John Medex Maddox (1789–1861) was a Victorian-era playwright and one-time manager of the

Princess's Theatre The Princess's Theatre or Princess Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europ ...

in London's

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...

. Of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

descent, Maddox had been born John Medex and used "Maddox" as an ornamental suffix. His brother, Samuel Medex kept a cigar shop directly opposite the Princess's Theatre and his premises became something of a meeting point for London's actors and playwrights. Until taking over the Princesses Theatre in 1842, Maddox had led a roving life as stage-manager, acting-manager, and agent. He had also enjoyed a brief spell as manager of London's Colosseum theatre. Charles, Duke of Brunswick, an exiled German aristocrat and London character, lent Maddox the cash to tide him over during the first few months of his management. His first productions at the Princesses were the opera ''

La Sonnambula ''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the '' bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eug ...

'' and an Oriental burlesque. The chief feature of Maddox's reign were English versions of Italian operas, with productions of

Anna Bolena ''Anna Bolena'' is a tragic opera (''tragedia lirica'') in two acts composed by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after Ippolito Pindemonte's ''Enrico VIII ossia Anna Bolena'' and Alessandro Pepoli's ''Anna Bolena'', both ...

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

, ''Otello'', ''

I puritani ' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and later changed to three acts on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set to a libretto ...

'' and ''Lucrezia Borgia''. Maddox prospered, and gradually enlarged his sphere of operations. The first English version of the French vaudeville, L'homme Blesse, was brought out at the Princesses in 1842-43, after which he staged Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide extravaganzas, but shrank from the financial risk of a Christmas pantomime. He was not averse to paying good salaries to first-rate English comedians—in particular Mr. and Mrs. Keeley who drew huge crowds to the theatre. Robert Keeley eventually took over as co-manager with

Charles Kean Charles John Kean (18 January 181122 January 1868), was an English actor and theatre manager, best known for his revivals of Shakespearean plays. Life Kean was born at Waterford, Ireland, a son of actor Edmund Kean and actress Mary Kean (''ne ...

after Maddox retired. Maddox was also a prolific playwright and authored a number of dramas and farces, as well as sub-contracting work to a number of hack writers and translators. It was reputed that he was in the habit of locking up his them up in a garret at the theatre, leaving them just enough cold meat, bread and alcohol as was necessary, and not releasing them until they had finished the work he had paid them for. One of his earlier protégés was

George Augustus Sala George Augustus Henry Fairfield Sala (November 1828 – 8 December 1895) was an author and journalist who wrote extensively for the ''Illustrated London News'' as G. A. S. and was most famous for his articles and leaders for ''The Daily Telegra ...

who undertook scene-painting for the theatre and later found a degree of fame writing pieces for

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 e ...

Household Words ''Household Words'' was an English weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens in the 1850s. It took its name from the line in Shakespeare's ''Henry V'': "Familiar in his mouth as household words." History During the planning stages, titles origi ...

Plays

* ''A.S.S: a farce'' (Lyceum, April 1853) * ''A Fast Train! High Pressure! Express!'' (Lyceum, April 1853) * ''Chesterfield Thinskin: a farce'' (Princesses, July 1853) * ''The First Night: a comic drama'' * ''Infanticide or the Bohemian Mother: a melodrama in three acts'' * ''Peter the shipwright: comic opera in three acts'' * ''The Violet: drama in two acts'' * ''Frederick the Great'' * ''A Bachelor of Arts'' * ''The King and the Deserter'' * ''A Curious Case: a comic drama'' (1850)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maddox, John Medex 1789 births 1861 deaths English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights