)

Martinus announced in January 1962 that he was returning to his "first love" by making a "comeback" in radio at Radio Singapore. He was to serve as scriptwriter and present the programmes 4 o'clock Date, Tiger Quiz Show and Box at the Ballet. His role as principal at the Singapore Ballet Academy was taken over by Poh and Soonee Goh. However, he claimed that he had not "deserted" ballet and that he now "had more time to promote it". He was still in charge of the Singapore Ballet Company, now renamed the Singapore Ballet Group, by then. Martinus later recalled that he had broadcasting rejoined part-time under Maureen Liew as Head of Programmes as he had "hoped" to become a television producer or director, knowing that Radio Singapore would soon be going into television. In the same month, it was announced that he was seeking dancers for the formation of a new dance company. The 'semi-professional' dance company, which he called the Singapore Dance Theatre, comprised 14 dancers. The company's first programme was staged at the Victoria Theatre from 3 to 8 August. The items on the programme were choreographed by Martinus, Francis Yeoh and Goh Soo Khim. By August he was still the artistic director of the Singapore Ballet Group.

At Radio Singapore, Martinus introduced the programme Music and Musicians, which was "quite popular". Musicians who he had featured on the programme included Charles Lazaroo and Yvette Anwar. He also initiated the programme On Stage. In early 1963, Martinus began working at the newly-established TV Singapura full-time. One of only two locals hired as producers initially, he produced the variety show Rampaian Malaysia. He and the other local producer, S. Chandramohan, were supposed to receive training from the producers who had come from overseas. However, those producers did not have the time to give the two training. Martinus was initially also required to produce programmes in Mandarin and Malay, though he did not speak either language. The following year, he was sent to attend a course in Kuala Lumpur. After the finalists of Radio Singapore's Talentime were announced, Martinus decided to produce a programme featuring all 10 finalists. Martinus also produced programmes featuring the ballet group and the academy, such as Laila, which he described as a Malayan variant of Giselle. He was also involved in designing sets and costuming as the designers then had "little or no experience at all on the stage".

"Thespis" of The Straits Times opined in January 1964 that while Martinus was "doing an outstanding job of work" at TV Singapura, his "defection" to the organisation had caused local ballet to "[wilt] a little". "Thespis" wrote that he had "come to await eagerly the gorgeous 'Vic' ballet productions which [Martinus] and his talented wife Frances Poh staged two or three times a year", though he also noted that there was "no doubt" in his mind that "economic reasons made the continuance of this noble effort impossible." Martinus later claimed to have been the producer the programme in which Lee Kuan Yew announced that Singapore would no longer be a part of Malaysia, despite him not being a part of Central Production which would normally handle such press releases. The technical producer asked him to "fade to black", though Martinus chose not to do so. It was later decided that the footage of Lee Kuan Yew crying, which was not recorded live, would be aired. In August 1965, it was announced that the Singapore Ballet Group was to make a "comeback" at the Victoria Theatre with its 11th season, featuring Serenade, a romantic 'opening' ballet choreographed by Martinus, who was to dance leading roles in Western Symphony and Question of Honour. Martinus was involved with Vernon Palmer in the production of the televisation of the first Singapore National Day parade, held in August 1966.

Post-radio career

Martinus left for London to attend several study courses in 1967. After returning to Singapore, he began working for the Singapore branch of IBM in January 1968. In February 1969, Martinus was promoted to the position of Personnel and Public Relations Manager for Singapore and Malaysia for the IBM World Trade Corporation. He went to Hong Kong in April to study at an IBM Management School, after which he attended a personnel and communications seminar in Tokyo which lasted two weeks. Beginning in July, he took a three-month long "management development instructors course", during which he visited New York, Copenhagen, Sweden, Holland and Beirut before returning to Singapore in October. By May 1978, Martinus was working as a training advisor in London. He then studied at the Open University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982. The following year, he took his Masters in Management Studies. He also studied at the Institute of Personnel Management. Martinus then became the Senior Management Trainer at Logica, where he remained until his retirement.

Personal life and death

Martinus had two younger brothers, including journalist Ken Martinus. In 1954, while he was studying ballet at the Maudrene Yap Dancing School, he met Frances Poh, the daughter of C. J. Poh, who had returned from nearly a decade of training in Scotland to take charge of the school. The two announced their engagement on 27 February 1956 at the school just before evening lessons began. The couple married at the St Andrew's Cathedral on 6 October, with over 700 guests attending the wedding. By October 1959, they had one daughter. Martinus moved to London in 1972. By November 1983, they also had two sons and were living in Britain.

In May 2001, Martinus stated: "If I am allowed one regret in my past life, it is the fact that I left Peck Hay Road and the teaching of ballet for television and the commercial world." As of November 2002, he was living in West Sussex in South East England. He died there in September 2022, with "little commemoration in Singapore's media." Fellow dance pioneer Cecilia Hon claimed that there was "so little news" and "nothing in the newspaper" for both Martinus's and Soonee Goh's deaths, with the latter having occurred a year before the former.