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Robert Henry Wyndham
Robert Henry Wyndham (8 April 1814 – 16 December 1894) was a British actor-manager. From 1851 to 1875 he was actor-manager in Edinburgh, where notable plays of the day were performed and where Henry Irving's early career took place. Early career Wyndham was born in Dublin in 1814. He made his first stage appearance in Salisbury in 1836, paying the theatre manager so he could play the long-studied role of Norval in ''Douglas''. Six years later he played Romeo at Birmingham to the Juliet of Ellen Tree, and subsequently was seen at the Tuileries Garden before Louis Philippe I as Colonel Freelove in ''A Day after the Wedding''. During 1844 he appeared at the Adelphi, Glasgow, and next year he fulfilled his ambition of making a prominent debut at Edinburgh (filling the place vacated by Leigh Murray who moved to London): he appeared as Sir Thomas Clifford in '' The Hunchback'' by Sheridan Knowles to the Julia of Helen Faucit at the Theatre Royal, and made a favourable impression. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Watson Gordon
Sir John Watson Gordon (1788 – 1 June 1864) was a Scottish portrait painter and president of the Royal Scottish Academy. Life and work Gordon was born John Watson in Edinburgh, the eldest son of Captain Watson, R.A., a cadet of the family of Watson of Overmains, in the county of Berwick. He was educated specifically to prepare him for enrolling in the Royal Engineers. He entered as a student in the government school of design, under the management of the Board of Manufactures. he showed a natural aptitude for art, and his father was persuaded to allow him to adopt it as his profession. Captain Watson was himself a skilful draughtsman, and his brother George Watson, afterwards president of the Royal Scottish Academy, was a highly respected portrait painter, second only to Sir Henry Raeburn, who was a friend of the family. In 1808 Gordon exhibited a picture "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" at the Lyceum in Nicolson Street, Edinburgh – the first public exhibition of paintings ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, ''Macbeth'' most clearly reflects his relationship with King James, patron of Shakespeare's acting company. It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy. A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. Forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy'', ''Waverley'', ''Old Mortality'', '' The Heart of Mid-Lothian'' and ''The Bride of Lammermoor'', and the narrative poems '' The Lady of the Lake'' and '' Marmion''. He had a major impact on European and American literature. As an advocate, judge and legal administrator by profession, he combined writing and editing with daily work as Clerk of Session and Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire. He was prominent in Edinburgh's Tory establishment, active in the Highland Society, long a president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1820–1832), and a vice president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1827–1829). His knowledge of history and literary facility equipped him to establish the historical novel genre as an exemplar of Europ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Octoroon
''The Octoroon'' is a play by Dion Boucicault that opened in 1859 at The Winter Garden Theatre, New York City. Extremely popular, the play was kept running continuously for years by seven road companies. Among antebellum melodramas, it was considered second in popularity only to ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852). Boucicault adapted the play from the novel ''The Quadroon'' by Thomas Mayne Reid (1856). It concerns the residents of a Louisiana plantation called Terrebonne, and sparked debates about the abolition of slavery and the role of theatre in politics. It contains elements of Romanticism and melodrama. The word octoroon signifies a person of one-eighth African ancestry. In comparison, a quadroon would have one quarter African ancestry and a mulatto for the most part has historically implied half African ancestry. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' cites ''The Octoroon'' with the earliest record of the word "mashup" with the quote: "He don't understand; he speaks a mash up of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Colleen Bawn
''The Colleen Bawn, or The Brides of Garryowen'' is a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Laura Keene's Theatre, New York, on 27 March 1860 with Laura Keene playing Anne Chute and Boucicault playing Myles na Coppaleen. It was most recently performed in Dublin at the Project Arts Centre in July and August 2010 and in Belfast by Bruiser Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre in April 2018. Several film versions have also been made. Origins While in America, Dion explored the turmoil that was boiling up in the new nation and wrote about it. As a result of this, in 1859 he wrote, produced, and acted in a very famous antislavery play called ''The Octoroon'' (Rowell 173). He and his wife played the leads and, after the first week of runs, only earned about 1500 dollars between the two of them. Dion thought this was a bit unfair since he had done the majority of the work for the production and asked for a larger cut for both him and hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London Assurance
''London Assurance'' (originally titled ''Out of Town'') is a five-act comedy by Dion Boucicault. It was the second play that he wrote but his first to be produced. Its first production was by Charles Matthews and Madame Vestris's company and ran from 4 March 1841 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. It was Boucicault's first major success. Characters *Sir Harcourt Courtly, cultured 57-year-old fop *Charles Courtly, his dissolute son *Dazzle, Charles's equally dissolute companion *Max Harkaway, country squire *Grace Harkaway, Max's 18-year-old niece, betrothed to Sir Harcourt *Lady Gay Spanker, horse-riding virago *Mr. Adolphus "Dolly" Spanker, her ineffectual husband *Mark Meddle, lawyer *Pert, Grace's maid *Cool, Charles's valet *James (Simpson) *Martin, servant to the Courtlys *Solomon Isaacs, moneylender, in pursuit of Charles Plot Act 1 Charles and Dazzle arrive at Sir Harcourt's London home after a night on the town and manage to avoid Harcourt with Cool's help; Harco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Montagu Williams
Montagu Stephen Williams Q.C. (30 September 1835 – 23 December 1892) was an English teacher, British Army officer, actor, playwright, barrister and magistrate. Williams was educated at Eton College and started his career as a schoolmaster at Ipswich School. On the outbreak of the Crimean War he joined the Royal South Lincoln Militia, then the 96th Regiment of Foot and finally the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot, but was too late and never got to fight at Sevastopol. Instead, he spent most of his service in Dublin. In the early 1860s he wrote several farces in partnership with F. C. Burnand, He later went onto the stage and was called to the bar in 1862. In 1879 he was appointed junior Treasury counsel, retiring from the post in 1886 due to a growth on the larynx which seriously affected his voice, being succeeded by Sir Charles Willie Mathews, 1st Baronet. Williams took up a post as metropolitan stipendiary magistrate in 1886 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1888. His ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masks And Faces (play)
''Masks and Faces'' is a British historical play, historical comedy play written by Charles Reade and Tom Taylor which was first performed in 1852. It features the Irish actress Peg Woffington (1720-1760) as a major character. It proved popular, earning the writers £150.Sutherland p.530 The following year, to capitalize on the play's success Reade wrote a novel ''Peg Woffington (novel), Peg Woffington'' which was also a major hit. Adaptations The play and the subsequent novel provided inspiration for a number of films, mostly made during the silent era. These included ''Peg Woffington (1912 film), Peg Woffington'' (1912), ''Masks and Faces'' (1917) and ''Peg of Old Drury'' (1935). References Bibliography * Sutherland, John. ''The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction''. Routledge, 2014. 1852 plays British plays adapted into films Plays set in England Plays by Charles Reade Broadway plays {{1850s-play-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Honey Moon
''The Honey Moon'' is a play by John Tobin. History It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on 31 January 1805; Maria Rebecca Davison played Juliana. It opened in Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ... on 14 November 1809, with Henry Siddons playing the Duke. It was revived at Drury Lane on 30 June 1827. Plot It was set in Spain in the early 17th century. Bibliography * References {{DEFAULTSORT:Honey Moon, The 1805 plays Plays by John Tobin West End plays ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richelieu (play)
''Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy'' (generally shortened to ''Richelieu'') is an 1839 historical play by the British writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton. It portrays the life of the Seventeenth Century French statesmen Cardinal Richelieu. The play has become best known for its line "The pen is mightier than the sword", spoken by the Cardinal in Act II, Scene II. The play formed the basis of a 1935 American film ''Cardinal Richelieu'' directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring George Arliss George Arliss (born Augustus George Andrews; 10 April 1868 – 5 February 1946) was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – which he ... as Richelieu. References Bibliography * Stanton, Sarah & Banham, Martin. ''The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Theatre''. Cambridge University Press, 1996. External links * 1839 plays British plays adapted into films Biographical plays about religious ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunderland, Tyne And Wear
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the historic county of Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on the River Wear's mouth to the North Sea. The river also flows through Durham roughly south-west of Sunderland City Centre. It is the only other city in the county and the second largest settlement in the North East after Newcastle upon Tyne. Locals from the city are sometimes known as Mackems. The term originated as recently as the early 1980s; its use and acceptance by residents, particularly among the older generations, is not universal. At one time, ships built on the Wear were called "Jamies", in contrast with those from the Tyne, which were known as "Geordies", although in the case of "Jamie" it is not known whether this was ever extended to people. There were three original settlements by the River's mouth which are part of the modern-day city: Monkwearmouth, settled in 674 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Lawrence Toole
John Lawrence (J. L.) Toole (12 March 1830 – 30 July 1906) was an English comic actor, actor-manager and theatrical producer. He was famous for his roles in farce and in serio-comic melodramas, in a career that spanned more than four decades, and the first actor to have a West End theatre named after him. Life and career Toole was born in London, the younger son of James Toole and his wife, Elizabeth. His father was a messenger for the East India Company and for some years an usher at the Old Bailey, who for many years in the 1840s acted as toastmaster in the City of London.Read, Michael. "Toole, John Lawrence (1830–1906)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (2004), Oxford University Presonline edn, 2008 accessed 9 June 2008 (requires subscription) He was educated at the City of London School from 1841 to 1845, and started work as a clerk in a wine merchant's office. In 1854, Toole married Susan Hale (née Caslake), a widow five years older than he. They had a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
