Margaret Mather (1859–1898) was a Canadian actress.

Biography

She was born in poverty in

Tilbury, Ontario Tilbury (2016 population 4,768) is a community within the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. It is located southwest of Chatham-Kent and east of Windsor on Highway 401. History The nearby townships of Tilbury West and Tilbury East ...

, as Margaret Finlayson, daughter of John Finlayson, a farmer and mechanic, and Ann Mather. She was one of the most famous Shakespearean actresses in the 1880s, although her reputation arose as much from clever publicity as from her skill. She premiered as Juliet in New York at the Union Square Theater in 1885. Heavy advance publicity guaranteed a large turnout, but response to her performance was mixed. While she was striking in her physicality and energy, many critics found her too indecorous and overbearing, particularly in the later acts. In the following years, she toured the country and returned to New York, to perpetually mixed reviews. Her noteworthy roles included

Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy '' Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes quee ...

, the title role in

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's ''The Lady of Lyons'' and in

Augustin Daly John Augustin Daly (July 20, 1838June 7, 1899) was one of the most influential men in American theatre during his lifetime. Drama critic, theatre manager, playwright, and adapter, he became the first recognized stage director in America. He exer ...

's ''Leah the Forsaken''. She was a manifest failure as

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in a translation of

Jules Barbier Paul Jules Barbier (8 March 182516 January 1901) was a French poet, writer and opera librettist who often wrote in collaboration with Michel Carré. He was a noted Parisian bon vivant and man of letters.Pabst Brewing Company The Pabst Brewing Company () is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and was, by 1889, named after Frederick Pabst. It is currently a holding company which contracts the brewing of over ...

, but they divorced after she threatened him with a whip. She returned as Imogen in ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in British Iron Age, Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerni ...

''. The production, at

Wallack's Theatre Three New York City playhouses named Wallack's Theatre played an important part in the history of American theater, as the successive homes of the Repertory theatre, stock company managed by actors James William Wallack, James W. Wallack and hi ...

, was lavish, costing forty thousand dollars, but it failed; the play was too little-known to attract large audiences, and Mather herself was judged too emotional to succeed in the role. She toured the US and Canada in 1883–1884 in the role of Juliet and ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

''. She suffered from a chronic illness and died April 7, 1898, in

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. She was in performance of Shakespeare's ''

'' and fell unconscious during the performance, dying that evening.New York Times April 8, 1898. Mather was buried in a white gown from her role as Juliet on Easter Sunday. She is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

References

Bibliography

* Brown, Thomas Allsto
''A History of the New York Stage, Vol. 3.''
Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 1903 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mather, Margaret 1859 births 1898 deaths Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit) 19th-century Canadian actresses Canadian stage actresses