The year 1891 signalled a new era in the career of Little Tich. The Drury Lane pantomimes were known for their extravagance and splendour and featured lavish sets and big budgets. The first of the Drury Lane pantomimes in which Little Tich appeared was "Humpty Dumpty" in 1891 which also starred Drury Lane regulars Marie Lloyd, Dan Leno and Herbert Campbell. As well as the title role, Little Tich also played the minor part of the Yellow Dwarf in the harlequinade. It was during the latter characterisation that he revived his Big-Boot Dance, which was a hit with audiences. The following Christmas, he equalled this success with his second pantomime "Little Bo-Peep" in which he played the part of "Hop of my Thumb".
Life at Drury Lane
Little Tich
Little Tich | Life at Drury Lane
The first of the Drury Lane pantomimes in which Little Tich appeared was "Humpty Dumpty" He appeared in three pantomimes Pantomimes Three Christmas pantomimes
who was little tich?
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Harry Relph, professionally known as Little Tich, was a English music hall comedian and dancer best known for acrobatic dance.
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where all has he performed?
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Theatre Royal, Barnard's Music Hall, English music hall
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what did he perform in the first theatre?
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He has this to say in his diary: Performances usually began at 3 pm to take advantage of the daylight: the main floor for the audience, the pit, had no roof in order to let in the light. A glazed dome was built over the opening, but according to one of Pepys' diary entries, the dome was not entirely effective at keeping out the elements: he and his wife were forced to leave the theatre to take refuge from a hail storm. Green baize cloth covered the benches in the pit and served to decorate the boxes, additionally ornamented with gold-tooled leather, and even the stage itself.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | First theatre: Theatre Royal, Bridges Street (1663)
The year 1891 signalled a new era in the career of Little Tich. The Drury Lane pantomimes were known for their extravagance and splendour and featured lavish sets and big budgets. The first of the Drury Lane pantomimes in which Little Tich appeared was "Humpty Dumpty" in 1891 which also starred Drury Lane regulars Marie Lloyd, Dan Leno and Herbert Campbell. As well as the title role, Little Tich also played the minor part of the Yellow Dwarf in the harlequinade. It was during the latter characterisation that he revived his Big-Boot Dance, which was a hit with audiences. The following Christmas, he equalled this success with his second pantomime "Little Bo-Peep" in which he played the part of "Hop of my Thumb".
Little Tich | Life at Drury Lane
By the early months of 1890, Augustus Harris, the influential manager of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, had travelled to Manchester to look for new talent for his theatre's forthcoming 1890–91 pantomime. Impressed with what he saw, he offered the comedian a theatrical residency at Drury Lane but he was forced to withdraw it as Little Tich was contracted to Charles for a further year; Harris instead signed Little Tich for a two-year contract starting the following season. The deal required Little Tich to star in two pantomimes for a wage of £36 a week. Following on from his success in "Babes in the Wood" which culminated in April 1890, the theatre manager Rollo Balmain cast him as Quasimodo in a production of "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth.
Little Tich | Return to London and West End debut
The show featured a burlesque centrepiece which required Little Tich to dress as a ballerina and gave him the opportunity to perform two of his earliest songs, "Smiles" and "I Could Do, Could Do, Could Do with a Bit", both written for him by Walter Tilbury. In 1890 Little Tich continued to impress his London music hall audiences and appeared on the front covers of both the "Entr'acte" and the "Music Hall" magazines, with the latter being widely available in the majority of London music hall auditoriums. Towards the end of the year, Little Tich appeared at the opening of the Tivoli Music Hall, before returning to Manchester at Christmas to fulfil the second of his two pantomime engagements for Thomas Charles in "Little Bo-peep", in which he played Toddlekins.
Little Tich | Return to London and West End debut
To earn money, he began busking to local theatre goers who were waiting in the outside queues. On the way home from his busking performances, he devised eccentric dances, much to the amusement of his onlooking neighbours. Little Tich made his stage debut as Harry Relph at the age of 12 in 1879. The venue—although unidentified—was described by his daughter Mary as being a "back-street, free-and-easy" where the acts were predominantly made up of amateurs and beginners. The audiences were often harsh and they would display their displeasure by throwing objects onto the stage.
Little Tich | Move to Gravesend and early performances
At the start of the 1880s, Little Tich assumed the stage name "The Infant Mackney" and graduated to the world of open-air theatre. The following year, he joined a blackface troupe who performed regularly at the Rosherville Pleasure Gardens; the local historian J.R.S. Clifford described them as "a band of minstrel darkies of a superior type". Little Tich's transition from amateur to professional performer came when he appeared in a weekly spot at Barnard's Music Hall in Chatham. Lew Barnard, the hall's proprietor, offered him 35 shillings a week. Thrilled at the prospect of appearing in a proper music hall, Little Tich changed his name from The Infant Mackney to Young Tichborne, a nickname he had gained while living in Cudham years earlier.
Little Tich | Early London engagements
It was around this period when Little Tich was inducted into the fledgling entertainers' fraternity, the Grand Order of Water Rats. In 1906, he would serve as "King Rat" for the order. In 1894, free from his contractual obligations at Drury Lane, he took a three-year break from the English music hall scene and travelled to France to fulfil a number of engagements; over the next ten years, he divided his time between there and England. In the early months of 1895, he moved from music hall to variety theatre, a transition which many of his contemporaries had already successfully achieved.
Little Tich | New theatrical ventures and international engagements
He enjoyed initial success at Barnard's, but audience numbers soon diminished and his pay was reduced to 15 shillings a week as a result. To supplement his income, he resumed his position in the barber's shop and took on a string of menial jobs that lasted six months. In 1881 Little Tich left home with his sister Agnes, who chaperoned her young brother around the music halls and variety clubs throughout England. By now, he had swapped the tin-whistle for a picco pipe which he used to accompany his clog dancing routine. He despised his early experiences of provincial touring as he was often forced to sleep in dosshouses with very little money or food.
Little Tich | Early London engagements
A critic for "The Era" who witnessed him perform at the Marylebone thought that he was "a curious comic" and that "his antics, his sayings and his business generally [were] very amusing, and he will doubtless improve in his singing, which is weak at present, even for a Negro delineator". The commentator further noted that "he appear[ed] to be quite a young man at present; but his dancing is peculiarly funny, though his dress in one of his characters is vulgar and suggestive; this should be altered".
Little Tich | Early London engagements
To survive, he would often return to busking outside music halls to the waiting audiences. In the early months of 1884, he secured an engagement at a rundown public house called The Dolphin in Kidderminster, where he was paid £2 a week. He also hired his first agent who, unbeknown to Little Tich, had advertised him as a "freak" and a "six-fingered novelty". The comedian was furious with the description and quickly dispensed with the agent's services. By the summer months, his engagements had become infrequent so he used the long periods of unemployment constructively. He learned how to read and write music and taught himself to play various musical instruments including the piano, fiddle and cello.
Little Tich | Early London engagements
For the character's appearance he wore a ripped and dirty frock, a scrag wig and carried an old mop and bucket which he borrowed from home. The act required him to flip the mop up into the air and grab the handle before carrying on singing. During one evening's performance at the Alhambra Theatre, the trick went wrong and he received a blow to his head from the mop. Despite the pain, he continued with the piece and refused to seek medical treatment for the resulting bump and intense headache which followed.
Little Tich | Last years and death
A reporter for "The Era" predicted "We shall probably hear a great deal more about Little Titch, as he seems to be one of the few that can invest the business of the Negro comedian with any humour." By Christmas 1884, Little Tich was a resident performer in four London music halls: the Middlesex Music Hall where he had an 8 pm billing, the Marylebone (at 9 pm), the Star Palace of Varieties in Bermondsey (at 10 pm), and Crowders Music Hall in Mile End (at 11 pm). Out of the four halls, he had the most success at the Marylebone and fulfilled a ten-week run.
Little Tich | Early London engagements
The backless green benches in the pit were in a semicircular arrangement facing the stage, according to a May 1663 letter from one Monsieur de Maonconys: "All benches of the pit, where people of rank also sit, are shaped in a semi-circle, each row higher than the next." The three galleries formed a semicircle around the floor seats; both the first and second galleries were divided up into boxes.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | First theatre: Theatre Royal, Bridges Street (1663)
Little Tich's act further developed during a tour of the United States between 1887 and 1889 where he established the Big-Boot Dance and impressed audiences with his ability to stand on the tips of the shoes and to lean at extraordinary angles. In the 1890s he developed the Serpentine Dance and had a major success with the Christmas pantomime "Babes in the Wood" in Manchester during the 1889–90 season. In 1891, he was recruited by the impresario Augustus Harris to appear in that year's spectacular Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Christmas pantomime "Humpty Dumpty". He starred in a further two productions at the theatre including "Little Bo Peep" (1892) and "Robinson Crusoe" (1893).
Little Tich | Introduction
Harry Relph (21 July 186710 February 1928), professionally known as Little Tich, was a English music hall comedian and dancer during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was best known for his acrobatic and comedic "Big-Boot Dance," which he performed in Europe and for which he wore boots with soles long. Aside from his music hall appearances, he was also a popular performer in Christmas pantomimes and appeared in them annually at theatres throughout the English provinces. He repeated this success in London, where he appeared in three pantomimes at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, between 1891 and 1893 alongside Dan Leno and Marie Lloyd.
Little Tich | Introduction
"Lord Tom Noddy" was showcased in September 1896 and ran at the Garrick Theatre, London for two months. The production had minimal success in the capital but was received well in the provinces. The show provided Little Tich with the chance to promote himself as a serious actor and to separate himself from the reputation of simply being the "deformed dwarf from the music hall". The audience were described as being "very large" whose "bursts of laughter w[ere] frequent and loud". A reporter for the "Edinburgh Evening News" thought that Little Tich was "the life and soul of the sketch" whose singing was "fairly good while [his] dancing was smart", while the critic William Archer dismissed Little Tich as being the "Quasimodo of the music halls, whose talent lies in a grotesque combination of agility with deformity".
Little Tich | New theatrical ventures and international engagements
Towards the end of 1910, he travelled to Scotland to complete a short engagement at the King's Theatre in Dundee. His performance was described by a theatre reviewer for the "Evening Telegraph" as being "downright genuine fun" and "very entertaining". The following year Little Tich recorded the first of a selection of his music hall songs on one-sided shellac discs used in the early acoustic recording process. Songs included "The Gas Inspector", "King Ki-Ki", "The Toreador" and "The Zoo Keeper" and were followed two years later by "The Waiter", "The Weather", "The Don of the Don Juans" and "A Risky Thing to Do".
Little Tich | Recording career and new family
By 1878 Little Tich's parents were unable to financially provide for him further and he sought full-time employment as a lather boy in a barber's shop in Gravesend. One evening, together with a friend whose brother was appearing in a talent contest, he visited a music hall for the first time and quickly became "hooked" on the idea of being able to perform. Thanks largely to his local celebrity status of being a "freak", he was welcomed into the many public houses which catered for soldiers, sailors, merchant seamen and day-trippers from London. By 1878, Little Tich had saved enough money to buy himself a tin whistle which he used to "amuse [him]self by playing all the jolly and sentimental pantomime songs of the day".
Little Tich | Move to Gravesend and early performances
He formed his own theatre company in mid-1895, and produced his first show called "Lord Tom Noddy", in which he also starred. He commissioned the dramatist George Dance to write the piece and made him a partner in the company. On 11 December 1896, Little Tich was invited to appear at the Folies Bergère in France, where he starred in a short piece as Miss Turpentine and performed the Big-Boot Dance. One journalist for the "Sunday Referee" claimed that "no artist since Loie Fuller, four years earlier, had scored such a success", and as a result, he signed a two-year contract at the Folies.
Little Tich | New theatrical ventures and international engagements
The following year he reprised his role of Quasimodo and toured the provinces in "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" with Balmain's company.
Little Tich | Return to London and West End debut
By now, Little Tich had become frustrated with his English audiences. With "Billy" failing to reach London and the unequal level of success in the English capital compared to France made him shun the English variety theatre scene altogether in the final years of the century. He returned to the less-popular music halls as a result, where he remained for the rest of his career.
Little Tich | New theatrical ventures and international engagements
In the later months of 1889 Little Tich secured an engagement at the London Pavilion in Piccadilly Circus. This time, he found his English critics to be complimentary about his talent, but as their praise was largely about his success in America, he considered them hypocritical. News of his much-improved performances travelled throughout the country and he was visited by Thomas W. Charles, manager of Manchester's Prince's Theatre. Charles offered Little Tich a leading role in his forthcoming pantomime "Babes in the Wood". The 1889–90 production was a huge success for the comedian and his performance reportedly earned him "the heartiest applause of the evening".
Little Tich | Return to London and West End debut
Born in Cudham, Kent, Little Tich began performing aged ten when he developed a dance and tin-whistle act which he showcased at public houses in Sevenoaks. In the early 1880s he formed a blackface act and gained popularity with performances at the nearby Rosherville Pleasure Gardens and Barnard's Music Hall in Chatham. He travelled to London and appeared at the Forester's Music Hall in 1884. Later that year, he adopted the stage name "Little Tich", which he based on his childhood nickname of "Tichborne", acquired through his portly stature and physical likeness to the suspected Tichborne Claimant Arthur Orton. The terms "titchy" or "titch" were later derived from "Little Tich" and are used to describe things that are small.
Little Tich | Introduction
Instead, he travelled to South Shields, where he appeared briefly in a successful short play called "Giddy Ostend" before retreating to France. In 1898 he broke the Folies contract shortly before its expiry after being scouted by Joseph Oller, who hired him to perform at the Olympia Music Hall in Paris. Following the breach of contract, the Folies manager Édouard Marchand initiated legal action against the comedian, who settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. The theatrical manager C.B. Cochran who had seen the comedian perform during this period, described him as "a reincarnation of the dwarf court-jesters of the Middle Ages—the little English Don Antonio of Velasquez".
Little Tich | New theatrical ventures and international engagements
During the first hundred years or so of its history, the theatre was operated primarily as a playhouse, with the Letters Patent granted by Charles II giving Covent Garden and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane exclusive rights to present spoken drama in London. Despite the frequent interchangeability between the Covent Garden and Drury Lane companies, competition was intense, and the companies often presented the same plays at the same time. Rich introduced pantomime to the repertoire, performing himself, under the stage name "John Lun", as Harlequin. A tradition of seasonal pantomime continued at the modern theatre until 1939.
Royal Opera House | First theatre
For several years, his prospects were very gloomy, but in 1814, the committee of Drury Lane Theatre, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, resolved to give him a chance among the "experiments" they were making to win a return of popularity. When the expectation of his first appearance in London was close upon him, he was so feverish that he exclaimed, "If I succeed I shall go mad." As he was unable to afford medical treatment for some time, his elder son died the day after he signed the three-year Drury Lane contract. His opening at Drury Lane on 26 January 1814 as Shylock roused the audience to almost uncontrollable enthusiasm.
Edmund Kean | Drury Lane and New York
As well as Leno, Lloyd and Campbell, Harris recruited the singers Ada Blanche and Cecilia Loftus as principal boy and girl respectively. Harris was thrilled with Little Tich and signed him for the 1893–94 pantomime "Robinson Crusoe" in which he played Man Friday. The "Derby Daily Telegraph" called the comedian "one of the most amusing pantomime dames of all time". Despite a budget of £30,000, "Robinson Crusoe" failed to equal the success of the previous two shows, which caused Harris to rethink his cast. Unaware of Harris's plans, Little Tich approached him with a view of a pay rise; the proposition angered the manager and not only was his request refused, but he was also ruled out of any future production.
Little Tich | Life at Drury Lane
Little Tich returned to England in the later months of 1897, where he self-produced the second of his company's two shows, a musical comedy called "Billy". Despite the show enjoying a healthy provincial tour after opening in Newcastle, one reporter thought that "it ha[d] not very much to recommend it", but thought that Little Tich gave "some excellent fooling" and that it "[was] impossible not to laugh at some of the eccentricities". However, the farce failed to make it to the West End of London. Little Tich saw this as a snub and he refused to perform in the capital again.
Little Tich | New theatrical ventures and international engagements
Little Tich was educated at Knockholt, a three-mile walk from Cudham. From an early age, he displayed considerable academic ability and also excelled in art; by the time he was five, his drawings were being sold to patrons of the Blacksmith's Arms by his father. Little Tich became interested in the travelling performers whom his father often employed to entertain guests at the inn. He would mimic the dancers, singers and conjurors, causing much amusement to both his family and his patrons. So good were his impersonations that his siblings frequently took him to neighbouring public houses where they would get him to perform in exchange for money.
Little Tich | Family background and early life
Linley launched him on his public career in spring 1784, at first in the Handel memorial concerts at Westminster Abbey and the Pantheon, and then at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, where he first appeared as Young Meadows in "Love in a Village": 'His figure was rather unfavourable for the part, but his voice was so clear and full-toned, and his manner of singing so judicious, that he was received with great applause.' His next role was "Cymon" in Michael Arne's opera. In a busy first year he was well-received, appearing in various roles, and made his place alongside many well-established performers.
Charles Dignum | Career
The American impresario Tony Pastor came to England in 1886 and signed Little Tich for a tour of the United States. Pastor had seen the comedian perform at a small music hall called Gatti's-in-the-Road near to Westminster Bridge and was recruiting for his Gaiety Theatre Company. Little Tich left for America in the early months of 1887 and assumed his first role for Pastor in a burlesque version of "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame", playing the lead character for a fee of £10 a week. Later, during a successful run in a parody of Louis Bertin's opera "La Esmeralda", he impressed audiences with his "Big-Boot Dance", and Pastor engaged his new star for a further two seasons in the mock-opera which had a total run of nine months.
Little Tich | American success
In 1900 Little Tich appeared in the French capital's Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre where he performed the Big-Boot Dance, which was recorded on film by the French director Clément-Maurice. Years later, the film-maker Jacques Tati called the piece "a foundation for everything that has been realised in comedy on the screen". In 1902, Little Tich starred in a special, one-off revue with Marie Lloyd at the Tivoli theatre called "The Revue", which was staged to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII. The following year, Little Tich's performance at the Oxford Music Hall was described as being "... a very droll turn" by a reporter for "The Cornishman" newspaper, who also called his Big-Boot Dance "wonderful".
Little Tich | Marriage troubles
For the honeymoon, the family travelled to Bristol, where Little Tich appeared on stage with the French actress Mistinguett, who presented him with a tributary gold statue of him wearing big boots. At the end of that year, the family paid a working visit to Australia, where he toured the Sydney theatres for a fee of £300 a week; he received a lukewarm reception from audiences. The following March, Little Tich and his family returned to England. He made only one appearance on stage that year, in November, when he introduced a new song called "The Charlady at the House of Commons".
Little Tich | Last years and death
He was born in London, the son of a Strand tradesman named Thomas. The name Moncrieff he assumed for theatrical purposes. Moncrieff's first success was at Astley’s circus with "The Dandy Family" an equestrian drama, and in 1820 "The Lear of Private Life", with Junius Brutus Booth as hero, enjoyed a long run. He supplied Drury Lane with a romantic melodrama called "The Cataract of the Ganges; or, The Rajah’s Daughter" which gave the national theatre an opportunity of displaying upon its stage both real horses and a real waterfall. This work became very popular with performances at provincial theatres throughout England.
William Thomas Moncrieff | Biography
For about ten years (with the exception of 1873, when they were touring abroad) they were regulars in the annual Christmas pantomime at Drury Lane, including "Humpty Dumpty" (1868); "Beauty and the Beast! or, Harlequin and Old Mother Bunch" (1869); "The Dragon of Wantley; or, Harlequin or Old Mother Shipton" (1870); the Jester in "Tom Thumb: or, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" (1871); Geoffrey Nimble Legs in "Children in the Wood" (1872); Karzac in "Aladdin or Harlequin and the Wonderful Lamp" (1874) in which he never spoke but was "thoroughly efficient" in all he did; "Dick Whittington" (1875); "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (1876); "The White Cat" (1877); Kobold in "Cinderella" (1878) in which he was "remarkable for his activity.
Fawdon Vokes | Theatrical career
From 1819 he was the lessee of the house, presenting Edmund Kean, Mme Vestris, and Macready. He bought the Olympic Theatre in 1813 and also had an interest in a patent theatre, the Theatre Royal, Birmingham. Ill-health and misfortune culminated in his bankruptcy in 1826, when he made his last appearance at Drury Lane as Falstaff. As the lessee of the Surrey Theatre, he acted almost up to his death in 1831, which was hastened by alcoholism. At the Surrey, where he was the lessee first from 1806–14 and then again beginning in 1827, to avoid the patent restrictions on drama outside the West End, he presented Shakespeare and other plays accompanied by ballet music.
Robert William Elliston | Life
"The Frozen Deep" was first performed at Tavistock House at a dress rehearsal on 5 January 1857 for an audience of servants and local tradespeople. Other performances were held on 6, 8, 12 and 14 January for audiences of about 90 people at each performance. These audiences were made up of friends of Dickens and Collins, including members of Parliament, judges, and government ministers. Dickens had Tavistock House's large schoolroom converted into what he billed as "The Smallest Theatre in the World". The first performance at this improvised theatre was the burlesque "Guy Fawkes" by Alfred Smith, held to celebrate Twelfth Night.
Tavistock House | History
She wrote, under her pen name "Mrs Aria": "There were no less than ninety frocks altogether". Collins "superintended the first command performance [at Drury Lane] (in 1911), and signalled his surprise marriage to the beautiful Jette Thom of Los Angeles with the laconic cable from California, 'Bringing home winsome bride'." Mrs. Aria remembered that Collins enjoyed spending time in the country playing "croquet until it is time for billiards or bridge, and bridge or billiards until it is time for croquet again". Horace wrote: "[O]ut of the many productions at Drury Lane during Arthur's regime there was only one real failure.
Arthur Collins (theatre manager) | Career
He also took up an engagement at his father-in-law's theatre in Exeter. There was no Christmas 1801 or Easter 1802 pantomime at Drury Lane, and Kemble noticed a reduction in his theatre's audiences. Grimaldi began to appear in provincial theatres, with the first appearance being in Rochester, Kent, in 1801. In March 1802, he returned to Kent where he performed in pantomime, earning £300 for two days work. His dismissal from Drury Lane was short-lived, and he was reinstated within a few months in a revival of "Harlequin Amulet".
Joseph Grimaldi | Last years at Drury Lane
The first performance under Garrick and Lacy's management opened with an "Ode to Drury Lane Theatre, on dedicating a Building and erecting a Statue, to Shakespeare" read by Garrick and written by his friend, Dr Johnson. The ode promised the patrons that "The drama's law the drama's patrons give,/For we that live to please must please to live." Certainly this statement could be regarded as succinctly summing up Garrick's management at Drury Lane where he was able to balance both artistic integrity and the fickle tastes of the public. After the Woffington affair there were a number of botched love affairs, including possibly fathering a son with Jane Green.
David Garrick | Drury Lane
The plays below were produced at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, unless otherwise stated. The dates given are of first known performance. "Bulls and Bears", a farce performed at Drury Lane on 2 December 1715, was attributed to Cibber but was never published. "The Dramatic Works of Colley Cibber, Esq." (London, 1777) includes a play called "Flora, or Hob in the Well", but it is not by Cibber. "Hob, or the Country Wake. A Farce. By Mr. Doggett" was attributed to Cibber by William Chetwood in his "General History of the Stage" (1749), but John Genest in "Some Account of the English Stage" (1832) thought it was by Thomas Doggett.
Colley Cibber | Plays
On 15 October 1773, in his character of Belcour in "The West Indian", Lewis made his first appearance at Covent Garden Theatre, where he was well received. He remained there for the rest of his career, with excursions to Liverpool in the summers of 1776 and 1777, to Birmingham in 1779, and to Dublin in 1806. When in 1782 he became deputy-manager of Covent Garden, he practically restricted himself to comic and familiar parts.
William Thomas Lewis | On the London stage
From this house he migrated to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, where he was first seen, 6 October 1813, as Vortex in "A Cure for the Heartache". He remained at Drury Lane until his retirement in 1833, filling up his summer vacations at the Haymarket Theatre, the Lyceum and other houses. At Drury Lane, where he was in the receipt of seven pounds a week, he was frequently the substitute for Joseph Shepherd Munden, William Dowton, Daniel Terry and Charles Mathews, to none of whom, however, was he equal in talent. On 21 August 1815 he took the part of the justice of the village in "The Maid and the Magpie" at the Lyceum Theatre.
Henry Gattie | Career
Extract from 'Nicholas Nickleby' "They groped their way through a dark passage, and, descending a step or two, threaded a little maze of canvas screens and paintpots, and emerged upon the stage of the Portsmouth Theatre. 'Here we are,' said Mr Crummles. It was not very light, but Nicholas found himself close to the first entrance on the prompt side, among bare walls, dusty scenes, mildewed clouds, heavily daubed draperies, and dirty floors. He looked about him; ceiling, pit, boxes, gallery, orchestra, fittings, and decorations of every kind,--all looked coarse, cold, gloomy, and wretched. 'Is this a theatre?' whispered Smike, in amazement; 'I thought it was a blaze of light and finery.' 'Why, so it is,' replied Nicholas, hardly less surprised; 'but not by day, Smike—not by day.' "
New Theatre Royal | Dickens and early theatre in Portsmouth
For about ten years (with the exception of 1873, when they were touring abroad) they were regulars in the annual Christmas pantomime at Drury Lane, including "Humpty Dumpty" (1868); "Beauty and the Beast! or, Harlequin and Old Mother Bunch" (1869); "The Dragon of Wantley; or, Harlequin or Old Mother Shipton" (1870); King Arthur in "Tom Thumb: or, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" (1871); Sir Rowland in "Children in the Wood" (1872); Abanazar in "Aladdin or Harlequin and the Wonderful Lamp" (1874); "Dick Whittington" (1875); "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (1876); "The White Cat" (1877); Baron Pumpernickel in "Cinderella" (1878) in which he was required to talk and sing, with less success than his dancing.
Fred Vokes | Theatrical career
He was born in Skinner's Row, Dublin, the son of a silversmith, to whose business he was brought up. He took over the business but was not successful. His first appearance on the stage was at the Theatre Royal, Smock Alley, Dublin, on the 5 February 1744, and his engagement at once increased its prosperity. His first London appearance was made in 1746 as Othello at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Here his talents were speedily recognized, and in "Hamlet" and "Macbeth" he alternated with David Garrick, arousing the latter's jealousy by his success as Romeo. This resulted in his leaving Drury Lane for the Covent Garden Theatre in 1750, accompanied by Mrs Cibber, his Juliet.
Spranger Barry | Life
On Boxing Day 1781, Grimaldi took the part of Little Clown in the pantomime "The Triumph of Mirth; or, Harlequin's Wedding" at Drury Lane. It was a success for him personally, and the pantomime enjoyed an extended run until March 1782. As a result of his performance, he received further work offers from the management and became an established juvenile performer at Drury Lane. At the same time, he was a prolific performer at Sadler's Wells where he played a host of minor roles, including monkeys, imps, fairies and demons. The Drury Lane season ran every year from September to late spring, with Sadler's Wells playing from 15 April to the second week in October.
Joseph Grimaldi | Early years at Sadler's Wells and Drury Lane
Dibdin was prompter and pantomime writer at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane until 1816, when he took over the Surrey Theatre. This venture proved disastrous, and he became bankrupt. After this, he was manager of the Haymarket Theatre, but without his old success, and his last years were passed in comparative poverty. In 1827 he published two volumes of "Reminiscences"; and at the time of his death he was preparing an edition of his father's sea songs, for which a small sum was allowed him weekly by the Lords of the Admiralty. Of his own songs, "The Oak Table" and "The Snug Little Island" were popular at the time.
Thomas John Dibdin | Life
The new playhouse, architect unknown, opened on 7 May 1663 and was known from the placement of the entrance as the "Theatre Royal in Bridges Street." It went by other names as well, including the "King's Playhouse." The building was a three-tiered wooden structure, long and wide; it could hold an audience of 700. Set well back from the broader streets, the theatre was accessed by narrow passages between surrounding buildings. The King himself frequently attended the theatre's productions, as did Samuel Pepys, whose private diaries provide much of what we know of London theatre-going in the 1660s. The day after the Theatre Royal opened, Pepys attended a performance of Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher's "The Humorous Lieutenant".
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | First theatre: Theatre Royal, Bridges Street (1663)
In April 1889 Little Tich briefly returned to London to star at the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square where he was poorly received by audiences. As a result, the manager of the theatre reduced the comedian's wages to £6 a week. The experience left him bitter towards the English entertainment industry and he returned to America to appear in a new production for the Chicago State Opera. The production, "Bluebeard Junior", was not as successful as its predecessor, but toured for seven months. Despite his bad reviews back in England, Little Tich began to feel homesick and he was allowed to return home a few months short of his contract expiration.
Little Tich | American success
In 1786–7 Wroughton disappeared from the bills, his parts at Covent Garden being assigned to Farren, and on 29 September 1787, as Douglas in ‘Percy,’ he made his first appearance at Drury Lane. For the time being he replaced John Palmer (1742?–1798), but he practically remained at Drury Lane for the rest of his career. He played with the Drury Lane company at the Haymarket in 1792–3 Charles Surface, Clerimont, and other parts, and at Drury Lane enlarged his repertory by many new characters, including the Ghost in ‘Hamlet’ and Hamlet himself, King in ‘Henry IV’ and in ‘Richard III,’ Antonio in ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ the Stranger in ‘Douglas,’ Leontes, Jaques, Careless in ‘The Double Dealer,’ Jaques, Tullus Aufidius, Macduff, Moody in ‘Country Girl,’ Sciolto, Belarius, Kent and Edgar in ‘Lear,’ Sir Peter Teazle, and Leonato.
Richard Wroughton | Acting at Drury Lane
Early stage appearances included "The Mental Athletes" at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith (1922); Jim Hawkins in matinee performances of "Treasure Island" at the Strand Theatre (1923), and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (1924). In 1925 he appeared in "a dull and stodgy production" of Dryden's "The Assignation" at the Aldwych Theatre, in the same year touring in the musical romance "Derby Day". In 1927 he appeared alongside John Gielgud in "The Great God Brown" at the Strand Theatre, while in 1928 he played Taya in "Contraband" at the Q Theatre. In 1936 he appeared in Ivor Novello's "Careless Rapture" at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and in 1938 he acted in "Heaven and Charing Cross" at the St Martin's Theatre and in "The Ascent of F6" at The Old Vic.
Frederick Peisley | Theatre
In 1863, his first professional play, "Uncle Baby", premièred. In 1867, he presented his Christmas pantomime, called "Harlequin Cock Robin and Jenny Wren", and in 1884, he produced the drama "Comedy and Tragedy". In 1889, the world's finest Italian dramatic tenor, Francesco Tamagno, appeared at the Lyceum, singing the leading role in the first London production of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Otello".
Lyceum Theatre, London | Present site
During this time, entertainments were varied; opera and ballet were presented, but not exclusively. Kemble engaged a variety of acts, including the child performer "Master Betty"; the great clown Joseph Grimaldi made his name at Covent Garden. Many famous actors of the day appeared at the theatre, including the tragediennes Sarah Siddons and Eliza O'Neill, the Shakespearean actors William Charles Macready, Edmund Kean and his son Charles. On 25 March 1833 Edmund Kean collapsed on stage while playing Othello, and died two months later. In 1806, the pantomime clown Joseph Grimaldi ("The Garrick of Clowns") had performed his greatest success in "Harlequin and Mother Goose; or the Golden Egg" at Covent Garden, and this was subsequently revived, at the new theatre.
Royal Opera House | Second theatre
After another brief migration to the Haymarket, followed by a new return to Drury Lane, he quitted definitely the latter theatre, 1715–16, for Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he remained till 1726. He was the original Clincher in Farquhar's "The Constant Couple" (1699), Boniface in "The Beaux' Stratagem" (1707), and Sir Francis Courtall in Tavener's "The Artful Wife" (1717). In 1719 he appeared in "Kensington Gardens" by John Leigh. His death is said to have taken place on 18 June 1733, a date which has been accepted by most subsequent writers. He had a benefit, however, at Covent Garden on 6 January 1739, described on the bills as 'his first appearance on the stage for six years,' when he played Dominic in Dryden's "Spanish Fryar." In his address to the public he pleaded his great age, upwards of threescore and twelve, as a reason for indulgence.
William Bullock (actor) | Life
He also mastered dancing in big boots. In November 1884 he changed his stage name for the third time to Little Tich, which derived from Tichborne, and "Tich" or "Tichy" became a common term meaning small. His reasoning for the name change was to capitalise on the release of the Tichborne claimant fraudster Arthur Orton who was then touring the British Isles in the hope of reopening the case. The change of name also coincided with the signing of a new agent who was known in London for being "one of the brightest and youngest in [show]business". The agent, Edward Colley (1859–1889), was equally thrilled with the acquisition of a new star and secured him a double engagement at the Marylebone Music Hall where he appeared as "Little Titch, The Most Curious Comique in Creation" and immediately after at the Forester's Music Hall, where he was billed as "Little Titch, the Funny Little Nigger".
Little Tich | Early London engagements
Born in Tirawley, on the Mayo–Sligo border, Owenson established a National Theatre Music Hall at Fishamble Street, Dublin, the theatre where Handel's Messiah had been first performed in 1742. Here plays and songs were performed in English and in Irish. Owenson was introduced as an actor by Oliver Goldsmith and David Garrick; he had his London debut at Covent Garden in 1774. He opened his Dublin theatre at Fishamble Street in 1785. Owenson's elder daughter, the novelist Sydney, Lady Morgan wrote of his theatre: "The National Theatre Music Hall": ‘The first performance [of the National Theatre at Fishamble St.] was to be altogether national, that is, Irish, and very Irish it was.
Robert Owenson | Career
The first Theatre Royal housed the plays of George Farquhar (The Recruiting Officer/The Beaux Stratagem), Oliver Goldsmith (She Stoops to Conquer) and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, son of Thomas Sheridan (The Rivals/School for Scandal). It was here that the stars of world theatre appeared to much acclaim such as Peg Woffington, Thomas Sheridan, Spranger Barry and Charles Macklin. It was on the stage of Smock Alley Theatre that David Garrick, the greatest actor of the 18th century, first played Hamlet. It was the first time Hamlet had ever been staged in Ireland and some 3,000 customer clambered to get one of only 300 tickets.
Smock Alley Theatre | Legacy
Two playbills show that in the same year he was at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 2 January, and at the Royal Pavilion, Whitechapel Road on 18 February. On 7 July 1828 he was performing at Vauxhall Gardens. His name appears in advertisements in the Times of 1828: he was performing at Sadlers Wells on 24 November, at the Adelphi Theatre and Sadlers Wells on the same night of 26 November, and at Sadlers Wells again on 1 December. On 15 September 1830 he performed for royalty at the Brighton Pavilion. On 13 February 1832 he was playing outside London, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon.
Ching Lau Lauro | Appearances
He began his theatre career by diverting the audience with a few tricks between plays, but by 1834 he was providing the whole programme at Wolverhampton's Assembly Rooms. These were on the first floor of the , built 1829 in Queen Street. The performance was in three parts. In Part I he demonstrated the Chest of Archimedes and the Column of Rosbach. These were entertaining pieces of mechanical apparatus previously shown at the Cabinet of curiosities in Paris. This was followed by numerous illusions, including A Game at Whist, Time Flies, The Wax Candles Enchanted, Elephant of Knowledge, Vulcan's Forge, Miraculous Printing, Flying Watch, Magic Bottle, Apples of Beelzebub, Magic Eggs and Loyal Metamorphose.
Ching Lau Lauro | His act
Suett remained at Drury Lane until his death, although he appeared each summer down to 1803 at the Haymarket.
Richard &quot;Dicky&quot; Suett | Later career
In 1903 Randall appeared for the first time at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in "Humpty Dumpty", as "second Dame" supporting Leno, who was in poor health. Campbell was also in the production. After Leno and Campbell's deaths in 1904, Randall continued for several more years at Drury Lane, in the role of Dame. In 1905 he travelled to Colwyn Bay, Wales, where he appeared on the Victoria Pier in a short sketch entitled "The Plumber". The "Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald" reported that his performance provided the audience with "a thrilling experience" who rewarded the comedian by "clapping so hard that the building rang with loud applause".
Harry Randall (actor) | Later years
Another money-saving plan was to stop renting properties in London and secure a mortgage on a small house instead. To avoid speculation about his affair with Winifred, he decided to remain at Bedford Court Mansions, and bought a newly built house in Shirehall Park, Hendon, North-West London in September 1925 for Winifred and Mary to move into. Soon after, he embarked on a successful tour of Europe which culminated at Christmas the same year. He returned to London and took part in a Christmas benefit at the London Coliseum, where he performed the Big-Boot Dance. The performance was by then proving too strenuous for the 58-year-old comedian, and he decided to retire it that year.
Little Tich | Last years and death
It was performed before George III at Covent Garden on his first visit to the theater after his illness, on 18 October 1789. He wrote two pieces with Miles Peter Andrews. His play, "The Caravan, or the Driver and his Dog", was performed at Drury Lane, with the introduction of a live dog that was trained to save a child from drowning by leaping from a rock and plunging into real water. It is still remembered through a jest of Sheridan, who burst into the greenroom, when the success of the play was established, with the shout of inquiry, "Where is he, my guardian angel?" The answer was made, "The author has just retired," but Sheridan replied, "Pooh! I mean the dog-actor, author and preserver of Drury Lane Theatre." Lord Byron took a swipe at Reynolds in "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers," where he says: "Where Reynolds vents his 'dammes!' 'poohs!' and 'zounds!' / And common-place and common sense confounds."
Frederic Reynolds | Plays
Theophilus Cibber was born during the Great Storm of 1703 and began acting in the Drury Lane Theatre at the age of 16 in 1721. As a young man, Cibber was a notorious rake, and associated with young men of a similar mind and reputation, such as the Duke of Wharton. As the son of Catherine and Colley Cibber, one of the theatre's managers, Theophilus became involved in the management of Drury Lane. In 1723, he became manager of the summer season, and in 1727 became assistant manager during the regular season. In 1732, one of the managers, Barton Booth, sold his share to John Highmore, and another of the managers, Robert Wilks, fell ill and died.
Theophilus Cibber | Early life and career
In 1873, at the Strand Theatre, he appeared as Doricourt in the comedy "The Belle's Stratagem", which was a long-running success. He then returned to Drury Lane, playing in such roles as Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet", and was popular as Captain Molyneux in Dion Boucicault's "The Shaughraun", among others. He continued to play in various London theatres in the mid-1870s such roles as Julian Peveril in a successful adaptation of "Peveril of the Peak" and the title role in the stage adaptation of "Nicholas Nickleby" at the Adelphi Theatre. In 1878 he had a hit as Squire Thornhill in "Olivia", an adaptation by W.
William Terriss | Life and early career
For most of that time, it was one of a handful of patent theatres, granted monopoly rights to the production of "legitimate" drama in London (meaning spoken plays, rather than opera, dance, concerts, or plays with music). The first theatre on the site was built at the behest of Thomas Killigrew in the early 1660s, when theatres were allowed to reopen during the English Restoration. Initially known as "Theatre Royal in Bridges Street", the theatre's proprietors hired prominent actors who performed at the theatre on a regular basis, including Nell Gwyn and Charles Hart. In 1672, the theatre caught fire and Killigrew built a larger theatre on the same plot, renamed the "Theatre Royal in Drury Lane"; it opened in 1674.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | Introduction
He took the title role in "Selima and Azor", Linley's first opera.
Joseph Vernon | Return to Drury Lane
He then appeared at Edinburgh before making his London debut on 7 November 1818 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, where he remained until 1824/25. Through his marriage he was related to the Robertsons who ran the Lincoln and Stamford theatrical circuits, it was not long before he was able to take productions on tour. James Rodwell, who was the lessee of the Adelphi Theatre, died in 1824 or 1825, and the lease passed to his brother George Herbert Buonaparte Rodwell; it then came on the market, and Yates with Daniel Terry bought it, at a price of £30,000. They opened it on 10 October 1825 with "Killigrew", for which they both were in the cast: it included also Benjamin Wrench, John Reeve, and Fanny Elizabeth Fitzwilliam.
Frederick Henry Yates | Life
With Blanche, Littler started a theatrical career in 1927, assembling small companies for provincial tours. After a stint as resident manager of his parents' theatre in Woolwich, he became an independent theatre owner in 1931, buying two theatres in Leicester. The following year he married a widow, Annie Leonora Maclachlan, an actress, professionally known as Norah Delaney. There were no children of the marriage. Over the following years he bought theatres in Manchester and Norwich. His first London productions were pantomimes at the Coliseum, the Prince's, and Drury Lane. Littler's West End shows included "Glamorous Night" (1936), "Brigadoon" (1950); "Carousel", (1951); "Guys and Dolls" (1953, "Can-Can" (1954), "The Black and White Minstrel Show" and "Fiddler on the Roof " (both 1966).
Prince Littler | Life and career
His first play to be performed, "Friends", was put on at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin in 1917. Subsequently, he had several plays performed in London. He was better known for his revues than for his "straight" plays, however. These included: "Spread It Abroad", "The Two Bouquets", "Nine Sharp", "Little Revue", "Diversion" and "Light and Shade". He is credited with discovering Joyce Grenfell, whose first stage appearance was in "Light and Shade". In 1938, he joined the management of the Little Theatre in London, and his revues were performed there. His songs included "I've danced with a man, who's danced with a girl, who's danced with the Prince of Wales".
Herbert Farjeon | Career
During the 20th century, one illustration was repeatedly – and wrongly – published as "Christopher Wren, design for the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, 1674". Since 1964, this presumption has been disputed by scholars. Careful inspection of the drawing at All Souls' College, Oxford Library shows that it has one pencil inscription: "Play house" , which may have been added by a librarian or by anyone else. No sign of a signature (by Wren or anyone else) or a date appears anywhere on the drawing. Robert D. Hume of Penn State University explained that use of the drawing "rests almost entirely on the "supposition" that the so-called "Wren section" at All Souls represents this theatre.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | Second theatre: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (1674)
From 1868 to 1879 (with the exception of 1873, when they were touring abroad) the family were regular performers in the annual pantomime at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane under the management of F. B. Chatterton until the new manager Augustus Harris found them to be too old-fashioned having never updated their dancing routines and too demanding, while they considered him a tyrant.
Vokes family | History
Additionally three rooms were provided for scripts, including a library for their storage, a separate room for copying actors' parts and a special library for the theatre's account books, ledger books and music scores. This jumble of rooms often made communication among various departments difficult, a problem that Garrick corrected during his tenure as manager. The entire complex occupied bounded by Drury Lane (east), Brydges Street (west), Great Russell Street (north) and Little Russell Street (south).
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | Second theatre: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (1674)
In 1732 they both moved to the Goodman's Fields Theatre. Two years later she returned to Drury Lane making her final performance in 1737.
Sarah Thurmond | Life
In 1766 he published anonymously "Thespis; or, A Critical Examination into the Merits of All the Principal Performers belonging to Drury Lane Theatre", a poem in the heroic couplet containing violent attacks on the principal contemporary actors and actresses. The poem opens with a panegyric on David Garrick, however, and bestows foolish praise on friends of the writer. This satire was partly inspired by Churchill's "Rosciad", but its criticism is obviously dictated chiefly by personal prejudice. In 1767 he produced a second part, less scurrilous in tone, dealing with the Covent Garden actors. This part includes some genuine praise, including that of Mary Wilford (later Mary Bulkley) "blest with a person wholly without fault." In 1767 he published "Memoirs of a Magdalen" a novel which enjoyed considerable success.
Hugh Kelly (poet) | First success
He again appeared anonymously as 'A Young Gentleman who played Romeo' when he appeared as Dorilas in "Mérope" in January 1973. When he and Miss Mansell shared a benefit performance in May 1773 he played Moneses in "Tamerlane". In his diary the theatre's prompter William Hopkins wrote of Dimond 'He is very younge a Smart Figure good Voice and made a very tolerable first appearance he met with great applause'. While remaining at Drury Lane for the rest of the season he only appeared on stage for five more nights. While in Canterbury in the summer of 1773 Dimond took on a managerial role at the "Theatre over the butter market" before returning to Drury Lane to appear in minor roles in Garrick's company during the 1773–4 season, his most successful roles being Rovewell in Shadwell's "The Fair Quaker", Radwell in "A Christmas Tale", Lorenzo in "The Heroine of the Cave" and The Dauphin in "King John".
William Wyatt Dimond | Early career
He was born in London, and appeared as a youthful amateur at Drury Lane as James in "The Miller's Maid". He appeared at Nottingham in 1836, and acted in London, on 26 September of that year, in the "Haunted Tower". Afterward, he acted in various English cities, especially in Manchester. His first appearance in America was in August, 1850, as Sir Peter Teazle at the old Broadway Theatre, New York; later he supported many well-known actors in the metropolis and elsewhere, among them Edwin Forrest, Gustavus V. Brooke, Julia Dean, Lola Montez, and Fanny Davenport. After leaving the old Broadway Theatre in 1855, he made a tour through the country.
William Pleater Davidge | Biography
He made his first appearance at Drury Lane in November 1820, as "Romeo", and "was well received". Subsequent roles at Drury Lane included: "Antony" in "Julius Caesar", "Tullus Aufidius" in "Coriolanus", "Joseph" in "The School for Scandal", "Richmond" in "Richard III", and "Iago" in "Othello".
John Cooper (actor) | Drury Lane
The first public performance of opera in the new theatre took place on 26 January 1793, the dispute with the Lord Chamberlain over the licence having been settled. This theatre was, at that time, the largest in England, and it became the home of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane company while that company's home theatre was itself rebuilt between 1791–94. From 1793, seven small houses at the east side of the theatre fronting on the Haymarket were demolished and replaced by a large concert room. It was in this room that Joseph Haydn gave a series of concerts, under the sponsorship of Johann Peter Salomon, on his second visit to London in 1794–95.
Her Majesty's Theatre | William Taylor
"The Prior Claim", produced at Drury Lane in 1805, was a comedy written in conjunction with Henry James Pye. "Man and Wife, or More Secrets than One", a comedy produced at Drury Lane in 1809, was performed thirty times. In 1809 Arnold obtained from the Lord Chamberlain a license to open the Lyceum in the Strand as an English opera house. The building was previously devoted to subscription concerts, picture exhibitions, feats of horsemanship and conjuring. Upon the destruction of the Drury Lane Theatre by fire in the same year, the Drury Lane Company moved to the Lyceum, and remained there for three seasons.
Samuel James Arnold | Life
Harley remained for twenty years at Drury Lane, with occasional summer excursions to the provinces and engagements at the Lyceum Theatre, where he for some time was stage-manager.
John Pritt Harley | Early years
He made his first appearance at the York Theatre Royal in St Leonard's Place, York, England. After playing minor roles in several provincial engagements, he began performing leading characters as Cardinal Richelieu, Sir Edward Mortimer, Claude Melnotte, and Young Norval. He made his London début in 1852 at the Princess's Theatre. On February 21, 1863, at St Peter's Church, Eaton Square, he married the former child actress, English-born Jane Elizabeth Thompson who, appearing as an adult under the name Mrs. Charles Young, had made a reputation as an actress both in Australia and in England. They appeared in many plays with together until her death in 1902.
Hermann Vezin | Life and work
He had also mastered a quick change into the novelty footwear which he could perform in minutes. One stage director became concerned that the pause was too long for the audience to wait, and he threw the boots onto the stage causing the star to run back out in front of the waiting audience to put the boots on in front of them. While he did this, the orchestra provided an accompaniment of "till ready" music. For the audience, this provided much hilarity and they assumed it was part of the act. The unintentional sketch was "an instant hit" and the comedian incorporated this into his future Big-Boot Dance routine.
Little Tich | American success
At the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane he was the first Basil Firebrace in Douglas Jerrold's "Prisoner of War." He was also seen as Othello, Iago, Cassio and others. In 1846 he left for America, and cannily published his diary for 1847 on his return. On Boxing Day 1849, as manager of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, he opened with the "Merchant of Venice". Among the pieces he produced was a play by Beaumont and Fletcher, Schiller's "Fiesco", Dion Boucicault's "Queen of Spades", and he played the main part in Maria Ann Lovell's "Ingomar the Barbarian". In 1851 he retired from management, citing the postponement of the Great Exhibition and his losses which ran to thousands of pounds.
James Robertson Anderson | Life
Having quarrelled with the management of Covent Garden on a question of terms, Terry made his first appearance at Drury Lane, 16 October 1822, speaking an occasional address by Colman and playing Sir Peter. At the Haymarket, 7 July, he was the first Admiral Franklin in James Kenney's "Sweethearts and Wives", and on 27 September the first Dr. Primrose in a new adaptation by T. Dibdin of the "Vicar of Wakefield". The season 1823–4 at Drury Lane saw him as Bartolo in "Fazio", Lord Sands, Menenius in "Coriolanus", and as the first Antony Foster in a version of "Kenilworth", 5 January 1824, and the following season as Orozembo in "Pizarro", Justice Woodcock in "Love in a Village", Adam in "As you like it", Moustache in "Henri Quatre", Hubert in "King John", and Rochfort in an alteration of the "Fatal Dowry".
Daniel Terry | Move to Drury Lane
When KADS mounted their first production there the stage was thirteen feet square with a narrow extension at the front that had been built by United States forces out of ammunition boxes. It was lit by a single bulb in each front corner. The stage crew rebuilt the stage to the full width of the auditorium but were still limited to twelve feet due to a Chancel Arch bang in the middle. The audience sat on school benches that they shuffled along until the person at the far end fell off!
Knutsford Little Theatre | History
On 4 October 1813, as Sir Abel Handy in "Speed the Plough", Munden made his first appearance at Drury Lane where, 11 March 1815, he created one of his great roles, Dozey, an old sailor, in Thomas John Dibdin's "Past Ten o'Clock and a Rainy Night". On 14 December 1815 he was Vandunke in the "Merchant of Bruges", Douglas Kinnaird's alteration of the "Beggar's Bush" of Beaumont and Fletcher. At Drury Lane he played fewer original parts of importance, the last being General Van in Edward Knight's "Veteran, or the Farmer's Sons", 23 February 1822. He had been in bad health, and took his farewell of the stage 31 May 1824, playing Sir Robert Bramble and Old Dozey, and reciting a farewell address.
Joseph Shepherd Munden | Drury Lane
The theatre was small, perhaps long and wide, and admission, compared to public theatres, expensive (apparently four pence); both these factors limited attendance at the theatre to a fairly select group of well-to-do gentry and nobles. For his playing company, Farrant combined his Windsor children with the Children of the Chapel Royal, then directed by William Hunnis. On Farrant's death in 1580, Hunnis took on John Newman as a partner and they subleased the property from Farrant's widow, putting up a £100 bond on the promise to promptly pay the rent and to make needed repairs. But the venture did not go well financially, which put Farrant's widow in jeopardy of defaulting on the rent to More.
Blackfriars Theatre | First theatre
In the summer he played with William Penkethman at Greenwich, taking characters of importance. During 1710–12 he remained at Drury Lane. In 1712 Elrington was engaged by Joseph Ashbury, the manager of the Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, at which house he appeared, taking from the first leading parts in tragedy and comedy — "The History of Timon of Athens the Man-hater" in Thomas Shadwell's alteration of Shakespeare, Colonel Blunt in Sir Robert Howard's "The Committee, or the Faithful Irishman", Lord Townly in "The Provoked Husband" etc. In 1713 Elrington married Francis (born 1679), daughter of Ashbury, after whose death he succeeded to the management of the theatre.
Thomas Elrington (actor) | Biography
His chief love, however, was the theatre. He appeared as an amateur in Hull, singing and reciting at temperance concerts, and performing in music halls and drawing room entertainments, playing the piano and singing his own songs. Through the influence of a local businessman, Albert Rollit, he secured an engagement with William and Madge Kendal at the Court Theatre in London. He made his first professional stage appearance there at age 30, in April 1879, as Sandy in "The Queen's Shilling".
Brandon Thomas | Early years
While his first appearance was unsuccessful, it is noted that this production was produced illegally under the Licensing Act of 1737 which forbade the production of plays by theatres not holding letters patent or the production of plays not approved by the Lord Chamberlain. In order to skirt this law, the Haymarket Theatre held musical concerts with plays included "gratis". Following his unsuccessful London appearance, Foote spent the summer season in Dublin at the Theatre Royal, Smock Alley where he found his first success. Returning to England, he joined the company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane which at that time included such noted actors as Peg Woffington, David Garrick and Spranger Barry.
Samuel Foote | Initial theatrical ventures
His London West End shows include e.g. Sir John Gielgud’s production of The Gay Lord Quex with Judi Dench, and Me And My Girl at the Apollo Theatre. In London too, he performed his cabaret act featuring the songs of Noël Coward, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and many others of that period, at The Ritz, The Dorchester and Claridges Hotel. His overseas work includes the recital programme Remembrance for Shakespeare in the US with Princess Grace of Monaco, which was also presented in London six months later in the presence of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and a year in Paris with Roland Petit and his wife Zizi Jeanmaire in their revue Zizi, Je T’Aime! at Le Casino de Paris.
British Theatre Playhouse | Founding history
In 1812 Holman and his daughter Amelia performed at the Theatre-Royal, Covent Garden and then performed opposite each other in the provinces. Both were at the Georgian Theatre, Wisbech (now the Angles Theatre) run by Thomas Shaftoe Robertson in April, 1812. On 8th he played Rolla in Kotzebue's Pizarro, on 10th Othello in Shakespeare's play and on 11th (their last night) Macbeth in Macbeth, King of Scotland. The handbills for these plays are amongst the hundreds held in the collection of the Wisbech & Fenland Museum.
Joseph George Holman | Later life
In 1831 he played leading characters under Robert William Elliston at the Surrey Theatre, where he won great popularity. In 1832 he was with Joseph Grimaldi at Sadler's Wells, playing Tom Tuck in Andrew V. Campbell's nautical drama "The Battle of Trafalgar", in which he made a great hit with S. C. Neukomm's song "The Sea". At this theatre in 1831 he sustained the part of Captain Cannonade in John Barnett's opera, "The Pet of the Petticoats". On 3 November 1831 at Drury Lane, he played Giacomo in Auber's "Fra Diavolo", its first production in England. He afterwards fulfilled important engagements at Drury Lane, the Lyceum, and Covent Garden.
Edwin Ransford | Biography
After these performances he became well-known performer in music halls in the capital. One of his most popular songs was "I'm the Ghost of John James Christopher Benjamin Binns". Randall's first provincial tour came in 1886, and he made his pantomime debut the same year at the Theatre Royal, Birmingham as "Will Atkins" in "Robinson Crusoe". He became a popular pantomime dame at the Grand Theatre, Islington, where he appeared in shows including "Old Mother Hubbard" and "Dick Whittington"; he played there for ten consecutive years from 1891.
Harry Randall (actor) | Early life
With the Vokes Family he performed at music halls and at pantomimes both for British and American theatre-goers. They made their début on Christmas night in 1861 at Howard's Operetta House in Edinburgh and made their London début at the Alhambra Theatre in 1862 when they were billed as 'The Five Little Vokes'. They appeared at the Lyceum Theatre in London on 26 December 26 1868 in Edward Litt Laman Blanchard's pantomime "Humpty Dumpty". Early in their career, at the Lyceum Theatre in London, they danced in W. S. Gilbert's pantomime "Harlequin Cock Robin and Jenny Wren". With the Vokes Family he first appeared as Wiggins in the popular "The Belles of the Kitchen" on 27 February 1869 at the Standard Theatre in London.
Fawdon Vokes | The Vokes Family
The first was a play styled "A Picture in 3 Parts", with incidental music by Arthur Bruhns and was first produced at the Prince of Wales Theatre, opening on 15 May 1900 and running for 60 performances. It starred Martin Harvey and nine-year-old Phyllis Dare. The piece was transferred to the Coronet Theatre that summer. There was also a Broadway run in 1900. It was revived at Terry's Theatre in January 1903, playing for 16 performances, and again at Terry's in early 1904, for 31 more performances. The play was also revived at the Adelphi Theatre in September 1908, playing for seven performances.
Ib and Little Christina | Play
Born about 1706, he played in Henry Fielding's "Pasquin" at the Haymarket when it was first performed. In 1737–9, at Covent Garden, he was seen in a number of parts. On 4 September 1739 he appeared at Drury Lane as Jeremy in "Love for Love", and played other comic parts. At Goodman's Fields he appeared on 18 October 1740 as Antonio in "Venice Preserved", playing further parts during the season. For his benefit and that of Mrs. Elizabeth Yates, his first wife (about whom little is known) who played at this time small parts such as Emilia in "The Winter's Tale", and was the Duchess of York on David Garrick's first appearance on the stage, he attempted Lovegold in "The Miser", in the style of Benjamin Griffin.
Richard Yates (actor) | Life
To show his appreciation for the record profits and huge audience attendances, Pastor presented Little Tich with a gold medal and a rare white Bohemian Shepherd dog which the comedian called Cheri. Little Tich's success under Pastor brought him to the attention of the Chicago State Opera Company, who secured him on a two-year contract for a fee of $150 a week. Before the contract commenced, he was allowed to travel back to England where he honoured a pantomime commitment by appearing in "Dick Whittington" at the Theatre Royal in Brighton. In the piece he took the billing of "Tiny Titch" and played the Emperor Muley.
Little Tich | American success