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Charles Mathews (28 June 1776, London – 28 June 1835, Devonport) was an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
theatre manager and
comic a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
actor, well known during his time for his gift of
impersonation An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone: *Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...
and skill at table entertainment. His play ''At Home'', in which he played every character, was the first
monopolylogue A monopolylogue is a form of entertainment in which one actor plays many characters. Pioneered by English actor Charles Mathews and Albert Smith and first used in 1824, later used in Shakespearen performances by the performer Henry Kemble from 1 ...
and the defining work in the genre.


Early life

Charles was born to James Mathews (died 1804), a Wesleyan Methodist bookseller,
printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James ...
, and pharmacist on the
Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa *Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street, ...
, who also served as minister in one of the Countess of Huntingdon's chapels. Charles was educated at Merchant Taylors' School in London, which had some openings for common boys. He was next
apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
d to his father. For religious reasons, the father forbade his children from visiting theatres. During his youth, Charles met the actor Robert William Elliston; after attending the Drury Lane theatre, he was utterly fascinated by that world. Charles left his father in September 1793 for his first public stage appearance at
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...
. The following year his father allowed him to take up acting in Dublin, writing, "Charles, there are your indentures, and there are twenty
guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
; I do not approve of the stage, but I will not oppose your wishes. At any time hereafter, should you feel inclined to turn to an honest calling, there are twenty guineas more, if you send for them, and your father's house is open to you." Charles never claimed the extra 20 guineas.Charles Henry Timberley, "James Mathews"
''A Dictionary of Printers and Printing'', London: H. Johnson, 1839, p. 219.


Career

For several years Mathews took bit parts, but on 15 May 1803 he made his first London appearance at the Haymarket, as Jabel in Cumberland's ''The Jew'' and as Lingo in ''The Agreeable Surprise''. As a continued public success, he was taken on at the Drury Lane. His gift for mimicry enabled him to disguise his personality without a change of costume. His versatility and originality were displayed in his
one man show A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including auto ...
, or "monodramatic entertainment," entitled ''At Home'' or ''Matthews at Home'', which he initiated in the Lyceum Theatre in 1808. Leigh Hunt wrote that his table entertainments "for the richness and variety of his humour, were as good as half a dozen plays distilled." The show combined mimicry, storytelling,
recitation A recitation in a general sense is the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse or other writing before an audience. Public recitation is the act of reciting a work of writing before an audience. Academic recitation In a ...
s,
improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
, quick-change artistry, and comic song. In 1822–1823 Mathews toured the United States to great success, though he was libeled by the ''Philadelphia Gazette''. When he brought suit against the paper, he was awarded 3,000
crowns A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
for damages. During his stay, he developed a number of impressions of American types. One of these was the
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
, said to have been based on the American black actor James Hewlett, who performed Shakespeare roles at the
African Grove The African Grove Theatre opened in New York City in 1821. It was founded and operated by William Alexander Brown,Hatch, James V., and Ted Shine. ''Black Theatre USA: Plays by African Americans: The Early Period, 1847––1938''. New York: Free, ...
. In his next show, ''A Trip to America'', Mathews sang a version of the popular slave freedom song, "Possum Up a Gum Tree", performing in dialect and possibly in
blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
. One author called him "the paterfamilias of the Yankee theatre and the progenitor of all native American dialect comedy." ''A Trip to America'' also sparked an exchange of critical essays between Mathews and American critic John Neal in ''The European Magazine and London Review'' over what Neal considered the actor's inaccurate portrayal of
New Englanders New Englanders are the inhabitants of the New England region in the Northeastern United States. Beginning with the New England Colonies, the name "New Englander" refers to those who live in the six New England states or those with cultural or famil ...
. "He knows, in his own heart," said Neal, "that his
Jonathan Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...
is a very poor, and very feeble counterfeit, unworthy of America, unworthy of Mr. M., as an actor, and altogether unworthy of his country. It is untrue and he knows it". Returning to England in autumn 1823, he joined
Frederick Henry Yates Frederick Henry Yates (4 February 1797 – 21 June 1842) was an English actor and theatre manager. Life Yates was born in London, the youngest son of Thomas Yates, a tobacco manufacturer, of Thames Street and Russell Square. Frederick was educ ...
, manager of 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 receivin ...
. During his successful career, Mathews, together with John Kemble and
John Braham John Braham may refer to: *John Braham (MP) (1417), MP for Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency), Suffolk *John Braham (tenor) (1774–1856), English opera singer *John Joseph Braham, Sr. (1847–1919), Anglo-American composer and conductor *John Bra ...
, was received as a guest by George IV. A few years after his return from the US, Mathews bought a half-share in 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 receivin ...
. His connection with the Adelphi was a critical and popular success for Mathews, but not a financial success. In 1834, he made a second tour performing in the United States. He cut his trip short and returned ill from the tour, after his last appearance in New York City on 11 February 1835. Failing to recover his health, Mathews died poor in Plymouth in June 1835, without appearing again on a British stage.


Personal life

In 1797, Mathews married Eliza Kirkham Strong (1772–1802) of Exeter, the author of a volume of poems and some novels, and an actress. She retired from the stage in 1801 and died in 1802. In 1803, Mathews married Anne Jackson (died 1869), an actress and half sister to the actress
Frances Maria Kelly Frances Maria Kelly (15 October 1790, Brighton – 6 December 1882), also known as Fanny, was an English actress and singer. She is best known for her acting at the Drury Lane Theatre in London's West End and her opening of the Royalty Theatre a ...
. Anne Jackson Mathews wrote a biography of Mathews."FRANCES MARIA KELLY 1800-1883"
OAC: Online Archive of California, accessed 14 October 2010
His only child by his second wife was
Charles James Mathews Charles James Mathews (26 December 1803 – 24 June 1878) was a British actor. He was one of the few British actors to be successful in French-speaking roles in France. A son of the actor Charles Mathews, he achieved a greater reputation tha ...
, who became a successful actor in turn.


In popular culture

* The character of
Alfred Jingle Alfred Jingle is a fictional character who appears in the 1837 novel ''The Pickwick Papers'' by Charles Dickens. He is a strolling actor and an engaging charlatan and trickster noted for his bizarre anecdotes and distinctive mangling of English ...
in
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
' novel, '' The Pickwick Papers'', is said to have been inspired by Mathews.


References

;Notes ;Bibliography *Th
1828-29
an

Seasons at
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 receivin ...
, two of several articles from an E. Michigan University website
"Charles Mathews"
Special Collections, Princeton University Library, some of the papers of Mathews and his son *Watkins, Mel (1994). ''On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying, and Signifying—The Underground Tradition of African-American Humor that Transformed American Culture, from Slavery to Richard Pryor'', New York: Simon & Schuster.
The Works of Art Collection
Garrick Club The Garrick Club is a gentlemen's club in the heart of London founded in 1831. It is one of the oldest members' clubs in the world and, since its inception, has catered to members such as Charles Kean, Henry Irving, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, A ...
, started with works collected by Mathews * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Charles 1776 births 1835 deaths English male stage actors English impressionists (entertainers) English male comedians English theatre managers and producers Actor-managers Male actors from London People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood 19th-century English male actors 19th-century English comedians