Richardson's Theatre or Richardson's Show was a travelling fairground theatre founded in 1798 by John Richardson (1766–1836), which performed in London and the surrounding area in the early nineteenth century.
History
Richardson began his career as an actor. He joined Mrs. Penley's travelling theatre company in 1782, but on seeing the small profits to be made with her, he left acting and moved to London, becoming a broker. He eventually saved enough money to open his own troupe.
Richardson first opened his theatrical production at
Bartholomew Fair
The Bartholomew Fair was one of London's pre-eminent summer charter fairs. A charter for the fair was granted to Rahere by Henry I to fund the Priory of St Bartholomew; and from 1133 to 1855 it took place each year on 24 August within the preci ...
in 1798 using scenery from
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster.
Notable landmarks ...
. The performances took place in a narrow booth (100 feet by 30 feet), colourful and brightly lit. The show toured, in the London area, to such fairs as
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
,
Brook Green
Brook Green is an affluent London neighbourhood in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is located approximately west of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Kensington, Holland Park, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and Brackenbury Vi ...
and
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
.
[ Over time, Richardson's booth expanded, and he ran several performances simultaneously, and he could stage over a dozen ]burlesques
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. and melodrama
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
s each day. By 1828, the price of admission was sixpence, and refreshments were another profit source for the troupe. The young Edmund Kean
Edmund Kean (4 November 178715 May 1833) was a celebrated British Shakespearean stage actor born in England, who performed, among other places, in London, Belfast, New York, Quebec, and Paris. He was known for his short stature, tumultuo ...
learned his craft here, before moving on to a more respectable theatrical environment.[ After Richardson's death, the show was continued until 1853 by ]Nelson Lee
Nelson Lee (born October 16, 1975) is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor. He is best known for portraying Shen in '' Blade: The Series'' and Dragon King in '' Stargirl''.
Life and career
Lee was born in Taipei, Taiwan on October 16, 1975.
He starred in ...
.[
]
Contemporary account by Dickens
The show, as it existed at its grandest, near the end of Richardson's life, is described by 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 ...
in ''Sketches by Boz
''Sketches by "Boz," Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People'' (commonly known as ''Sketches by Boz'') is a collection of short pieces Charles Dickens originally published in various newspapers and other periodicals between 1833 and ...
'':
Contemporary depictions
The booth appears on a brightly coloured sketch by Thomas Rowlandson
Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 175721 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual social an ...
.[Richardson's Theatre]
/ref> Another view shows the crowd outside Richardson's booth.[Greenwich Fair with Richardson's Booth (British Museum)]
/ref> This 1805 view shows Richardson's Theatre in the earlier days.View of Richardson's Theatre in 1805
/ref>
Notes
{{reflist
External links
The Fortunes of a Penny Showman: the Career of John Richardson, by Martha R. Mahard
Theatre in England