Brotherton Library-

Nineteenth Century Playbills

Exhibition in the foyer of the library, Spring 1974

The playbill, the earliest form of the theatrical programme as we know it, originated in the mid-18th century, when it became customary to print announcements of plays on small quarto sheets, which were pasted up on the wall outside the theatre and distributed to the coffee-houses. As more and more details were given, the playbill assumed the function of the modern programme as well as that of the theatre poster. It was issued daily and dated, until about 1860, when plays began to run for a week or half a week. It gradually increased in size, reaching foolscap size about 1810, and then de­ veloping^ into a double sheet, to allow for elaborate descriptions of scenery. It was soon about lS£r" square, folded in the middle, and by 1850 measured 26" x 17", which made it very unwieldy for use as a theatre programme.

The first half of the 19th century was a period of decline in the theatre, with m elo­ drama as the dominant form. Melodramas, farces, burlettas, burlesques, and extravaganzas flourished in the minor theatres, while the two great "patent" theatres, Drury Lane and Covent Garden, declined. The Act of 1843 "for regulating theatres" finally destroyed Jhe monopoly held by the patent houses since 1660 and provided the basis for a wide revival of drama in the second half of the century.

The items in this exhibition are from a collection of 65 playbills, dating from 1806- 1871. They were part of the bequest to the Library by Mrs. Blanche Legat Leigh, a former Alderman and Lady Mayoress of Leeds, who died in 1945. They are located in Special Collections: Theatre: Playbills.

SD/FMZ/ii. 74.

MIVERSITfl LIBRARY LEEDS Cases 1-3 The Theatre Royals, Drury Lane

Case 1 Theatre Royal, Drury Lane Originally opened in 1663, Drury Lane is the oldest English theatre still in use. It was rebuilt in 1794, and destroyed by fire on 24th February, 1809« A new building was opened on 10th October, 1812. This was slightly smaller than the previous struc­ ture, which held 3,611 people, but was still too big for intimate plays. Drury Lane was leased to Robert William Ellis ton, the "Great Lessee" (17 74-1831), in 1819. He reconstructed the interior, at a cost of £20, 000, and was bankrupt by 1826. He was succeeded by various other lessees, but all ended in failure. From 1833 to 1839 Alfred Bunn (d. 1860), tried to run both of the patent theatres with one company of actors. He paid more attention to musical drama and performing animals than to serious plays, while his numerous quarrels with actors and writers reduced even further the prestige of the stage.

1) 14th F e b . 1807. The Jealous Wife, by George Colman the elder (1732-94), first produced in 1761, was one of the most popular comedies of its time. The melodrama, Tekeli; or, The .Siege of Montgatz, by Theodore Edward Hook (1788-1841), opened on 24th Nov. 1806. It was an adaptation of Texeli; ou le siefge de Montgatz, by Gilbert de Pix£r£court (Paris, 1803).

2) 22nd June, 1813. Sarah Siddons (1755-1831), the eldest of Roger Kemble's twelve children, was the leading tragic actress of the English stage. She made her iarewell appearance in 1812, but returned to the stage to play Lady Randolph, one of her favourite parts, on this occasion and again at Covent Garden in 1819. Dorothy Jordan (1761-1816) was suprem e in the field of com edy, especially in high- spirited tomboy parts. She began her career in Dublin in 1779 and came to England in 1782. Douglas, by the Rev. John Home (1722-1808), caused much controversy when it was first produced in Edinburgh in 1756, being condemned by the clergy and elders of the Church of Scotland though well received by the audience. It was the only play of its kind - an ambitious pseudo -romantic tragic drama - both to arouse interest when first performed and to be remembered afterwards - although now the only four lines to be remembered are

My name is Norval; on the Grampian hills My father feeds his flocks; a frugal swain, Whose constant cares were to increase his store, And keep his only son, myself, at home.

On first production an excited Scotsman cried to the world the rousing question: "Whaur's yer Wullie Shakespeare noo ?"

3) 31st March, 1818. Rob Roy, The Gregarach, adapted from Sir Walter Scott's novel by George Soane, optened on 25th March, 1818. The dramatisation of fictional works had begun in the latter half of the 18th century, but the practice became much more systematic in the early 19th century. Playwrights quickly exploited the popular success of Scott's novels and poetical romances. Seveialproductions of Rob Roy, his most successful novel in his own time, appeared in 1818. The Follies of a Day; or, The Marriage of Figaro, opened at the Royalty Theatre onlst Oct. 1812. This burletta is evidently Thomas Holer oft's 1784 adaptation of the comedy, Le Mariage de Figaro, by Beaumarchais. - 2 - Case 2 4) 15th D ec. 1823 The Cataract of the Ganges; or. The Rajah's Daughter,, a melodrama by William George Thomas Moncrieff (1794 -1857), opened on 27th Oct. 1823. One of its attractions was a real waterfall.

5) 2 8th A pril, 1831. This was the first night of Alfred the Great; or, The Patriot King, by James Sheridan Knowles (1784-1862), Knowles presented his classical tragedies in terms of 19th century domestic life and was more concerned with his characters' feelings than with their actions. Daguerre and Bouton first exhibited their diorama in R egent's Park in 1823, and the device was patented in the name o f T. Arrow sm ith in 1824. Clarkson Stanfield (1793 -1867) returned to London from Edinburgh in 1831 and eventually became scenic director at Drury Lane. The Legion of Honour, a melodrama by Tames Robinson Plane he (1796-1880), opened on 16th April, 1831. Planche, an English dramatist of Huguenot descent, was a prolific writer of burlesques, extravaganzas, and pantomimes, but also produced some comedies and melodramas.

6) 8th July, 183 6. Turning the Tables, a farce by John Poole (d. 1872), was first presented on 11th Nov. 183 0. La Sonnambula, with libretto by Jnr. (17 86-1851), opened on 1st May, 1833. This was one of three English versions of Bellini's LaSonanambule (Paris, 18'9). Beazley was an architect and theatre designer and dramatist.

Case 3 7) 13th Jan. 1840. The comic opera, Cinderella; or, The Fairy Slipper, an adaptation of Rossini's La Cenerentola, was first performed on 9th Jan. 1837. The pantomime, Harlequin Tack Sheppard; or, The Blossom of Tyburn Tree, opened on 26th Dec. 1839.

Cases 4-6 The Theatre Royal, Covent Garden

Case 4 The Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, was opened in 1732, rebuilt in 1784, and greatly enlarged in 1792. It was burnt to the ground in September, 1808, and the company moved to the Opera House in the Hay market. A new building, in the style of the Temple of Minerva on the Acropolis, was completed a year later.

8) 6th Sept. 1813. John Bull; or, An Englishman's Fireside, a comedy by George Colman the younger (1762-1836), was first performed on 5th March, 1803. It was regarded as Colman's masterpiece by his contemporaries and was very popular in America. The operatic farce, Killing no Murder, by was first performed at the Haymarket, Theatre Royal, on 21st Aug. 1809.

9) 16th D e c. 1816. The melodrama, Guy Mannering; or, The Gipsey's Prophecy, which opened on 12th March, 1816, was the first dramatisation of a Waverley novel. It was written by (1789-1829), with the assistance of Scott himself. Bluebeard; or, Female Curiosity, by George Colman the younger, was first produced in 1798. • - 3 - 1 0) 10th M arch, 1825. The farce, A Roland for an Oliver, by Thomas Morton (c. 1764 -183 8), opened on 29th April, 1819. It was based on Scribe's Une Yisite at Bedlarr (Paris, 1818). Charles the Second; or, The Merry Monarch, a comedy written by John Howard Payne (1791-1852) in collaboration with Washington Irving, was first performed on 27th May, 1824. It was based on La Jeunesse de Henri V , by Alexandre Duval. The Miller and his Men, a melodrama on a brigandine the me, by Isaac Pocock (1782-1835), opened on 21st Oct. 1813. It was the most popular play in the 19th century Juvenile Drama or toy theatre.

Case 5 U ) 16th May, 1831. This was the first night of Buonaparte. Captain of Artillery, General and First Consul, Emperor, and Exile, a dramatic spectacle by Michael Raphino Lacy (1795-1867), with scenery painted by Thomas (1799-1882) and William (1800- 44) Grieve.

12) 28th May, 1833. This was the second performance of The Magic Flute, from Mozart's opera, Die ZauberflSte. The interlude, A D xy after the Wedding; or, A Wife's First Lesson, was w itten by Marie -Thereise Kemble (nee De Camp, 1773 -183 8), an actress and dancer, who married in.1806. Mrs. Kemble played Lady Elizabeth Freelove in the first performance of this piece at Covent Garden on 18th May, 1808.

13) 19th O ct. 1836. Charles Kemble's production of King John at Covent Garden in 1824, with "historically accurate" scenery and costumes, was the first attempt at such realis m. The Scape-goat, a farce by John Poole, was first performed on 25th Nov. 1825. The Forty Thieves, an operatic romance ascribed to George Colman the younger, with music by (d. 1826), opened at Drury Lane on 8th April, 1806.

Case 6 14) 25th Jan. 1841. Madame Vestris (nee Lucia Elizabeth Bartolozzi, 1797-1856) secured the lease of Covent Garden in 1839 and staged some magnificent productions, including the beautiful version of A Midsummer Night's Dream advertised on this playbill. The Castle of Otranto; or, Harlequin and the Giant Helmet, a pantomime by William Bradwell, opened on 26th D ec. 184 0. Charles Kemble resumed control of Covent Garden in 1842 and musical shows becam e m ore and m ore predom inant, until in 1847 the theatre was re-n am ed the Royal Italian Opera House.

Cases 7-10 Other London Theatres

Case 7 The Lyceum Theatre, The Strand, was built as an exhibition hall in 1765 and converted into a theatre in 1794, The Drury Lane company played at the Lyceum from 1809 until their new building opened in 1812, Samuel Arnold obtained a licence to produce English opera d u riog the sum m er, and the theatre becam e the English Opera House in 1810. It was almost completely rebuilt in 1815-16.

15) 24th July, 1810. The Duenna, a com ic opera by Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816), was first perform ed in 1775„ Twenty Years Ago!, a melodrama by Isaac Pocock (1782-1835), with music by Thomas Welsh (1781-1848), opened on 21st July, 1810. ~ 4 - 16) 6th A p ril, 1818. Mail Coach Adventures: the elder (1776-183 5) was renowned for his one-man entertainments , or "At Homes," in which he pi esented a wide range of characters derived from observstion and imagination, 17) 28th June, 1821. Two Words; or, Silent not Dumb, a melodrama by Samuel James Arnold (1774 - 1852), was first performed on 2nd Sept. 1816. Is he Jealous ? an operetta by Samuel Beazley Jnr., with music by Thomas W elsh, opened on 2nd July, 1816. Amateurs and Actors, an operatic farce by Richard Brinsley Peake (1792-1847), was first presented on 29th Aug. 1818.

Case 8 The King's Theatre, Haymarket, was built by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1705. A new building was erected in 1790 and remodelled by Marinari about 1801. It was used by the patent companies in 1809. It was reconstructed in 1818, and burnt down in 1867.

18) 1st April, 1811. Three versions of The Earl of Warwick appeared in the 18th century: F. Tolson's in 1719, Paul Hiffernan's in 1764, and Thomas Francklin's in 1766,

Sadler's Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue, Islington, has the oldest fabric of all the London playhouses. The site became a popular pleasure -garden when a medicinal spring was d iscovered in the grounds of a M r. Sadler in 1683-4. The theatre dates fro m 1765, when a stone building superseded an old wooden "Musick House. " (1778-1837 ), reputedly the funniest of clow n s, took over S adler's W ells in 1818, and pnade his farewell appearance there in 182 8.

19) 6th June, 1825. This was the first performance of Thomas John Dibdin's burletta, Jacko; or, The Ape of Brazil. T . J. Dibdin (1771-1841) also w rote the burletta, The Man and the M arquis; o r , The Three Spectres of the Castle of St. Valori, first performed on 18th April, 1825, and the melodrama, Beauty in a Box; or, The Foundling Prince and the Vizier's Daughter, which opened on 4th April, 1825.

Case 9 The Olympic Theatre. Wych-street or Newcastle -street, The Strand, was opened by Philip Astley (1742-1814) in 1806, Ellis ton took over in 1813 and rebuilt the theatre in 1818. Having ruined himself at Drury Lane, he sold the Olympic to John Scott in 1824. The theatre specialised in melodrama until, at the end of 183 0, it was leased to Madame Vestris, who made it one of the most refined and successful theatres in London.

2Q) 1st O ct. 1836. The first three items are all burlettas which opened at the Olympic in 1836: Court Favour; or, Private and Confidential, by J.R. Planche (29th Sept.); Forty and Fifty, by Thomas Haynes Bayly (1797-1839) (2nd March); and A Handsome Husband,, by Mrs. J.R. Planche (15th Feb.) The Old and Young Stager was written by William Leman Rede (1802-47) for the debut of Charles Mathews the younger (1803-1878) on 7th Dec. 1835. - 5 - 21) 15th May, 183 7. One Hour; or, A Carnival Ball, a burletta by t'homas H. Bayly, was first pro­ duced on 12th Jan. 1836. John Oxenford's burletta of The Rape of the Lock opened on 27th March, 1837. Riquet with the Tuft, a burlesque wirtten by J.R . Plane hd" in c ol la bo ration with Charles Dance (1794 -1863), was derived from the French Feerie Folie, Riquet £ la Houppe. It was first performed on 26th Dec. 1836 and was an immediate s u c c e s s .

Case 1 0 The Surrey Theatre, Blackfriars Road, Surrey, was one of the most important of the minor theatres. It began as the Royal Circus, an amphitheatre for equestrian drama, ifi 1782. It was taken over by Ellis ton in 1809 and opened as the Surrey Theatre in 1810. It reverted to being a circus from 1814 to 1816, when Thomas Dibdin re -opened it as a theatre. It declined after Dibdin's failure in 1823 but became very popular when Ellis ton took over again from 1827 until his death in 1831.

22) 3rd Nov. 1832. The Tragedy of Jane Shore, by Nicholas Rowe (1674-1718), was first produced in 1714. The Review; or, The Wags of Windsor, an operatic farce by George Colman the younger, with music by Arnold, was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Haym arket, on 2nd Sept. 1800. The Wild Boy of Bohemia; or, Leitzmer Castle, a melodrama by John Walker, opened at the Olym pic on 12th F eb . 1827.

5th Nov. 1832. Several version of Scott's Waverley were prepared for the stage, beginning with a performance by the Corbett Ryder Company at Perth in 1822. The Lawyer's Clerk; or, The Lottery Ticket, a farce by Samuel Beazley Jnr., opened at Drury Lane on 13th Dec. 1826. George MacFarren's melodrama, Guy Faux; or, The Gunpowder Treason, was first performed at the Coburg Theatre in Sept. 1822.

Case 11 - The Theatre Royal, Liverpool

Case 11 The Theatre Royal, Liverpool. Apart from aseries of booths, Liverpool seems not to have had a regular theatre until a patented house was opened in Williams on-square in 1772.

23) 26th Nov. 1828. William Calcraft's adaptation of The Bride of Lammermoor is usually cited as having first been performed in Edinburgh in 1822, but a melodrama called The Bride of Lammermuir, A Caledonian Romance, was "allowed" by the Lord Chamber la in for the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh, on 27th Oct. 1819. Dibdin's version appeared at the Surrey Theatre, and another at Astley's, in 1819. A Dead Shot, by John Baldwin Bucks tone (1802-79), opened at the Adelphi on 22nd Jan. 1827. Dibdin's version of Scott's The Lady of the Lake was produced at the Surrey Theatre in 1810, and E. J. Eyre's in Edinburgh in 1811.

24) 4th July, 1834. The Hunchback, James Sheridan Knowles' most successful play, opened at Covent Garden on 5th April, 1832. In the Wrong Box, a farce by R.B. Peake, was first performed at the Olympic Theatre on 3rd Feb, 1834. - 6 - 25) 14th Nov. 1837. Othello: The title roll is played in Charles Kean (1811-68), son of Edmund Kean (1787-1833), who died shortly after appearing as Othello, with Charles as Iago, at Covent Garden on 2 5th March, 1833, The Brigand, a m elodram a by D.W. Osbaldiston, was first produced at the Surrey Theatre on 18th Nov. 183 0.

Case 12 - Yorkshire Theatres Case 12 T h eatre, T.oll-booth, Kirby-Moor-side

26) 29th June, 1825. The Spectre Bridegroom; or, A Ghost in Spite of Himself, a farce by William Moncrieff, was first presented at Drury Lane on 2nd July, 1821.

27) 11th July, 1825. Love a la Mode was written by Charles Macklin (d. 1797), an Irish actor, in 1759. Macklin originally played the part of Sir Archy MacSarcasm.

28) Theatre Royal, Hunslet Lane, Leeds Leeds acquired its first legitimate theatre in 1771. It formed part of the York circuit and was managed by Tate Wilkinson until his death in 1803. It then fell into decline for more than half a century until it was taken over by John Coleman, who did much for the revival of drama in Leeds. He pulled down the original building and erected a New Theatre Royal on the site, but it was burnt down in 1875, The play Dili dates from 1871.