"Their Majesties' Servants." Annals of the English Stage (Volume 3 of 3)Doran, Dr. (John)
History
"Their Majesties' Servants." Annals of the English Stage (Volume 3 of 3)
Doran, Dr. (John)
Actors -- Great Britain; Theater -- Great Britain -- History
Two years later, in 1807, appeared Young, as Hamlet, at the
Haymarket, and Jones, as Goldfinch, at Covent Garden. If the word
"respectable" might be used in a not disparaging sense, I would
apply it to Young, who was always worthy of respect--whether he
played Hamlet, Rienzi, which he originated, Falstaff, or Captain
Macheath. He belonged to the Kemble school, but he never delivered
soliloquies in that ludicrous, self-approving style which I find
laughingly noticed by the critics, as a great blot in John Kemble's
acting. Young had more natural feeling, and he liked to play with
those who could feel in like manner--whereas I have read of John
Kemble that, in a love scene, he was not only coldly proper himself,
but insisted on the same coldness of propriety in the lady who
played his mistress. As for airy Jones, I have only space to remark,
that he acted rakes, at night, and taught clergymen to read their
prayers decently, by day! Jones was a naturally serious man; but his
combination of callings was something incongruous.
Of other actors, mention will be made incidentally in other places.
There are some ladies of the time before Edmund Kean who will
receive, or have received, like notice--my eye falls but upon three
others, of whom I need make record here. One is that beautiful
Louisa Brunton--member of a gifted family, who, in the bud of her
brilliant promise, was "erept the stage" by honourable love, and
died but the other day--Countess of Craven. The other lady is
Miss Duncan, subsequently Mrs. Davison, the original Juliana to
Elliston's Duke Aranza; and who, when she came upon the town as
Lady Teazle, satisfied her audiences that Miss Farren had a worthy
successor, and that Mrs. Jordan's possession of certain characters
must thenceforth be surrendered. The dramatic life of this admirable
actress commenced as soon as she could walk, and lasted almost with
her natural life. I have a Margate bill before me, of the year 1804,
where the bright and gifted young actress, the "Little Wonder," as
Miss Farren called her, was playing high comedy. The music there was
led by Frederic Venua, who, at the distance of threescore years,
still delights his friends with the memories of that period, and
with its music, in the rendering of which, Time has strengthened and
improved the hand of the artist.
With a passing notice of a survivor of all these--coming on the
stage near fourscore years ago, with the honoured name of Betterton,
and leaving it, or dying on it, but the other day, as Mrs. Glover,
I close this section of my labour. From youth to old age she acted
appropriate parts, and acted all in a way that would require Cibber,
Hazlitt, and Leigh Hunt to describe, analyse, and grow pleasantly
fanciful upon. Her life was one of self-denial, unmerited suffering,
and of continual gratification to others. She was the support of
three generations, the evidences of which she bore in her face,--in
its beautiful expression of a felicity it knew not wherefore.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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