Social England under the Regency, Vol. 2 (of 2)Ashton, John
History
Social England under the Regency, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Ashton, John
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; Regency -- England
"But how shall I describe his death? Out came a dirty silk
handkerchief from his pocket, with which he carefully swept the
ground; then his Opera hat was carefully placed for a pillow, and
down he laid himself. After various tossings about, he seemed
reconciled to the position; but the house vociferously bawled out,
'Die again, Romeo!' and, obedient to the command, he rose up, and
went through the ceremony again. Scarcely had he lain quietly down
when the call was again heard, and the well-pleased amateur was
evidently prepared to enact a third death; but Juliet now rose from
her tomb, and gracefully put an end to this ludicrous scene by
advancing to the front of the stage and aptly applying a quotation
from Shakespeare--
'Dying is such sweet sorrow,
That he will die again to-morrow.'"
He came before a London audience, and played Lothario at the
Haymarket on the 9th of December, 1811, and I give an illustration
of him in that character. He ran through all his money, and had to
go to Boulogne: there he married, came over to England, and lived in
Montague Square. He met with an accident, and died, aged seventy-six,
in 1848.
[Illustration: Lothario, as Performed by Mr. Coates at the Haymarket
Theatre, December 9, 1811.]
On the 29th of June, 1812, Mrs. Siddons took her leave of the public.
The scene was Covent Garden Theatre, and the play "Macbeth," in
which, of course, she played Lady Macbeth. After the sleep scene, she
came forward and recited a farewell address written for her by Horace
Twiss. She then retired amid a storm of applause. Kemble afterwards
came forward to ask the sense of the house whether they would hear
the remainder of the play, but the universal consensus was that they
_could_ not, and the audience retired.
On the 30th of September the new Drury Lane Theatre was ready
for opening. The building cost £112,000; the fittings, £13,000;
wardrobes, scenery, &c., £25,000; in all, £150,000. It was honoured
next day with a visit from the Queen, the Princesses Augusta and
Mary, the Princess Charlotte of Wales, the Prince Regent, and the
Dukes of Sussex, Kent, and Clarence. On this occasion the theatre was
darkened, and the interior brilliantly lit up, in order to show it
at its best to its distinguished visitors. Elliston opened it on the
10th of October with "Hamlet."
In November Betty, better known as the "young Roscius," reappeared on
the Stage at Covent Garden. But his boyhood's charm was broken, and,
as a man (he was 22) he was a failure as an actor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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