Amy Roselle (28 May 1852 – 17 November 1895), born Amy Louise Roselle Hawkins was an English actress who performed in Britain, the US and Australia. She specialised in
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
an roles but also played parts in contemporary dramas. She married Arthur Dacre, and the two toured together with their own theatre company, eventually traveling to Australia. In a murder-suicide pact, her husband shot her dead in 1895.
Biography
Roselle was the eleventh of the thirteen children of William Hawkins (1807–1878). Her mother's maiden name was Rowsell, from which she took her stage name. Although she later claimed that her father was the headmaster of the
Glastonbury
Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...
Grammar School, according to the census returns he was an insurance agent (1851) and later an unemployed commercial traveller (1861). Her brother Percy was a
dwarf
Dwarf or dwarves may refer to:
Common uses
*Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore
* Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...
and played children's parts into adulthood in pantomimes at the
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 Dr ...
as "Master Percy Roselle".
[ Sims, George R. ''My Life: Sixty Years' Recollections of Bohemian London'', pp. 190–93, Eveleigh Nash Company (1917)]
Her first role, as a juvenile, was Constance in a version of ''King Arthur''. After this, her father leased the
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
and
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
theatres for two years. At these theatres, Roselle played in Shakespeare and other productions. She debuted in London at the
Haymarket Theatre
The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...
. There, at age 16, she played Lady Teazle and then, opposite
Samuel Phelps
Samuel Phelps (born 13 February 1804, Plymouth Dock (now Devonport), Plymouth, Devon, died 6 November 1878, Anson's Farm, Coopersale, near Epping, Essex) was an English actor and theatre manager. He is known for his productions of William Sha ...
, numerous leading parts. She replaced
Madge Kendal
Dame Madge Kendal, (born Margaret Shafto Robertson; 15 March 1848 – 14 September 1935) was an English actress of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, best known for her roles in Shakespeare and English comedies. Together with her husband, W. ...
in ''Diplomacy'' and played Esther Eccles in ''
Caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
'', by
T. W. Robertson. She appeared opposite
Mary Anderson as Cynisca in ''
Pygmalion and Galatea Pygmalion and Galatea are two characters from Greco-Roman mythology.
Pygmalion and Galatea may also refer to:
* ''Pygmalion and Galatea'' (play), a play by W. S. Gilbert
* '' Pygmalion and the Image series'', a series of paintings by Edward Burne- ...
'' by
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...
and created the other Gilbert roles, including Darine in ''
The Wicked World
''The Wicked World'' is a blank verse play by W. S. Gilbert in three acts. It opened at the Haymarket Theatre on 1873 and ran for a successful 145 performances, closing on 1873. The play is an allegory loosely based on a short illustrated st ...
'' (1873) and Eve in ''
Charity
Charity may refer to:
Giving
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing
* Ch ...
'' (1874). She also performed at the
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
and other London theatres.
[Biography of Roselle]
at ''History of Australian Theatre'' website, accessed 19 May 2009 In 1875, she created the role of Mary Melrose in the sensation ''
Our Boys
''Our Boys'' is a comedy in three acts written by Henry James Byron, first performed in London on 16 January 1875 at the Vaudeville Theatre. Until it was surpassed by the run of ''Charley's Aunt'' in the 1890s, it was the world's longest-runn ...
'', which was the longest-running play in history up to that time.
Roselle toured the United States with
E. A. Sothern, appearing in New York at
Niblo's Garden
Niblo's Garden was a theater on Broadway and Crosby Street, near Prince Street, in SoHo, Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1823 as "Columbia Garden" which in 1828 gained the name of the ''Sans Souci'' and was later the property of ...
. She then returned to England and starred as Lady Macbeth opposite
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
at the
Lyceum Theatre, London
The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arnold ...
, during the illness of
Ellen Terry
Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...
. She also played Queen Katherine of Aragon in ''
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
'' at the Lyceum. Roselle appeared in the title role of ''Esther Sandraz'' at the
Prince of Wales's Theatre
The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street, London, off Tottenham Court Road. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was kn ...
and created the role of Lillian in ''Old Love for New''.
[ In 1881, she originated the role of Mrs. Blythe in ]F. C. Burnand
Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (29 November 1836 – 21 April 1917), usually known as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and prolific playwright, best known today as the librettist of Arthur Sullivan's opera ''Cox and Box''.
The son of ...
's long-running comedy, '' The Colonel''.
During a long engagement at the Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...
, she met doctor-turned-actor Arthur Culver James (1851–1895, stage name Arthur Dacre), and the two eventually married in 1884. Roselle was in more demand than her husband, but the two insisted on being engaged jointly. In January 1885 the couple appeared in Grundy's ''The Silver Shield
''The Silver Shield'' is a comedy in three acts by playwright Sydney Grundy that was first produced on May 19, 1885, under the direction of Amy Roselle at London’s Royal Strand Theatre.''The Theatre'', edited by Clement Scott, January 1885 p. 30 ...
'' at the Royal Strand Theatre
The Royal Strand Theatre was located in the Strand in the City of Westminster. The theatre was built on the site of a panorama in 1832, and in 1882 was rebuilt by the prolific theatre architect Charles J. Phipps. It was demolished in 1905 to ma ...
, and for several years toured together in the British provinces, but eventually they had trouble getting a joint engagement and, out of work, ran up debts. A benefit performance was held for Roselle at the Lyceum Theatre on 16 June 1887, at which ''Trial by Jury
A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions.
Jury trials are used in a significant ...
'' was performed. Eventually Roselle and Dacre travelled to Australia where they played in Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
(at Her Majesty's Theatre) and elsewhere. They did not succeed in paying off their debts, however, and became despondent.[ In Australia in 1895, as part of a murder-suicide pact, Dacre shot Roselle dead before cutting his own throat.]["Murder and Suicide", ''New South Wales Police Gazette'', No. 48, 27 November 1895]
Notes
References
*
External links
Roselle
at PictureHistory.com
Photo of Roselle, 1887
*Roselle on the cover o
19 September 1885
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roselle, Amy
English stage actresses
People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan
Joint suicides
Murder–suicides in Australia
Deaths by firearm in New South Wales
1854 births
1895 deaths
19th-century English actresses
Actor-managers
19th-century theatre managers
1890s suicides
1890s in New South Wales
1895 murders in Australia