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The Force Of Ridicule
''The Force of Ridicule'' is a 1796 comedy play by the British writer Thomas Holcroft. The original Drury Lane cast included John Palmer, William Barrymore, Richard Suett, Robert Palmer, Charles Kemble, John Bannister, Maria Theresa Kemble and Elizabeth Farren. According to James Boaden James Boaden (23 May 1762 – 16 February 1839) was an English biographer, dramatist, and journalist. Biographer He was the son of William Boaden, a merchant in the Russia trade. He was born at Whitehaven, Cumberland, on 23 May 1762, and at ..., the play was "perdurably damned” after its opening night and never performed again. The manuscript of the play was never published and its sources were only hinted at in Biographica Dramatica, where it was mentioned that it was believed to have been derived from French. The failure of the play was seen as so great, Holcroft did not attempt any further playwriting for another two years. References Bibliography * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Holcroft
Thomas Holcroft (10 December 174523 March 1809) was an English dramatist, miscellanist, poet and translator. He was sympathetic to the early ideas of the French Revolution and helped Thomas Paine to publish the first part of ''The Rights of Man''. Early life Holcroft was born in Orange Court, Leicester Fields, London. His father had a shoemaker's shop and kept riding horses for hire, but he fell into difficulties and was reduced to hawking as a pedlar. The son accompanied his parents on their travels. He obtained work as a stable boy at Newmarket, at the stables of Hon. Richard Vernon, where he spent his evenings chiefly on miscellaneous reading and the study of music. He gradually obtained a knowledge of French, German and Italian. When Holcroft's job at the stables came to an end, he returned to assist his father, who had resumed his trade of shoemaker in London. Around 1765, he became a teacher in a small school in Liverpool. However, he failed in an attempt to set up a pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Bannister (actor)
John Bannister (12 May 1760 – 7 November 1836), (also called 'Jack' Bannister), English actor and theatre manager. The principal source for his life are his own ''Memoirs'', and as a leading performer his career is well documented. Biography John Bannister was born at Deptford. He was the son of Charles Bannister, also an actor. He first studied to be a painter, but soon took to the stage. His first formal appearance was at the Haymarket Theatre in 1778 as Dick in Arthur Murphy's farce ''The Apprentice''. The same year at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane he played in James Miller's version of Voltaire's ''Mahomet'' the part of Zaphna, which he had studied under David Garrick. The Palmira of the cast was Mrs Robinson ("Perdita"). His reputation increased with his personification of Don Whiskerando in ''The Critic'' in 1779, and he was well known in the character of Joseph Surface in ''The School for Scandal''. Bannister married Elizabeth Harper on 26 January 1783 who was a skil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comedy Plays
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term originated in ancient Greece: in Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by political satire performed by comic poets in theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance pitting two groups, ages, genders, or societies against each other in an amusing '' agon'' or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old". A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions posing obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle, the youth then becomes constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to resort to ruses wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1796 Plays
Events January–March * January 16 – The first Dutch (and general) elections are held for the National Assembly of the Batavian Republic. (The next Dutch general elections are held in 1888.) * February 1 – The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York. * February 9 – The Qianlong Emperor of China abdicates at age 84 to make way for his son, the Jiaqing Emperor. * February 15 – French Revolutionary Wars: The Invasion of Ceylon (1795) ends when Johan van Angelbeek, the Batavian governor of Ceylon, surrenders Colombo peacefully to British forces. * February 16 – The Kingdom of Great Britain is granted control of Ceylon by the Dutch. * February 29 – Ratifications of the Jay Treaty between Great Britain and the United States are officially exchanged, bringing it into effect.''Harper's Encyclopaedia of United States History from 458 A. D. to 1909'', ed. by Benson John Lossing and, Woodrow Wilson (Harper & Brothers, 191 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biographia Dramatica
Isaac Reed (1 January 1742 – 5 January 1807) was an English Shakespearean editor. Biography The son of a baker, he was born in London. He was articled to a solicitor, and eventually set up as a conveyancer at Staple Inn, where he had a large practice. His major work was the ''Biographia dramatica'' (2 vols., 1782), a set of biographies of dramatists and a descriptive dictionary of their plays. This book, which was an enlargement of David Erskine Baker's ''Companion to the Playhouse'' (2 vols., 1764), was re-edited (3 vols.) by Stephen Jones in 1811. The original work by Baker had been based on Gerard Langbaine's ''Account of the English Dramatick Poets'' (1691), Giles Jacob's ''Poetical Register'' (1719), Thomas Whincop's ''List of all the Dramatic Authors'' (printed with his tragedy of ''Scanderbeg'', 1747) and the manuscripts of Thomas Coxeter. Reed's ''Notitia dramatica'' (British Library, Add MSS 25390–25392), supplementary to the ''Biographia'', was never published. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Boaden
James Boaden (23 May 1762 – 16 February 1839) was an English biographer, dramatist, and journalist. Biographer He was the son of William Boaden, a merchant in the Russia trade. He was born at Whitehaven, Cumberland, on 23 May 1762, and at an early age came with his parents to London, where he was educated for commerce. After serving some time in a counting-house, he turned his attention to journalism, and in 1789 was appointed editor of the ''Oracle'' newspaper, which had been started in that year as a rival to the ''World''. Boaden entered himself at the Middle Temple, but does not appear to have been called to the bar. He died on 16 February 1839. Dramatic works Boaden's first dramatic piece was ''Osmyn and Daraxa, a Musical Romance'', acted in 1793. His next play, ''Fontainville Forest'', 1794, founded on Ann Radcliffe's '' Romance of the Forest'', was received with applause at Covent Garden. From 1795 to 1803 he continued to write plays which were well received: ''T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elizabeth Farren
Elizabeth Farren (c. 175923 April 1829) was an Irish actress of the late 18th century. Born in Cork in 1759 her father, George Farren was a surgeon. His drinking habits brought on early death and his widow returned to Liverpool. Her mother went on the stage to support herself and her children. Elizabeth first appeared on the London stage in 1777 as Miss Hardcastle in ''She Stoops to Conquer'' and the following year appeared at Drury Lane which, along with the Haymarket Theatre became her primary venues for the rest of her acting career. She had over 100 characters in her repertoire including Shakespeare and various contemporary comedies and dramas. She was often compared to Frances Abington, who was her only real rival. Her last appearance was in April 1797, two months before her marriage to Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby. They had a son and two daughters. Early life Elizabeth (sometimes Eliza) Farren was the daughter of George Farren of Cork, Ireland, a surgeon and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maria Theresa Kemble
Maria Theresa Kemble (1774–1838), née Marie Thérèse Du Camp, was an Austrian-born English actress, singer, dancer and comic playwright on the stage. She was the wife of actor Charles Kemble. Early life She was the daughter of Jeanne Dufour and George De Camp who were both performers. She was born in Vienna 17 January 1774 and brought to England where she appeared as Cupid at the age of six years old in Jean-Georges Noverre.'s ballet at the Opera House. She spoke no English and learned the language herself although she was tutored in other subjects. Two years later she appeared in ''La Colombe'' by Madame de Genlis. After she appeared at the Royal Circus she was employed by George Colman's Haymarket Theatre to appear in ''The Nosegay'' on 14 June 1786 with James Harvey D'Egville in the presence of the royal family. On 21 June she danced in ''The Polonaise'', and on 7 July she appeared in a ballet entitled ''Jamie's Return'' with James Harvey and his brother George D'Egvill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Kemble
Charles Kemble (25 November 1775 – 12 November 1854) was a Welsh-born English actor of a prominent theatre family. Life Charles Kemble was one of 13 siblings and the youngest son of English Roman Catholic theatre manager/actor Roger Kemble, and Irish-born actress Sarah Ward. He was the younger brother of, among others, John Philip Kemble, Stephen Kemble and Sarah Siddons. He was born at Brecon in South Wales. Like his brothers he was raised in his father's Catholic faith, while his sisters were raised in their mother's Protestant faith. He and John Philip were educated at Douai School. After returning to England in 1792, he obtained a job in the post office, but soon resigned to go on the stage, making his first recorded appearance at Sheffield as Orlando in '' As You Like It'' in that year. During the early part of his career as an actor he slowly gained popularity. For a considerable time he played with his brother and sister, chiefly in secondary parts, and received li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drury Lane. The building is the most recent in a line of four theatres which were built at the same location, the earliest of which dated back to 1663, making it the oldest theatre site in London still in use. According to the author Peter Thomson, for its first two centuries, Drury Lane could "reasonably have claimed to be London's leading theatre". 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Palmer (actor)
Robert Palmer may refer to: Academics * Robert Roswell Palmer (1909–2002), historian * Robert E. A. Palmer or R. E. A. Palmer (1933–2006), classical scholar and ancient historian * Robert Brian Palmer (born 1934), British-American nuclear physicist and researcher Business * Robert Palmer (computer businessman) (born 1940), CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation * Robert W. Palmer, land appraiser for Madison Guaranty; pleaded guilty in Whitewater controversy * Robert Palmer (vintner) (1934–2009), American advertising executive and vintner Music * Robert Palmer (singer) (1949–2003), English singer-songwriter and musician * Robert Moffat Palmer (1915–2010), American composer Politics and military * Robert Palmer (MP) (1793–1872), English Conservative Member of Parliament *Robert Moffett Palmer (1820–1862), American diplomat and politician * Robert Palmer, 1st Baron Rusholme (1890–1977), General Secretary of the British Co-operative Union and member of the House of Lord ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Suett
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong in rule'. Nicknames include "Richie", "Dick", "Dickon", " Dickie", "Rich", "Rick", "Rico", "Ricky", and more. Richard is a common English, German and French male name. It's also used in many more languages, particularly Germanic, such as Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, and Dutch, as well as other languages including Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Finnish. Richard is cognate with variants of the name in other European languages, such as the Swedish "Rickard", the Catalan "Ricard" and the Italian "Riccardo", among others (see comprehensive variant list below). People named Richard Multiple people with the same name * Richard Andersen (other) * Richard Anderson (other) * Richard Cartwright (other) * R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_Henry_Wyatt_(1794–1840)_Royal_Shakespeare_Theatre.jpg "Click for more on -> Charles Kemble")
