A Book of the Play: Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and CharacterCook, Dutton
History
A Book of the Play: Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character
Cook, Dutton
Theater -- Great Britain -- History
Macready, under date of 28th September, 1840, enters in his journal:
"Spoke to Webster on the subject of next year's engagement. He said
that he understood I had said that while I was comfortable at the
Haymarket I would stay. _I mentioned the position of my name on the
playbills; that it should not, on any occasion be put under any other
person's, as it had been_; that I should have the right to a private
box when they were not let," &c.
O'Keeffe relates that once when an itinerant showman brought over to
Dublin a trained monkey of great acquirements, Mossop engaged the
animal at a large salary to appear for a limited number of nights at
his theatre. Mossop's name in the playbill was always in a type nearly
two inches long, the rest of the performers' names being in very small
letters. But to the monkey were devoted capitals of equal size to
Mossop's; so that, greatly to the amusement of the public, on the
playbills pasted about the town, nothing could be distinguished but
the words, MOSSOP, MONKEY. Under John Kemble's management, "for his
greater ease and the quiet of the theatre," letters of unreasonable
size were abandoned, and the playbills were printed after an amended
and more modest pattern.
With the rise and growth of the press came the expediency of
advertising the performances of the theatres in the columns of the
newspapers. To the modern manager advertisements are a very formidable
expense. The methods he is compelled to resort to in order to bring
his plays and players well under the notice of the public, involve a
serious charge upon his receipts. But of old the case was precisely
the reverse. The theatres were strong, the newspapers were weak. So
far from the manager paying money for the insertion of his
advertisements in the journals, he absolutely received profits on this
account. The press then suffered under severe restrictions, and was
most jealously regarded by the governing powers; leading articles were
as yet unknown; the printing of parliamentary debates was strictly
prohibited; foreign intelligence was scarcely obtainable; of home news
there was little stirring that could with safety be promulgated. So
that the proceedings of the theatres became of real importance to the
newspaper proprietor, and it was worth his while to pay considerable
sums for early information in this respect. Moreover, in those days,
not merely by reason of its own merits, but because of the absence of
competing attractions and other sources of entertainment, the stage
was much more than at present an object of general regard. In Andrew's
"History of British Journalism" it is recorded on the authority of the
ledger of Henry Woodfall, the publisher of the _Public Advertiser_:
"The theatres are a great expense to the papers. Amongst the items of
payment are: Playhouses, L100. Drury Lane advertisements, L64 8s. 6d.;
Covent Garden ditto, L66 11s. The papers paid L200 a-year to each
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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