"Their Majesties' Servants." Annals of the English Stage (Volume 2 of 3) — John Shaqi
"Their Majesties' Servants." Annals of the English Stage (Volume 2 of 3)Doran, Dr. (John)
History
"Their Majesties' Servants." Annals of the English Stage (Volume 2 of 3)
Doran, Dr. (John)
Actors -- Great Britain; Theater -- Great Britain -- History
Milward played Lusignan, a part in acting which a young actor, named
Bond, overcome by his feelings, died on the stage, while blessing his
children.[25] This occurred at a private theatre, in Great Villiers
Street, where the tragedy was represented, by sanction of the author,
or, as Reed would have it, of the stealer of it from Voltaire. Bond
was not the only actor who died in harness this year. Obese Hulett,
rival of Quin, in Falstaff, proud of the strength of his lungs,
which he was for ever exercising to the terror of those who suddenly
experienced it, in making some extraordinary effort of this sort,
broke a blood-vessel, and straightway died, when only thirty-five
years of age; and he was buried at the expense of his stage-manager,
Giffard, who rented Lincoln's Inn Fields, for awhile, of Rich.
The success of Mrs. Cibber stirred Rich at Covent Garden, and when
she acted Hermione, the old but able Mrs. Porter played the part
against her, at the latter house, as she also did Zara.[26] Mrs.
Horton was opposed to her in the part of Jane Shore.[27] In high
comedy, Mrs. Cibber attempted Indiana, in the "Conscious Lovers,"
and forthwith Covent Garden put up the same piece. But the latter
house was inferior in its company; there was no one there to shed
sunshine like Mrs. Clive. Delane and Walker together were not equal
to Quin. Of novelty, Covent Garden produced nothing. Giffard's young
troop, on the other hand, in the east, and afterwards at Lincoln's
Inn Fields, produced much that was worthless, not excepting another
levy on Voltaire by Hill, in his "Alzira." Indeed, the new authors
of this period were more remarkable than their pieces. Mrs. Cooper,
now forgotten, was the widow of an auctioneer; and Stirling, author
of the "Parricide," is, perhaps, better remembered in Maryland,
where he was a "popular parson," than he is here. What is known
of him here, indeed, is not favourable. When he and Concanen came
together from Ireland, to live by their pens, as political writers,
they tossed up as to the "side" they should take. As it fell to
Concanen to support, and to Stirling to abuse the ministry, the
former was enabled to acquire an ample fortune as Attorney General of
Jamaica, his seventeen years' tenure of which, Matthew owed to the
appreciation of him by the Duke of Newcastle. But Matthew was a wit,
and a gentlemanlike fellow; whereas the Rev. Jack Stirling, whose
"Parricide" was hissed at Goodman's Fields,[28] was an unsuccessful
parson, who did very well for a transatlantic minister.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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