LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSJTY OF 
 \^ CALIFORNIA 
 

Amateur Clubs ^ Actors 
 
Amateur 
 Clubs & Actors 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 W. G. ELLIOT 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY C. M. NEWTON 
 AND FROM PHOTOGRAPHS 
 
 LONDON 
 
 EDWARD ARNOLD 
 
 37 BEDFORD STREET 
 1898 
 
tOAN STACK 
 
 Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson 6» Co. 
 At the Ballantyne Press 
 
To THE Hon. 
 SIR SPENCER PONSONBY-FANE, G.C.B., 
 
 One of the Founders of the " Old Stagers," 
 
 NOT ONLY AN ADMIRABLE ACTOR, 
 
 BUT ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE TRUE SPIRIT OF 
 
 AMATEUR ACTING, 
 
 WE, THE AUTHORS, 
 
 DEDICATE THIS BOOK. 
 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Prologue ^^ 
 
 By R. J. Lucas. 
 
 I. Introductory . 
 By The Editor. 
 
 I 
 
 II. The Guards' Burlesque 9 
 
 By Captain George Nugent. 
 
 III. The Windsor Strollers 22 
 
 By B. C. Stephenson. 
 
 IV. The Greek Play, Oxford . . • • -53 
 
 By Philip Carr. 
 
 V. The A.D.C, Cambridge 67 
 
 By The Editor. 
 
 VI. The Amateur Pantomime and Burlesque . 107 
 By W. Yardley. 
 
 VII. The Greek Play, Cambridge . . ■ .148 
 By J. W. Clark. 
 
 VIII. THE O.U.D.S ^63 
 
 By Claud Nugent. 
 
 IX. Acting at Eton ^93 
 
 By F. Tarver. 
 
 X. Amateurs in Foreign Parts . . • .221 
 By Lieut. -Col. Newnham-Davis. 
 
viii CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 XI. The Westminster Play 247 
 
 By M. L. G\VYER. 
 
 XII. The Greek Plays at Bradfield College . 261 
 By "Sentinel." 
 
 XIII. Country House Acting 271 
 
 By Leo Trevor. 
 
 XIV. The Canterbury "Old Stagers" . . . 282 
 
 By W. Yardley. 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Scene from the " Phormio " . . Westminster Play . 
 Captain George Nugent as 
 
 Wagner 
 
 Guards' Btirlesatie . 
 
 Mrs. Charles Crutchley as 
 Clochette 
 
 The Late Captain Gooch . . . Windsor St7-oUers 
 
 Mr. Arthur Bourchier as 
 
 Gdyaros 
 
 Mr. J. R. Manners as Lady 
 Teazle 
 
 Mr. R. a. Austin -Leigh as The 
 Bedmaker 
 
 Harlequinade Group 
 
 Mr. M. R. James as Peisthe- 
 TAIROS 
 
 One of the Birds 
 
 Hon. and Rev. J. G. Adderley as 
 
 Dinah's Nurse 
 
 Greek Play, Oxford 
 I A.D.C, Cambridge 
 
 The Amateur Pantomime 
 at the Gaiety Theatre 
 
 Greek Play, Cambridge 
 
 O.U.D.S. 
 
 Mr. Alan Mackinnon as Prince 
 Hal 
 
 Eton Group Acting at Eton . . . 
 
 I A.D.C, Simla . . . 
 
 Group in "Midsummer Night's 
 Dream " 
 
 Frontispiece 
 To face p. 1 5 
 
 18 
 
 37 
 59 
 
 87 
 
 99 
 117 
 
 153 
 155 
 170 
 
 184 
 196 
 225 
 
X ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Group in "Midsummer Night's i 
 
 _ „ [ A.D.C., Simla .... To face p. 228 
 
 Dream ' ) j r 
 
 Mrs. W. James Country House Acting . ,, 272 
 
 Miss Muriel Wilson „ „ ., . ,, 277 
 
 Mr, Augustus Spalding .... Old Stagers ,,291 
 
 Sir S. Ponsonby-Fane, Gen. Sir H. 
 
 De Bathe, and Mr. Quintin \ „ „ „ 296 
 
 Twiss IN "Cox and Box" . 
 
PROLOGUE 
 
 By REGINALD LUCAS 
 
 HAIL, Amateurs ! hail, lovers of the Muse 
 Of Drama ! Come, your story we'll peruse ; 
 Discover wherefore, with such fervent heart. 
 Unstirred by hope of gain you play your part ; 
 For mere delight why stamp, and mouth, and utter. 
 Since what's your sport to some is bread and butter; 
 Why no role daunts you ; why with conscience clear 
 You dare rush in where actors tread with fear. 
 No sordid aim is yours ; no love of pelf; 
 You take consummate pains for love of — self? 
 I wonder if you'd misconstrue me were I 
 To say 'tis pleasant digito inonstrari: 
 No effort yet to full achievement came 
 Without the whispered blandishments of Fame ; 
 Then, sure, when Art's your object sole and single. 
 Some love of Fame with love of Art may mingle. 
 I blame you not : what need to make excuse 
 For those who put their talents to good use ? 
 Here's one can sing : who wants to drown his song? 
 Here's one can paint : who says his painting's wrong ? 
 One may not put to shame the nightingales, 
 He's therefore not obliged to stick to scales ; 
 And one, if no old masters he outshines, 
 Need not be kept for ever to straight lines. 
 I've heard the songs of amateurs applauded. 
 Thought they were right to sing, and wished that more did 
 Indeed, t'ards amateurs indulgence stretches, 
 Sometimes, so far as to admire their sketches : 
 
xii PROLOGUE 
 
 What then ! if these are able to give pleasure, 
 By cultivating Nature's gifts at leisure, 
 And find themselves in general admired 
 By reason of the prowess they've acquired, 
 Why should not those, who feel the aspiration 
 For Drama, strive, within such Hmitation, 
 Not trifling, but in earnest — (never was time 
 Well spent in trifling yet at work or pastime) — 
 To turn to use the talent that's within them. 
 Look to the laurels and resolve to win them ? 
 For my part I deem him a splendid fellow 
 Who blacked himself throughout to play Othello : 
 No London, no provincial town or borough, 
 Can surely boast professional more thorough : 
 Hefe/t the part, and when the boards he trod he 
 Became Othello, heart and soul — and body ! 
 That prince of amateurs may stand alone, 
 No need to take his colour ; yet his tone 
 Suits you exactly ; let it be conceded 
 All honest players must go in as he did : 
 And unto such as choose " to go the whole hog," 
 Be offered, as a tribute due, this Prologue. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen, the line of whom 
 
 Bids fair to " stretch out to the crack of doom," 
 
 Most delicate the task upon me thrust is. 
 
 How can I hope to do you all due justice ? 
 
 Impartial commendation is the thing wished. 
 
 Fit tribute to such names as are distinguished 
 
 By honourable mention in these annals ; 
 
 But truly there are few of this world's channels 
 
 Down which they have not passed, and who shall group 
 
 In orderly review so vast a troop ? 
 
 First take the Stage itself : no meagre band, 
 
 Brookfield and Elliot, Clark and Bourchier stand, 
 
 Graduates all, who took a high degree 
 
 Once in O.U.D.S. or A.D.C. 
 
 Bourchier, old friend, those days are now " lang syne." 
 
 When at your smoking " My Dame" drew the line, 
 
PROLOGUE xiii 
 
 (As Elliot tells) : Ah, with what zeal we burned 
 
 Each Saturday when Pupil-Room was turned 
 
 Into a theatre : {pace Mr. Tarver, 
 
 'Twasn't stib rosd ; after some palaver 
 
 " The Head " had granted us our acting license) : 
 
 It may be we were artists in no high sense — 
 
 Your troupe I mean — yet you may well declare 
 
 As Actor-Manager you first "starred" there. 
 
 Swift-footed, nimble-witted. ready writer, 
 
 Dear Willie Elliot, chronicler, reciter, 
 
 No name finds mention in the book you edit 
 
 Reflecting on the Order greater credit : 
 
 You wear a shield won in a race at Eton, 
 
 Life's one long race, and may you ne'er be beaten ! 
 
 In high official places next look round ; 
 
 What name is there more worthy to be found 
 
 Amongst the honoured ranks of G.C.B. 
 
 Than he who helped to found I Zingari ? 
 
 The old order changeth yielding place to new, 
 
 Of your old friends, Sir Spencer, not a few 
 
 Have left the stage for ever, yet be sure 
 
 Your fame and theirs is 'stablisht and secure. 
 
 And still the famous legends shall be told 
 
 Beneath the banners of red, black, and gold. 
 
 Here's one who sometimes left the beaten path 
 
 To tread the boards with you, Sir H. de Bathe, 
 
 Well known as "Sergeant Bouncer," on half-pay; 
 
 (General, late Scots Guards, also, by the way.) 
 
 Lord Harris, of your compeers none or few 
 
 Have been cast for as many parts as you ; 
 
 Cricketer, statesman. Governor of Bombay, 
 
 Courtier, and sportsman, actor, who can say 
 
 Their record is as full of " runs " as yours ? 
 
 Unless 'twere Yardley : he once made great scores ; 
 
 And now writes plays, wherein he still makes " hits " ; 
 
 A critic, too, who "cuts" bad plays to bits. 
 
 See, next, who wear the Church's reverend cloth, 
 
 Lawley and Adderley, famed actors both. 
 
 What soldiers, next, have faced the footlights' flare ? 
 
xiv PROLOGUE 
 
 All lines of fire they're ever prompt to dare, 
 
 For soldiers, surely, know what to be brave is. 
 
 And never audience daunted Newnham Davis ; 
 
 Nor gay George Nugent, Guardsman many sided, 
 
 Who once some excellent burlesque provided, 
 
 Now handles troops (at Islington) with skill, 
 
 Does many things, and never does them ill. 
 
 Barrington Foote and Liddell, Gunners twain, 
 
 Cum muliis aliis swell the soldier's train. 
 
 In Politics, James Lowther, chosen rightly 
 
 To fill the Chair, draws crowded Houses nightly ; 
 
 Stage managers like him are seldom seen. 
 
 Who Hke "gag" better than a stirring "scene" ! 
 
 Gravely intent upon affairs of State, 
 
 In comedy as apt as in debate, 
 
 See Bromley-Davenport ; sure no M.P. 
 
 Can touch life at more diverse points than he. 
 
 I scan the Civil Service and I miss. 
 
 Official now no longer, Quintin Twiss ; 
 
 Let's hope, though he's abandoned his Profession, 
 
 From Amateurs he threatens no secession. 
 
 Here's one, his colleague oft in days of yore, 
 
 Augustus Spalding, rich in theatre lore : 
 
 " Stagers " and " Strollers " these of large renown, 
 
 The high traditions careful to hand down, 
 
 The which to guard and carry on are summoned 
 
 Alan Mackinnon here, there Charlie Drummond ; 
 
 This one and that, (you'll find them in these pages,) 
 
 Called to prolong the tale to after ages. 
 
 My sense of courtesy may be aspersed 
 
 For disobeying this rule, " Ladies first " : 
 
 Yes ; but the reason it was disobeyed is, 
 
 Words fail me when I come to speak of ladies : 
 
 In such a case few things there are that women hate 
 
 Worse than a critic trying to discriminate. 
 
 Herein no wish to criticise is hinted, 
 
 To all alike my homage flows unstinted : 
 
 It may be I have my own predilection, 
 
 And think that one alone has reached perfection, 
 
PROLOGUE XV 
 
 Endowed by Nature and enriched by Art, 
 
 One in my humble judgment stands apart ; 
 
 I name no names ; if I began commending 
 
 Each one by name, this rhyme would have no ending. 
 
 God bless them all ! long life to Wit and Beauty ! 
 
 For them to go on acting is a duty. 
 
 That we may see life's limitations dwindle. 
 
 Beneath the spreading ray bright fancies kindle : 
 
 Potential heroines, may they extract 
 
 Joy from real life, weep only when they act ! 
 
 And what of those who've played their part, and seen 
 
 Death's curtain fall ; whose memory is green 
 
 As grows the grass upon their graves ? I wis 
 
 We ask no kinder destiny than this : — 
 
 To play each part assigned us with good will, 
 
 Not envious, but ambitious, striving still 
 
 To pluck from life its sweets, see all things fair, 
 
 Bind fast the ties of friendship, prompt to share 
 
 Prosperity with all, ao prompt to give 
 
 Aid in adversity, and so to live 
 
 That on our tombs this epitaph may run : — 
 
 "Here lies the friend of all, the foe of none." 
 
AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 I 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 By the editor 
 
 OH for the pen of a ready journalist ! In these days, 
 when even " auld licht " ministers visit theatres and 
 — whisper it not in Paisley — sometimes go behind the scenes 
 and hobnob with ministerial managers and elders, I feel 
 it not out of place to commence this chapter with a sort 
 of paraphrase of that ancient canticle. 
 
 Amateur Acting ! I know perfectly well how the ready 
 journalist would dash at the subject : "The jovial, red-faced 
 squire greeting his guests at the hall-door as they drive up." 
 On these occasions the entire house-party arrive at the 
 same moment. One may therefore infer that the strength 
 of the squire's horses and the capacity of his carriages is 
 unlimited. " Hearty handshaking in the porch. Entrance 
 of the guests. The squire's aged wife bending over the 
 hissing urn " — the only thing that ever hisses at amateur 
 theatricals. "Arrival of the amusing man, who trips over 
 the carpet and falls headlong among the muffins. Shouts 
 of laughter from the entire assemblage except the squire's 
 aged wife, who has to ring for more. The first rehearsal 
 after dinner. The amusing man again to the fore, but 
 
 A 
 
2 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 not quite so amusing as he was before dinner, when 
 he was more thoroughly master of himself. Chastened 
 laughter of the guests — the squire fuming — the squire's 
 aged wife in tears. Gradual recovery of the amusing 
 man, and a most successful rehearsal," &c. &c. All this, 
 I feel, would be quite delightful both to read and write ; 
 but unfortunately it has been discovered that the R. J.'s 
 account of amateur theatricals closely resembles the shoot- 
 ing correspondent's story of " a day's snipe-shooting on 
 the slopes of Helvellyn," i.e. it is entirely evolved from 
 his imagination. 
 
 The real thing, whether undertaken by the organised 
 amateur clubs, or by people staying in country houses, 
 is very different. In the former there is a good deal of 
 strict business, attention to and attendance at rehearsal, 
 with a view to a complete performance of the play acted. 
 In the latter, although one or two very serious people are 
 generally to be found, there is a disposition to treat things 
 much easier, whether a regular play or charades are being 
 acted. Talking of the latter, I had the pleasure of taking 
 part lately in a very hastily-arranged one ; the word being 
 " Minister," and the final scene representing the first and 
 last acts of Mr. Barrie's celebrated play rolled into one. 
 The charade was performed without the kind permission 
 of the Managers of the Haymarket Theatre. The Elders 
 were represented by four charming young ladies, Babbie 
 by a gallant and athletic seaman, and the Minister by 
 myself. Babbie wore yellow hair and accordion skirts. 
 The story, shortly, was, that the clerical one was quite 
 prepared to flirt with Babbie to any extent, but drew the 
 line at marriage, until informed that she was the daughter 
 of a peer of the realm. Then, with the full consent of 
 the Elders, who had all this time been burning dressing- 
 
INTRODUCTORY 3 
 
 room candles in a wood composed of flower -pots, he 
 consented, and all ended well. 
 
 After all, I believe this to be the true spirit of country- 
 house acting, i.e. a kind of irresponsibility. I am sure it 
 is a great mistake to take it too seriously, and to attempt 
 to rival the carefully-prepared performances of the clubs. 
 Now and then, if the company can be got together for at 
 least a fortnight before the event, and if, more difficult 
 still, they can be persuaded to arrive knowing their parts, 
 the whole aspect of things is changed ; but, as a rule, 
 one-act plays are by far the best, as they are easier to 
 rehearse in a short time, and go much better than three- 
 or four-act pieces. It would be a thousand pities, also, if 
 the too serious one — by that 1 mean the individual who 
 used to be in business, to shoot, fish, play golf and cricket, 
 but who has given them all up for amateur acting — were 
 to become very prominent in these amateur performances. 
 
 On coming, however, to the clubs and to a few houses 
 where a regular system of amateur acting holds, one is 
 met with an entirely different state of things. Let us 
 for a moment look at the course pursued by the Old 
 Stagers at Canterbury, Oxford, Cambridge, the Strollers 
 at Windsor, and at places like Mr. Bromley-Davenport's 
 in Cheshire, and Lord Dartmouth's at Patshull. In all 
 of these, rehearsals are long and arduous — movements, 
 delivery of sentences, and inflections are rehearsed time 
 after time for periods varying from a fortnight to four or 
 five weeks, and the result is generally to ensure smoothness 
 and steadiness at the first performances. As an example 
 of this, I shall never forget the first performance of the 
 " Money Spinner " at Windsor about nine years ago. 
 When one comes to look at it, it really is a remarkable 
 thing that so many hard-worked people can be found in 
 
4 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 all parts of the world who are willing thus to give up their 
 spare time, and it is a decided testimony to the power and 
 enjoyment of the art. Is there any one fond of acting 
 who can deny the fascination of the Canterbury week ? It 
 certainly was a most happy idea of Sir Spencer Ponsonby, 
 and the other founders of the Old Stagers, to combine 
 cricket and the play. Given fine weather, what can we 
 desire more than good cricket by day and the theatre at 
 night ? To be an Old Stager at Canterbury means some- 
 thing, for you are temporarily, if not permanently, a 
 member of I. Z.; and whether you take part in the per- 
 formances or not, there is no doubt that you spend a very 
 delightful week. This is all the more true in my own 
 case, for on the only occasion on which I appeared at 
 Canterbury I was so pulverised by the local press, that for 
 weeks after I was as dust upon the highroad to Dover. 
 
 It is the same with the Windsor Strollers. Who shall 
 say that a man courageous enough to walk about Windsor, 
 and attend football matches in the Field at Eton for a 
 whole week with a green and red ribbon tied round his 
 black billycock hat, is not a devotee of the art ? Yet that 
 is what the Windsor Strollers do in the murky November 
 of each year. Who shall aver that the undergraduate at 
 Oxford and Cambridge who will rehearse for five weeks 
 on end before acting is not keen ? Year after year, men 
 who are busy will devote two and three hours a day to 
 rehearsals for these club actings, and these men not in 
 the first bloom of youth. Sir Henry de Bathe took part 
 in a performance given by the Guards before Sevastopol. 
 Look at the account given by Colonel Newnham-Davis of 
 acting at Simla and in other parts, and how, a few years 
 ago, the Brigade of Guards gave not one burlesque, but 
 many, as recounted by Captain George Nugent. Take 
 
INTRODUCTORY 5 
 
 the public schools. Mr. Tarver has a good deal to say 
 on Eton acting between 18 10 and 1870, when the school 
 performances were stopped. The fact is, that the charm 
 of amateur acting is irresistible. 
 
 I notice here that Mr. Tarver throws out a sly hint 
 that Mr. Arthur Bourchier may be able to give some 
 account of certain, as it were, unauthorised performances 
 at Eton which took place at a later date. Well, Mr. 
 Bourchier has risen to the bait, and so have I. I now 
 append two stories of his and one of my own. On one 
 memorable occasion it was decided by those Etonians 
 who dwelt in a house not far from the School of Arms, 
 to give a performance of the " Corsican Brothers." Mr. 
 Bourchier organised this, and by kind permission of his 
 Dame, i.e. House Master, the performance was to take place 
 in the Pupil-room, which, as every one who has been at 
 Eton knows, is a room singularly well adapted to the pur- 
 pose. It was necessary to prepare snow in order to give 
 due effect to the great duel scene in the wood, and one of 
 the lower boys was hurriedly set to tear up the first paper 
 he could find, as the hour was approaching. The per- 
 formance went off with great eclat, and no one was louder 
 in praise of it than the Dame, who expressed himself 
 as being particularly impressed by the snow which was 
 thrown on by the lower boy from behind a screen. After 
 prayers, however, that night, just as the house was leaving 
 the dining-room, suddenly " Stop a moment " came from 
 the Dame, who was looking perturbed. " Can any of you 
 boys tell me what has become of the Middle Division 
 Trial Papers which I left on Pupil-room desk to look over ? 
 I cannot find them." Dead silence. Suddenly a good 
 deal of pushing and stirring began at the lower end of 
 the room, which eventually resulted in a pale-faced child 
 
6 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 being thrust forward. " Please, sir," came a quivering 
 voice, " the snow." " The what ? " cried the Dame. 
 " The snow, sir, for the ' Corsican Brothers.' " A veil now 
 falls gently over that scene. It was, however, remarked, 
 that half, by those in authority that the mathematics of 
 Middle Division were evidently improving, as no one had 
 failed to get through into Upper ; and I understand that 
 the astonishment of the mathematical masters at this un- 
 expected event was even surpassed by that of many of the 
 examinees. 
 
 On another occasion, this painful affair having blown 
 over, Mr. Bourchier produced in the identical Pupil-room 
 " Still Waters Run Deep." Again the Head of the House 
 signified his intention of being present, and special pains 
 were taken in rehearsal to get the great scene in the office 
 right as regards what is technically known as "business." 
 Those who know the play will remember that just as the 
 virtuous John Mildmay is about to unmask the villain 
 Hawksley he takes out a cigar, and is going to light it. 
 The rest of this scene had better be given with the dia- 
 logue as it occurred on this particular occasion : — 
 
 Mr. Bourchier as Mildmay addressing Hawksley, and con- 
 tinuing a speech. " It so happened that, when the bill 
 was presented for payment, only one person was in the 
 counting-house — the clerk who paid the money, and is 
 since dead. Will you allow me ? " Taking out a cigar-case. 
 
 Voice from the audience. "Bourchier ! no smoking." 
 
 B.y taking no notice. " But in the private room of the 
 firm, which was separated from the counting-house by a 
 glazed door, was the junior partner — may I trouble you 
 for a light ? " About to light cigar. 
 
 Voice. " Bourchier ! did you hear what I said ? No 
 smoking. It is not allowed at Eton." 
 
 B. " Please, sir, it's in the play." 
 
INTRODUCTORY 7 
 
 V. " I can't help that. No smoking." 
 
 B. " But, please, sir, the entire rest of the scene depends 
 upon a cigar now." 
 
 V. "Then you must omit the rest of the scene." 
 
 B. in despair. "Oh, sir, really" — makes a desperate attempt 
 to light cigar. 
 
 V. " Bourchier, if I see you do that once more, I shall 
 complain of you to the Head Master." 
 
 B., fresh from a recent swishing, and moving uneasily on 
 his chair. " Oh, very well, sir, then we must go on with- 
 out." The scene is finished without the cigar. 
 
 My tutor, too, was most kind about allowing us to act 
 on Saturday nights. The rule at our House was, " on 
 acting nights, the play which is to be acted at 7.30 P.M. in 
 the House Library is not to be invented till 6.30 P.M. on the 
 same evening." This sometimes produced the most sur- 
 prising results, and unearthed a great deal of ready talent. 
 
 These actings went on for a year or two, but the death- 
 blow came when we resolved one night to depart from 
 the regular rule and produce the " Last Days of Pompeii," 
 in classical costume, and in the upper passage. We were 
 all draped in white and coloured tablecloths to represent 
 togas, and wore on our heads — why, I know not — towels ; 
 all except Mr. " Jorrocks " Lubbock — now engaged in 
 financial pursuits — whose headgear was an inverted flower- 
 basket. But this was doubtless accounted for by the fact 
 that he took the part of Pansa the ^dile. My running 
 cups graced the feast at the house of Glaucus the Athenian, 
 my part ; and a small quantity of drawing-room lightning 
 was brought into use to represent the Eruption of Vesuvius. 
 Perhaps the most " striking " scene of all occurred in the 
 Temple of Artemis, when the sly Pansa, lurking behind 
 the statue, represented by the present Captain H. P. Levita, 
 pushed him off his pedestal on to the top of Mr. " Jerry " 
 
8 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Streatfeild, who, in the part of the wicked Arbaces the 
 Egyptian, was about to carry off the fair Nydia. He was 
 squashed quite flat, and bears the marks of that statue to 
 this day. The said Eruption of Vesuvius, worked by sheets 
 of drawing-room lightning, was superintended by Mr. 
 George Wyndham, M.P., the present Under Secretary for 
 War, and the power of controlling fire which he showed 
 on the occasion augurs well for his future in that respon- 
 sible office. The effect of thunder, too, obtained through 
 his knowledge of how to throw a tin bath all the way 
 downstairs, was indescribable. My tutor witnessed this 
 closing scene, the Destruction of Pompeii, with, I am 
 sure, mixed feelings, as several Windsor chairs went in 
 the crash ; and although he expressed himself as much 
 interested in our noble attempt to represent the decadence 
 of a great nation, he decided that in future we had better 
 play at passage football instead of passage acting. 
 
 If, after all this, there should remain in any one's mind 
 a lingering doubt as to the hold that amateur acting has 
 taken in this country, I feel sure that a perusal of Mr. 
 Lucas' prologue and the following chapters will entirely 
 dispel the same. And I think also that most people will 
 agree, that so long as a fatal excess does not creep in and 
 produce that appalling being known as the professional- 
 amateur, it is an excellent and healthy pastime, for among 
 its many advantages it has one which stands out pre- 
 eminently — it gives the leisured something on which to 
 occupy their minds, and gives relief to the hard worked 
 so long as they enter into it con aniore. 
 
 Before concluding, I should like to explain that the 
 fact of this book containing no mention of the many 
 admirable London amateur clubs is due to the opinion 
 we hold that these clubs deserve a special and separate 
 history of their own. 
 
II 
 
 THE GUARDS' BURLESQUE 
 
 By captain GEORGE NUGENT, 
 Grenadier Guards 
 
 THE Guards' Burlesque was born early in 1888. Its 
 father was a most respectable and hard-working as- 
 sembly, entitled "The Grenadier Guards' Nigger Minstrel 
 Troupe " ; and its mother, a very pretty annual perform- 
 ance, called the " Coldstream Guards' Burlesque." The 
 infant, however, soon eclipsed its parents in importance, 
 which was not surprising, as it was a " Brigade " affair, 
 and not confined to any particular regiment or battalion. 
 
 Acting in the Brigade is, of course, no new thing. 
 Soldiers are always acting, for much the same reasons, I 
 suppose, that induce so many actors to become volun- 
 teers. There is a far greater fascination in doing some- 
 thing that you are not paid for, and don't do particularly 
 well, than there is in devoting yourself to your real pro- 
 fession, by which you earn your daily bread, and of which 
 you may possibly know something. But it is, neverthe- 
 less, a capital thing for officers and men to be working 
 together for one object, and without payment ; it seems 
 to do almost more than anything to bind all ranks 
 closer together, and I certainly never saw the slightest 
 sign of its being detrimental to discipline. When the 
 common object is a theatrical performance, it is also 
 
10 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 most useful in the cause of charity — though I am afraid 
 we don't think of that much — and it is no doubt great 
 fun to the actors ; besides, we must never forget that 
 there is always an off-chance that some among our audi- 
 ence may enjoy themselves, or, at all events, not be very 
 much bored. Anyhow — whatever the reasons — soldiers 
 have always been fond of acting, and the Brigade of 
 Guards no less than the rest of the army. 
 
 But there had never been any organised system of 
 giving dramatic or musical entertainments in the Brigade. 
 Everything was left to individual enterprise, and, as a 
 result, acting was, previously to the birth of the Guards' 
 Burlesque, of a very intermittent character. At one time we 
 had such amateur theatrical giants as Sir Henry de Bathe, 
 General Henry Stracey, and the late " Kit " Pemberton ; 
 and the performances then were of a far too " legitimate " 
 kind to be included in an article on " Burlesque." 
 
 After these there appears to have been nothing par- 
 ticular in the way of acting until poor " Baby " Boyle's 
 time. He was in the Coldstream, and used to get up 
 a burlesque every year until he sent in his papers and 
 went on to the stage, where, after a very brief dramatic 
 career, he caught a chill and died. He was a very good 
 dancer, and mad-keen on acting, though I don't know 
 that one could call him a very good actor. 
 
 Poor George Boyle ! he was the kindest-hearted, 
 most generous fellow I ever saw. His burlesques must 
 have cost him something like ;^6oo a year at least, 
 and he did them " off his own bat " entirely for the 
 amusement of the men. He used, it is true, to sell a 
 few seats, but very few, and only at the rate of half-a- 
 crown each, so that what he got back must have been a 
 drop in the ocean to what he spent. 
 
THE GUARDS' BURLESQUE ii 
 
 I remember a little anecdote about him which is very 
 qharacteristic of his open-handedness. He always took an 
 immense interest in the Westminster Hospital ; and one 
 evening, when he came in to dress for dinner, he said 
 to his servant — a man called Read, and a bit of a char- 
 acter in his way, " Oh, Read, I saw a poor man brought 
 into Westminster Hospital to-day without a coat to his 
 back." 
 
 " Did you indeed, sir ? " replied Read. " What studs 
 will you wear this evening, sir ? " 
 
 " Oh ! never mind the studs, Read. Do you remem- 
 ber that coat I bought last November?" — mentioning one 
 of his newest greatcoats. 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Well, just take it round to the Westminster Hospital 
 when I'm dressed, will you ? " 
 
 "Very good, sir," replied Read, without moving a 
 muscle of his countenance ; then, after a pause, " I wish I 
 was a poor man in Westminster Hospital, sir." 
 
 These burlesques were the work of one battahon (the 
 second) of the Coldstream Guards ; the company called 
 themselves the " Star " Company, after the Coldstream 
 badge ; and the theatre in which the piece was given was 
 always called the " Star " Theatre, wherever it was, whether 
 at Chelsea, where we have a very comfortable little per- 
 manent playhouse, or at places like Wellington Barracks, 
 Windsor, or the Tower, where a " fit up " has to be 
 arranged in the gymnasium or schoolroom. At one per- 
 formance in the schoolroom at Wellington Barracks, 
 George Boyle had to erect a staircase out of doors at the 
 back of the building, that being the only means of allow- 
 ing the actors to get on to the stage without going through 
 the audience. 
 
12 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 As a rule, the characters were played entirely by 
 officers and non-commissioned officers of the battalion, 
 but on two occasions they were assisted by ladies — once 
 when Mrs. Cecil Clay played Sarah, a Swiss Slavey, in 
 " William Tell " ; and once when Lady Augusta Fane 
 played the heroine in " Villikins and his Dinah." 
 
 They were helped by masculine outsiders — I use the 
 term in the literal, not the offensive, sense — on three occa- 
 sions ; once by Captain — now Major — " Box " Stopford, 
 who, though a Coldstreamer, was in the other battalion ; 
 once by the Hon. John Boscawen, who was not a soldier 
 at all, but — being brother to Lord Falmouth, who till 
 lately commanded the regiment — was made a sort of 
 honorary Coldstreamer for the occasion ; and once by 
 Captain — now Lieutenant-Colonel — " Cis " Ricardo of the 
 Grenadiers, who was the original promoter of the Guards' 
 Burlesque in its later and more developed form. The 
 leading comedian was invariably George Boyle, and the 
 leading comedienne a certain Colour-Sergeant Marsh, 
 who was really a wonderful actor for a man who had 
 never been taught the business. He used to play the old 
 women extraordinarily funnily. 
 
 Well, when George Boyle had gone there was, curi- 
 ously enough, no one who cared to spend an immense 
 amount of time and a young fortune in money on these 
 annual shows, and so, to the great regret of everybody 
 connected with the Brigade, they ceased to exist, and we 
 had to put up with the usual kind of military penny read- 
 ing, got up as a sort of duty by the adjutants and the 
 sergeants-major of the different battalions. Then '* Cis " 
 Ricardo started the " Grenadier Guards' Nigger Minstrel 
 Troupe." The troupe was formed by the members of the 
 whole regiment, without regard to battalions, and con- 
 
THE GUARDS' BURLESQUE 13 
 
 sisted of between forty and fifty performers. We did, to 
 the best of our ability, the regular black business, as you 
 may see it at St. James's Hall. Indeed, I am afraid we 
 used to crib most of our " wheezes " from the performance 
 then going on at the Moore & Burgess Minstrels ; but 
 then, as we reflected, most of our audiences had not been 
 there lately, and even if they had, it didn't matter much. 
 Our orchestra was selected from the band and drums, and 
 was by no means the worst part of the show. 
 
 A nigger troupe is an excellent institution in barracks, 
 because, having finished the "first part," which consists, 
 of course, of songs and choruses, you can turn on any- 
 body who has any sort of accomplishment, so long as he 
 doesn't mind blacking his face. For instance, Sir Augustus 
 Webster, who was always a shining light in all Brigade 
 entertainments, used to do his famous Box trick in the 
 second part of the Niggers. This trick was so remarkable 
 that it deserves a word in passing. Gussy — " as we who 
 loved him loved to call him" — used to be locked into a 
 box, which was afterwards carefully corded. He then 
 used to get out by means of lighting a match and thrust- 
 ing the blade of a knife somewhere, which caused a panel 
 in the box to move. At least this was the theory ; the 
 only time I saw the trick done it was a little different. 
 Gussy was put into the box, and the orchestra, acting, no 
 doubt, upon previous instructions, played the " Boulanger 
 March " for all they were worth. Suddenly a light sprang 
 up inside the box, and shone through the little breathing 
 holes upon the expectant audience. It was, however, 
 
 instantly extinguished, and a stentorian " d n " rang 
 
 out even above the clash of the " Boulanger March." 
 Then another light sprang up as before, followed by 
 sundry noises resembling the hanging up of pictures or 
 
14 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 the beating of carpets, mingled with a considerable flow 
 of uncompromising expressions, apparently intended only 
 for the box, but distinctly audible to every one within 
 about a hundred yards. After about twenty minutes or 
 half-an-hour of this there was a mighty crash, half the 
 box flew across the stage, and Gussy crawled out, coat- 
 tails first, covered with blood, and with most of his hair 
 singed off. However, the audience were much mystified 
 and delighted, and the performance certainly served to 
 eke out a considerable portion of the programme. 
 
 We always used to finish up the performance with a 
 Nigger farce, in which Colonel Horace Ricardo — " Cis's " 
 brother — was always the low comedian, and a first-rate 
 one he was too. 
 
 Once we did a pathetic plantation drama. I forget 
 the name of it, but it was all about a slave couple who 
 had lost their child. " Cis " Ricardo was the hero, and 
 Cecil Powney was the heroine. Powney, being a true 
 artist, had been at great pains to give a feminine appear- 
 ance to his figure. He had stuffed a whole lot of towels 
 into the upper portion of his dress, hoping thereby to 
 attain that symmetry of outline that we so much admire 
 in the softer sex. Unfortunately he omitted to sufficiently 
 tighten in his waistband, and the towels all slipped down. 
 The effect might be described as distinctly promising. 
 
 It was while making up for one of these Nigger shows 
 that " Cis " Ricardo suggested to me the idea of a " Brigade 
 Entertainment Committee," by which entertainments for 
 the men of the Brigade might be put on a more business- 
 like footing. It was an excellent idea, and answered — and 
 still answers — capitally. Sir Augustus Webster was the 
 first secretary, and, as a consequence, the enterprise had 
 a thoroughly good start. We collected subscriptions from 
 
Captain George Nugent as Wagner in the Guards' 
 Burlesque of "Faust." 
 
 From a photograph. 
 
THE GUARDS' BURLESQUE 15 
 
 everybody, and settled dates for entertainments, which 
 were organised once a week at one or other of the London 
 barracks by different members of the committee, who were 
 allowed a certain sum of money to cover necessary ex- 
 penses. I was struck off the roster of " entertainers " 
 in order that I might devote myself to organising a big 
 burlesque about Christmas. I accepted this responsibility 
 — with some misgivings, for I had not joined three years — 
 and produced the first Guards' Burlesque, which was written 
 by Captain Hobday of the Royal Horse Artillery, and 
 Robert Martin, of Ballyhooly fame, and was called " Dr. 
 Faust and Miss Marguerite ; or. The Young Duck and the 
 Old Quack." I had already played in it in DubHn, and 
 knew how good it was, so I " squared " Bob Martin, who 
 was most kind about it all, and so got permission to pro- 
 duce it. Bob Martin not only gave permission, but wrote 
 up the play to suit us, and came and stage-managed it for 
 us himself. The music was " specially composed and 
 arranged " by poor little " Teddy " Solomon, who was 
 always ready to give the best of his great musical talents 
 to the service of the Brigade. Solomon was a most 
 amusing little man. Like many artists, he invariably put 
 off everything till the last minute, and then, when we 
 were reduced to absolute despair, he would turn up at 
 rehearsal with everything done — orchestration, band parts, 
 copying out, everything — and tell us that he felt very ill, 
 because he had been sitting up all night to do it. I can 
 see him now standing at the piano, with his hat at the 
 back of his head, a cigarette in his mouth, and his gloves 
 on, playing divinely, and calling everybody who happened 
 to be there — colonels, captains, and subalterns alike — by 
 endearing abbreviations of their Christian names, and yet 
 nobody ever took the least offence at it. Many of the 
 
i6 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 most successful of our songs were absolute impromptus, 
 made up at rehearsal on the spur of the moment, although 
 we were always expected to believe that they were the 
 result of hours of careful composition. He was once 
 grumbling to me about the amount of work he had to 
 do. He said, " I've got a whole lot of songs which I must 
 do before the end of the week ; then I've got to finish up 
 all your burlesque ; besides, there's the piece I'm doing 
 for the Savoy, and / catUt scamp thaty" — which naive re- 
 mark rather " gave away " his methods, as far as we were 
 concerned. 
 
 Old Doctor Faust was played by Count Gleichen of 
 the Grenadiers, who is now a most distinguished officer in 
 the Intelligence Department and a C.M.G. He played 
 the part exceedingly well ; and when he was replaced by 
 Young Faust in the person of Berkeley Levett, he cheer- 
 fully changed his clothes and make up, and retired into 
 the chorus — an act of keenness that one would rarely find 
 on the real stage ! 
 
 "Cis" Ricardo was a most magnificent Mephistopheles, 
 and looked, sang, and acted in a way that few amateurs 
 could have equalled, and none surpassed. His brother. 
 Colonel Ricardo, was Valentine, Major Stopford of the 
 Coldstream was Siebel — the part he had played in Dublin 
 with great and thoroughly deserved success — and I under- 
 took, as in Dublin, the small part of Wagner, an "irre- 
 sponsible low comedy " part, which, I am ashamed to 
 say, rather suits me. I was offered one or two " shops " 
 after this burlesque, one a three years' engagement at ^^40 
 a week, which flattered me very much at the time, but I 
 am not sorry now that I resisted temptation and stuck to 
 my original profession. 
 
 In my judgment the best performer among the lot of 
 
THE GUARDS' BURLESQUE 17 
 
 us — the men, I mean — was Crompton-Roberts, who played 
 Dame Martha. He looked such a charmingly clean old 
 woman, and was intensely funny, without the slightest 
 suggestion of vulgarity. He was the best masculine old 
 woman that I have ever seen anywhere. 
 
 But the success of the show was due undoubtedly not 
 to the men, but the ladies. Of these there were two prin- 
 cipals — Mrs. Godfrey Pearse, the daughter of Mario and 
 Grisi, as Marguerite ; and Mrs. Crutchley — the wife of 
 gallant Major Crutchley who lost his leg in Egypt — as 
 Clochette, Marguerite's maid. Apropos of Mrs. Pearse, a 
 rather pathetic little incident happened. It was arranged 
 that we should all provide our own dresses, and Mrs. 
 Pearse appeared in one which, although a very pretty one, 
 she took a dislike to and wanted to change. I persuaded 
 her not to go to the expense of a brand new one, but to 
 come with me and see if we could not borrow one from 
 Sir Augustus Harris, who was always most kind to us in 
 every possible way. Having routed out the entire wardrobe 
 at Drury Lane, we at last found a dress which we took to 
 Madame Auguste, the costumier, and asked her to alter it 
 in time for the performance that evening. This she said 
 was absolutely impossible, she was afraid, but she would do 
 her best, and Mrs. Pearse went into another room to have 
 the dress tried on. When she had gone I said to Madame 
 Auguste, " You know who that is, don't you ? That's 
 Mario's daughter." Tears started to the old lady's eyes, 
 and in an awestruck whisper she said, " Is that Mario's 
 daughter, really ? She shall have a new dress if I die for 
 it ; and I wouldn't ask a penny from Mario's daughter." 
 The dress arrived in good time, and was a real beauty. 
 Mrs. Pearse sang charmingly in the part, and was so kind 
 and patient with us all. Mrs. Crutchley, too, danced, 
 
 B 
 
i8 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 sang, and acted to perfection. It was owing almost 
 entirely to the success of these two ladies that we turned 
 away a sum of ;^r8oo in a fortnight. 
 
 We had a chorus of eight policemen (officers), eight 
 ladies (all entitled to wear the Brigade ribbon, that is to 
 say, they were all wives, sisters, or daughters of officers in 
 the Brigade), and "eight soldiers of the Camel Corps" (non- 
 commissioned officers). We had also a very clever Camel 
 played by Sergeant Riley and Drum-Major Philip, both 
 of the Grenadiers, besides a diminutive picquet, special 
 constables, &c. 
 
 It was certainly a great success, and tremendous fun. 
 We made enough to thoroughly do up our theatre, put 
 the Entertainment Committee on a sound financial footing, 
 and give a large amount to the Guards Industrial Home, 
 and other Brigade charities. We used to have tremendous 
 suppers, too, usually in barracks. These suppers, by-the- 
 bye, were not paid for " out of the profits," as some of the 
 cheaper " society " journals used with more cynicism than 
 accuracy to assert, but were owing to the hospitality of 
 one or other of the actors. 
 
 Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the 
 Duke of Cambridge both honoured us by their presence, 
 and stayed to supper on different occasions. Indeed, we 
 hardly had any performance without some member of 
 the Royal Family being in front ; and here it may be well 
 to say, that after some little experience in organising 
 military entertainments of different sorts, I have always 
 found that the easiest part of the whole undertaking is to 
 enlist the sympathy and help of the Royal Family. We 
 all know what a difference it makes to a charitable enter- 
 prise to receive the "patronage and presence" of Royalty ; 
 but I don't know that we half appreciate how very ready 
 
Mrs. Charles Crutchley as Clochette in the Guards' 
 Burlesque of "Faust." 
 
 From a photos^raph. 
 
THE GUARDS' BURLESQUE 19 
 
 they are to give it, and I know we can't appreciate the 
 trouble and inconvenience it must often cost them. And 
 what an audience they are ! They are always punctual, 
 they are always appreciative, and they always pay for 
 their seats, and a lot more besides. In a word, they do 
 an incalculable amount for the charity, and it is the 
 charity that " vaunteth not itself." 
 
 Well, it was a great success no doubt ; in fact, rather 
 too great. The papers were all extremely kind, and we 
 had the satisfaction of feeling that we had caused quite a 
 nine days' wonder ; but the worst of it was that the mothers 
 and husbands of our fair artistes were somewhat of the 
 opinion that the fame achieved by their talented relatives 
 was not quite of the nature that they wished to have 
 repeated, so next year we found that we could not get 
 the services of the same ladies as before. We therefore 
 tried a new experiment, and engaged professional assist- 
 ance. Miss Kate Vaughan was good enough to give us 
 her invaluable services as leading lady, and Miss Jeanie 
 M'Nulty was second lady. The piece was a burlesque on 
 " Ivanhoe," written by my father, Sir Edmund Nugent, 
 himself an old Grenadier, and the music was, as before, 
 by Solomon. We got most of the old lot of men together, 
 with the addition of Sir Augustus Webster, who played 
 Little John ; George Macdonald of the Grenadiers, who 
 was most admirable as Gurth the Swineherd ; and Sir 
 Hubert Miller of the Coldstream Guards, who played 
 Wamba. The whole thing was a great success — indeed, 
 monetarily greater even than the previous one, because we 
 had two performances at Windsor, as well as one or two 
 extra ones in London — and very enjoyable ; but I think 
 we all felt that, charming as the professional ladies were, 
 it was better fun when our own "sisters and cousins and 
 
20 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 aunts" were acting with us. "Cis" Ricardo played Brian 
 de Bois Guilbert every bit as well as he had previously 
 played Mephisto. Before " Ivanhoe " we put up " In 
 Honour Bound," by Sidney Grundy, in which " Cis " 
 Ricardo and " Gussy " Webster were both excellent as 
 Sir George Carlyon and Philip. 
 
 In 1890 I was quartered in Dublin, and am there- 
 fore unable to speak from personal experience about 
 the Chelsea Burlesque of that year. It was *' Fra 
 Diavolo," Byron's old burlesque, written up by " Bill " 
 Yardley, the well-known author and cricketer, music, as 
 usual, by Solomon, and dances arranged by Mr. Fred 
 Storey. "Cis" Ricardo was Fra Diavolo, "Gussy" 
 Webster, Sir Simpleton Simon, and Crompton- Roberts, 
 Matteo ; while the two brigands, Beppo and Giacomo, 
 were played by George Macdonald and Colonel Horace 
 Ricardo respectively. The ladies were amateur, and 
 consisted of Miss Annie Schletter, Miss Rose Hawdon, 
 Mrs. Meadows Taylor, and Miss G. Tancred. 
 
 Our next venture was " Robinson Crusoe," written by 
 William Yardley. This performance was famous for the 
 reappearance of Mrs. Crutchley, and for the appearance 
 of the two Misses Savile-Clarke. The latter were the 
 two beautiful daughters of the late Mr. Savile-Clarke, the 
 well-known journalist and author. They created a very 
 great sensation, as they were beautiful dancers, and very fair 
 to look upon ; moreover, they were, when made up, exactly 
 alike. These three ladies were quite enough to " carry it 
 through." The elder Miss Savile-Clarke is, alas ! dead, 
 and the younger is married to Mr. " Venus " Martineau. 
 
 The last burlesque we have played was " The Nick of 
 Time," by General Sir H. Colvile, K.C.B., at that time 
 Colonel in the Grenadier Guards. 
 
THE GUARDS' BURLESQUE 21 
 
 Perhaps I should mention that between " Robinson 
 Crusoe" and "The Nick of Time" we produced that 
 well-known drama, the " Ticket-of-leave Man," a pro- 
 duction which disclosed the fact that we had amongst us 
 one really good serious actor in the shape of Mr. Cecil 
 Lowther of the Scots Guards, the brother of the Right 
 Hon. James Lowther, Chairman of Committees. Cecil 
 Lowther played Bob Brierly, and coached by Mr. Henry 
 Neville, played it magnificently. George Macdonald 
 played Hawkshaw and I played Jim Dalton. I merely 
 mention this performance, because everybody would 
 persist in calling it the "Guards' Burlesque," although 
 of course it wasn't one really. Indeed, we always con- 
 sidered the expression a curious example of lapsus 
 linpuce. 
 
Ill 
 THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 
 
 By B. C. STEPHENSON 
 
 ON Friday and Saturday evenings, October 30 and 31, 
 1857, a performance was given at the Theatre 
 Royal, Windsor, in aid of the funds for the rehef of the 
 sufferers in India. The Mutiny had broken out in the 
 Bengal Army in March of that year, the Relief of Luck- 
 now had taken place in September, and Sir Colin 
 Campbell, the new Commander-in-Chief, was due at 
 Cawnpore in November. The Relief Fund had started in 
 August, and the subscriptions, headed by the Queen, the 
 Emperor Napoleon, and the Sultan, who gave ^1000 
 each, amounted to so large a sum that, in December 1861, 
 ^140,000 had been distributed to sufferers in India, 
 ^100,000 to those at home, while over ^245,000 re- 
 mained for the benefit of widows and orphans. To this 
 fund the officers of the Windsor garrison proposed to 
 contribute the result of their performances. 
 
 The performers were all officers of the garrison, with 
 the exception of the three ladies. Miss Rosse of the St. 
 James's Theatre, Miss Fielding of the Theatre Royal, 
 Olympic, and Mrs. Robertson of the Theatre Royal, 
 Dublin. The Royal Horse Guards contributed to the 
 caste Mr. Hartopp, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Carew ; the 
 Fusilier Guards, as they are described in the bill, Mr. 
 Pemberton, Captain White, and Captain Paynter. 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 23 
 
 But the greater part of the work fell on the capable 
 shoulders of Hartopp and Pemberton. The pieces pro- 
 duced were Morton's drama, " Our Wife ; or, The Rose 
 of Amiens," "A Most Unwarrantable Intrusion," and 
 " Boots at the Swan," one of Robson's best impersona- 
 tions. Hartopp delivered an address. In the first piece 
 he played Pomaret, and Pemberton, De Brissac. In the 
 second they appeared together in the Duologue, and in 
 the third Hartopp played Robson's part, and Pemberton 
 appeared as Frank Friskly. The performance was a 
 great success, one of the results being a substantial sub- 
 scription to the Relief Fund, the other the start of the 
 Windsor Strollers by Hartopp and Pemberton three years 
 after. 
 
 A second performance took place before the Windsor 
 Strollers finally settled down. The officers of the House- 
 hold Brigade, " assisted by members of other amateur 
 clubs," gave performances at the Windsor Theatre on 
 Wednesday and Thursday evenings, November 23 and 24, 
 1859, in aid of the Windsor Dispensary. Captain Erskine, 
 now Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons, Mr. 
 Ram, and Mr. Elwes, all of the Scots Fusilier Guards, 
 and Mr. G. Webster, of the King's Dragoon Guards, were 
 the military contribution to the cast, while from the 
 Old Stagers and the Zingari came Mr. J. Palgrave 
 Simpson, O.S.; Mr. Thomas Knox Holmes, O.S., I. Z.; and 
 Mr. Albert Ricardo, 1. Z., all of them to become later on 
 members of the Windsor Strollers. Palgrave Simpson 
 played Lavater in "Not a Bad Judge," T. K. Holmes 
 Jeremy Census in "Anything for a Change," and Cap- 
 tain O'Scuttle in " Poor Pillicoddy." Albert Ricardo 
 made his appearance as Zug in " Not a Bad Judge." 
 Hartopp, now described as Captain Hartopp, O.S., I. Z., 
 
24 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 made a hit in " Pillicoddy," and Pemberton in " Anything 
 for a Change," a great success as Swappington, a favourite 
 part of Charles Mathews. The company had the advan- 
 tage of the services of ladies who at the time were two of 
 the most popular actresses on the stage — Miss Marston of 
 the Olympic, and Miss M. Ternan of the Haymarket, who 
 appeared " by the kind permission " of Mr. Buckstone, and 
 sang a ballad called " Wake Me Not," written by Colonel 
 Bruce of the Grenadier Guards. It may be said that 
 these performances were specially remarkable for the 
 appearance on the bill (it was a bill then — not a pro- 
 gramme — a regular " ginger beer, oranges, and lemonade " 
 bill) of a notice that the orchestra was composed entirely 
 of amateurs, under the direction of the Hon. Seymour 
 Egerton, for very much in the same way as the Windsor 
 Strollers originated in the performances for the Indian 
 Relief P'und in October 1857, did the Wandering 
 Minstrels make their preliminary start at the Windsor 
 Theatre in November 1859. There is so much to be 
 said about this wonderful Society of Amateur Musicians, 
 which, under the Presidency of General Sir H. P. de 
 Bathe and the stick of Mr. Lionel H. Benson, celebrated 
 its thousandth meeting in 1893, while its early association 
 with the Windsor Strollers was so intimate, that it deserves 
 from a Windsor Stroller more than a mere passing notice, 
 and it is proposed to return to the Minstrels later on. 
 
 At last, in November i860, the Windsor Strollers met 
 for the first time at the Castle Hotel in the High Street, 
 Windsor, and formed themselves into a society. The fol- 
 lowing were then elected members : — Captain Hartopp, 
 O.S. ; Captain Pemberton ; Palgrave Simpson, Esq., O.S., 
 and Thomas Knox Holmes, Esq., O.S., who formed the 
 committee ; the other members being Captain Erskine, 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 25 
 
 Captain Ewart, Grenadier Guards ; Captain Elwes, Captain 
 Fearon, Captain Paynter, Captain Peel, Scots Fusilier 
 Guards ; Mr. Ram, Mr. B. C. Stephenson, Mr. Gay Webster, 
 1 6th Lancers ; and Mr. Albert Ricardo, I. Z. Of these, all 
 except Captain Ewart, Captain Fearon, Captain Peel, and 
 Mr. B. C. Stephenson had already appeared in one or other 
 of the preliminary performances. With the exception of 
 Pemberton, the committee consisted of members of the 
 '' Old Stagers," and the rules of the new society were 
 founded to a great extent on those of the older one. 
 
 Then on the 13th November i860 The Windsor Strol- 
 lers started their first season, and their first performance 
 with " The Black Book," a melodrama by Mr. George 
 Bentinck and Mr. Palgrave Simpson. It was a very seri- 
 ous affair. Miss Marston, who was the heroine, had been 
 deprived of what the Windsor paper called " her patri- 
 mony, fame, and family prestige^' by Hartopp, Peel, and 
 Ewart. Their abominable plot was discovered, and ex- 
 posed by Stephenson, who was " a conscientious lawyer," 
 and Palgrave Simpson, who was a reputed idiot. The 
 idiot's part was not a long or a difficult one. It consisted 
 in answering " yes " or " no " to questions put to him by 
 the conscientious lawyer, who wanted to find out where 
 that black book was. But unfortunately in the theatre 
 there happened to be the son of the Drum-Major of the 
 Scots Fusilier Guards, who was reputed to be a highly 
 intelligent boy. The Strollers were sure of their stalls 
 and boxes, but, being a little uncertain of their gallery. Kit 
 Pemberton sent the men of his company to fill it, and in 
 their midst, in the front middle seat of the gallery, sat the 
 highly intelligent boy. He had his instructions to applaud 
 when he approved, and to laugh at anything funny. The 
 men were to follow his lead. In fact he was, for that 
 
26 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 night only, the leader of the " claque," and unfortunately 
 in this capacity he made up his mind that a reputed idiot 
 who never said anything but " yes " or " no " must be the 
 funny man of the piece. Every time " Pal " opened his 
 mouth to deliver his monosyllable, shrieks of laughter 
 came from the gallery. In vain we sent round to stop 
 the misplaced mirth. The highly intelligent boy was 
 hemmed in by his delighted followers, and the result of 
 it all was that " Pal " was so put out, that when the con- 
 scientious lawyer, after three acts, at last pointed to the 
 safe in which the long-sought-for book was concealed, and 
 asked whether it was there, the reputed idiot said '* no " 
 instead of " yes." The lawyer, however, fortunately knew 
 that the book was there, because he himself had given in- 
 structions to a carpenter to hold it close behind the heavily 
 iron-barred door which had no back to it, and so he took 
 the negative answer for an affirmative one, Miss IMarston 
 got back her family " prestige," and the play ended happily. 
 On the 14th, Miss Planche's charming one-act piece, "A 
 Hasty Conclusion," was played, in connection with which 
 the writer has reason to remember a personal sacrifice, 
 which at the time he did not consider was sufficiently 
 appreciated by his brother artists. The part of the Abbe 
 le Bon demanded a clean-shaven face, and before dinner, 
 on the day of the performance, with splendid self-denial, 
 he applied the razor to his upper lip. At dinner no one 
 noticed the change. At this performance Hartopp ap- 
 peared for the first time as an author, and his piece, 
 " Eclipsing the Son," in which he himself played, served 
 to introduce Miss Louisa Thorne to our Windsor audi- 
 ence ; Captain Fearon appeared also for the first time 
 under the name of Mr. Fritz ; and Mr. Seymour Egerton 
 was there with his amateur orchestra, which, after 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 27 
 
 supper on the 14th, was formed into "The Wandering 
 Minstrels." 
 
 In December of the same year the Windsor Strollers 
 strolled for the first time to the Theatre Royal, Brighton, 
 and General Stracey made his first appearance under the 
 name of Mr. Harding Strax as Sam in " Lend me Five 
 Shillings," and John in " Eclipsing the Son." In the 
 same cast the Strollers took to their pseudonyms, Albert 
 Ricardo appeared in the programme (our first programme) 
 as Mr. Raymead. T. K. Holmes as Mr. Thomas Knox, 
 B. C. Stephenson as Bolton Rowe, Kit Pemberton as Mr. 
 Newton Kitts, Palgrave Simpson as Mr. Paul Grave, Cap- 
 tain Peel as Mr. Lemon, and Captain Fearon as Mr. Fritz. 
 The performance was remarkable for a great success of 
 Miss Louisa Thorne in " A Hasty Conclusion " and 
 " Eclipsing the Son," and she joined Mr. Nye Chart's 
 Company at Brighton at the end of the year. The 
 arrangements behind as to property men and carpenters 
 were not quite to the liking of one of our members, who, 
 burdened with properties which did not belong to him, 
 and harassed by the rapid movement of scenes which hit 
 him in the back, complained to the prompter of the state 
 of things. But he did not get much comfort out of his 
 appeal, for all the prompter said was, " You should play 
 'Amlet and shift between, then you'd know something," 
 from which it may be inferred that the prompter had 
 played the mighty Dane under rather difficult circum- 
 stances. 
 
 In 1 86 1 the Strollers added greatly to their acting 
 strength by the election of Captain Henry Stracey, who 
 had already appeared at Brighton, and Mr. Samuel Bran- 
 dram, afterwards the celebrated reciter, who now made 
 his first appearance under his pseudonym of Mr. Lincoln 
 
28 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Lane as the Chevalier in " An Angel of the Attic," while, 
 at the same performance, Miss Murray, of the Princess's 
 Theatre, who afterwards became Mrs. Brandram, made her 
 first appearance at Windsor as Mrs. Plummy in " How 
 Stout you're Getting." The band, conducted by the Hon. 
 Seymour Egerton, appeared for the first time on the pro- 
 gramme of the Windsor Strollers as the Band of the 
 Wandering Minstrels. 
 
 The second stroll of the Windsor Strollers was on 
 June loth of the same year to the Theatre Royal, Roches- 
 ter, under the management of Mr. W. H. Swanborough, 
 of the Strand Theatre, London. Hartopp was back at his 
 post, and acting as Mr. W. Dalby ; Miss Murray and Miss 
 Ternan again lent their aid. But the performance is 
 chiefly to be noticed for the appearance of Miss Kate 
 Terry, of the Theatre Royal, St. James's, as Smart in "Who 
 Speaks First ? " and Mrs. O'Scuttle in " Poor Pillicoddy " ; 
 and there is her photograph in the Strollers' Book, and 
 an excellent portrait it is now of that delightful actress, 
 who in this year of grace 1898 is charming the audience 
 of Mr. Hare's Theatre in Mr. C. Stuart Ogilvie's play, 
 " The Master." 
 
 1 86 1 was a year in which the Strollers were unusually 
 enterprising, for in November they gave two performances, 
 the Wandering Minstrels, under Seymour Egerton, provid- 
 ing the band, which made a total of five performances for 
 the year, four of which took place at Windsor. 
 
 The performances in November 1862 introduced to 
 our Windsor audience Miss Rose Leclercq, who appeared 
 as Estelle Dumery in "The Isle of St. Tropez " (Montague 
 Williams' and Burnand's drama), as Winifred in Palgrave 
 Simpson's " Heads or Tails," as Gabrielle in "Tom Noddy's 
 Secret," and as Ayesha in " Bare-faced Impostors," and is 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 29 
 
 still unrivalled in the class of parts which she has made 
 specially her own. The Strollers had a great knack of 
 discovering talent. On the second night, the 27th, our 
 old allies, the Wandering Minstrels, played for us under 
 the direction of Seymour Egerton for the last time. 
 
 In 1863, in addition to their usual performances in 
 November, the Strollers gave a performance on December 
 nth, in aid of the funds of the Masonic Hall at Windsor, 
 which was attended by the Freemasons in all the para- 
 phernalia of their Order. The house was crammed, and, 
 in the absence of the Wandering Minstrels, the music was 
 provided by Messrs. Gunnis and Schrodes, two members 
 of her Majesty's band, with Mr. Jolley of St. George's 
 Chapel at the piano. 
 
 In 1864 "The Black Book" was repeated, the part of 
 the drum-major's boy being omitted. On this occasion 
 Miss Murray played Dame Asten, and it was Miss Rose 
 Leclercq's " family prestige " that was menaced. Colonel 
 Henry Hozier made his first appearance in the part of 
 Baron Stolzeneck as one of the persons who menaced it, 
 as well as in Harry Clinton in " Dearest Mamma " ; and 
 this year too Miss Hughes of the Theatre Royal, Strand, 
 made her first appearance at Windsor ; and. so did Mrs. 
 Leigh Murray, who came from the Olympic Theatre " by 
 kind permission of Mr. Horace Wigan," and by kind per- 
 mission " of the Great Western Railway Company," an en- 
 thusiast who had recently been added to the strength of 
 the company missed the ordinary train, and took a special 
 train from Paddington to Windsor in order to attend a 
 rehearsal — price of train, £6, los. ; value of services, _^i 
 per week ! ! 
 
 The performances of 1865 were announced under the 
 heading of " Seventh Season ! ! ! " and took place on the 
 
30 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 28th and 30th November. Most of the Strollers were in 
 the bill, but two additions to the company had been made 
 by Hartopp. A Mr. Calthorpe played Belgrave in " One 
 Touch of Nature," Don Lopez Avila in " Where there's a 
 Will there's a Way," and Frederick in Hartopp's " An 
 Evening in Belgravia," while a Mr. A. Blount played Jones 
 in " One Touch of Nature," and Surplus in " A Regular 
 Fire." Mr. Calthorpe was Jack Clayton ; and Mr. Blount 
 was Arthur Blunt to those who knew him at home, and 
 Arthur Cecil of German Reed fame, and " Peril " and 
 " Diplomacy " renown at the old Prince of Wales's Theatre 
 to those who knew him from the other side of the foot- 
 lights. They were in management together at the old 
 Court Theatre many years after their first performances 
 in the theatre at Windsor. Best of good fellows, best of 
 good friends, they were both taken away in the prime of 
 life, but not till they had made a mark in the profession 
 to which they devoted themselves after their early start 
 with the Windsor Strollers. 
 
 " The Earl of Mount Charles and the officers of the 
 1st Life Guards gave a ball and a supper at the cavalry 
 barracks." So said the Windsor paper, and added, " The 
 invitations comprised the greater portion of the aristo- 
 cratic patrons and patronesses of the Windsor Strollers." 
 No wonder, because our astute manager, Hartopp, who 
 knew of the ball, being afraid that invitations addressed 
 direct to the houses in the neighbourhood would result in 
 the people going straight to the barracks and returning 
 their tickets and asking for their money back, which some 
 of them had an amiable habit of doing, arranged with 
 Lord Mount Charles that the invitations should be given 
 in the theatre. So those who did not go to the theatre 
 could not go to the ball. Billy was a great manager. In 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 31 
 
 this year the Strollers made Hozier a Stroller, not because 
 he had taken a special to attend a rehearsal, but because 
 he had proved himself a good actor, and that was an essen- 
 tial condition of election. 
 
 In November 1866 "The Light-house," by Wilkie 
 Collins, was produced. Blunt turned up without the O, 
 and was elected a Windsor Stroller, and so was Jack 
 Fremantle of the 2nd Life Guards. The latter showed 
 his appreciation of the honour by helping the Strollers 
 out of a very considerable difficulty. The Windsor 
 Theatre had been condemned by the authorities. Mr. 
 C. A. Clarke, the sole lessee and manager, who had acted 
 for some years as our stage manager, had given it up. 
 There was much talk of pulling it down and using 
 the ground for other purposes, when Fremantle came 
 forward, rebuilt the theatre, and started it again under the 
 responsible management of Mr. Thomas Townsend. It 
 had undergone a complete transformation, which is just 
 what it wanted ; but the Windsor Strollers had to wait 
 nearly two years before they could go on with their 
 performances. However, at the end of March 1869 
 everything was ready, and they began their ninth season 
 on the 31st of that month. In the meantime, A. Bastard 
 had joined in 1868. In order to make up for lost time 
 there were three performances. But it was only the 
 performance on the third day, the 2nd April, that was 
 distinguished in any way from the others. For the first 
 time an " Old Stager " who was not a " Windsor Stroller " 
 appeared. He played Kester Chedzoy in "A Sheep in 
 Wolf's Clothing," and he called himself Mr. S. White- 
 head, O.S., but we all knew him to be one of the best 
 artists that ever appeared on the amateur stage, and we 
 learnt many a lesson from the performance. And so we 
 
32 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 did from the artist who played Lord Churchill in " A 
 Sheep in Wolf's Clothing." To those who do not know 
 this delightful drama of Tom Taylor's, it must be ex- 
 plained that the scene is laid at Taunton in 1685, where 
 Kirke with his " Lambs " is bullying the hero and heroine. 
 Everything would go very wrong indeed if Lord Churchill 
 did not turn up at the last moment to replace Kirke, and 
 this is what Kirke has to say when Lord Churchill appears 
 resplendent in scarlet and cuirass and feathers. 
 
 " My Lord Churchill ! I am pleased to see your lord- 
 ship." To which Lord Churchill has to reply, " Scarcely 
 — when you know my mission." Now Churchill's en- 
 trance is quite at the end of the pla}^, and it was 
 impressed on the actor that he was to " get on " — which 
 he did — and this was the result : — 
 
 Colonel Kirke. My Lord Churchill ! 
 
 Lord Churchill (rapidly, and with great decision). 
 Scarcely. 
 
 Kirke, however, was quite equal to the occasion, and 
 taking no notice of Churchill's denial of his own identity, 
 promptly declared that he was pleased to see him. It 
 was in this year that Captain Ives and Arthur Gooch, our 
 future President, joined the Strollers as members. 
 
 In June of the same year the Strollers gave a per- 
 formance at the Olympic Theatre for the benefit of the 
 Children's Ward of the Convalescent Hospital at Clewer, 
 at which they had the advantage of the assistance of 
 Miss Herbert ; and in November they started their tenth 
 season with Captain Gooch for the first time in the cast. 
 He appeared in " A Romantic Idea " as Rogueingrain (a 
 tavern-keeper) and Grimbald (Count of Spectresheim). 
 Who wrote '' A Romantic Idea " is not mentioned in the 
 programme. I regret to say that the Strollers about this 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 33 
 
 time had a bad habit of not giving the names of the 
 authors of the pieces which they played. Perhaps they 
 held the same opinion as Jack Clayton, who was stand- 
 ing on the evening of a first night at the wing of the 
 Court Theatre waiting to go on in the new piece. The 
 author was close by, and to him Jack said, " I feel a bit 
 nervous." " So do I," said the author. " What are you 
 nervous about ? " said the manager. " Why, hang it all," 
 was the reply, " I wrote the piece." " Do you think," 
 said Clayton, pointing to the audience, " that they care 
 a d n who wrote the piece ? " 
 
 1870 was a sad year for the Windsor Strollers, for 
 *' Kit " Pemberton played for the last time on the 29th 
 April as Pierre Palliot in the " Follies of a Night." 
 Hartopp, Stracey, Fremantle, Miss Rose Leclercq, and 
 Miss Thorne were in the cast. But the winter per- 
 formance was put off in memory of our dear old com- 
 rade, who was killed immediately after the battle of Sedan 
 early in September. 
 
 It was strange that some years before he had appeared 
 as Alonzo in the burlesque of that name, and had sung — 
 
 " Right through my head 
 A Httle piece of lead 
 Will cook my goose, 
 And it will be said 
 That I died in a Sally. 
 
 Then Sally come up," &c. 
 
 And he was shot through the head by some French 
 soldiers who had taken refuge in a wood after the action 
 was over, and when Colonel Pemberton and three officers 
 of the Prussian Staff rode forward they halted within 
 twenty yards of the Frenchmen, who fired and killed three 
 of the party. 
 
 C 
 
34 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 When " Kit " fell he was acting as correspondent to 
 the Times, in which paper appeared on the 7th September 
 1870 his last letter, with the following heading: — "This 
 letter will have a melancholy interest for the many friends 
 of Colonel Pemberton, being the last he wrote." It con- 
 tained so touching an account of a death as sudden as 
 his own, that it may well bear repetition. 
 
 " I was during one part of the action standing near 
 some hussars who were in reserve. The sun was pouring 
 its rays upon us, and around us on every side lay the 
 wounded. The poor fellows cried to them for water. 
 ' Comrade ! for God's sake, give me water — one little 
 drop. I am on lire ! I am on fire I For God's sake, give 
 me one drop — only wet my lips.' And another near him 
 could only hold up his hands in prayer, and point to his 
 lips. A good-natured hussar, touched by the appeal, got 
 off his horse, and ran to them with his water-bottle. He 
 was in the act of raising the man's head when a shell 
 fell within a yard, and blew the whole three to atoms. 
 Whatever the poor hussar's faults in this world may have 
 been, surely his kind action must atone for them in some 
 way. The regiment moved off, and his horse followed in 
 the ranks." 
 
 It was many weeks before poor Pemberton 's body was 
 found, and then it was only identified by a portion of the 
 material in which he was dressed, by a brother officer, a 
 Windsor Stroller, who had searched for him with affec- 
 tionate perseverance. He was a great loss, and it was two 
 years before any one was found to take his place in the 
 parts in which he excelled. Colonel Henry Armitage and 
 Mr. E. A. Place joined this year. 
 
 In February of 1871 the Strollers started their twelfth 
 season, and for the first time a musical piece found its 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 35 
 
 place on the programme. The Hbretto was by B. C. 
 Stephenson, W.S., and the music by Frederic Clay, 
 O.S. It was called ''Out of Sight." Miss Cole sang the 
 part of Katrina, Mr. Dundas that of the Innkeeper ; while 
 General Sir Heny de Bathe as General Villebois, Mr. 
 Lionel Benson as Blancmange, and Mr. Quintin Twiss as 
 Jacques, made their first appearance at Windsor ; Mr. de B. 
 Holmes, the son of our old comrade, appeared also for 
 the first time as Bonser in " The Goose with the Golden 
 
 Eggs." 
 
 With the thirteenth season, which took place at Wind- 
 sor in November of the same year, the Windsor Strollers 
 made a new and a very happy departure. For a time 
 the names of ladies professionally engaged on the stage 
 disappeared from the bills, their places being taken by 
 amateurs. In this case the word amateur merely meant 
 that the ladies received no remuneration. Anything less 
 like what was then considered an amateur than Mrs. 
 Monckton, as she then was called, cannot be conceived. 
 And she was most ably seconded by Mrs. and the Misses 
 Hughes Hallett. Entering at once into the spirit which 
 guided our management, she accepted and played on the 
 first night, November 29, a part in a one-act farce, 
 called " A Family Flailing," and contributed with Gooch 
 and Stracey to a great success. But it was on the second 
 night, December i, that she made her mark. The piece 
 was an adaptation by Hartopp from a comedy in three 
 acts by Emile Augier and Jules Sandeau, entitled " Mon- 
 sieur Poirier." Our manager had put into it the whole 
 strength of our company, and Mrs. Monckton's perform- 
 ance of the Marquise de Presles was a real triumph — the 
 first of many. The adaptation was excellent. But Billy 
 had written no tag, and had no time to write a tag, so 
 
36 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 several Strollers tried their hands at something appropriate 
 to the occasion which might be spoken by the Marquise 
 de Presles at the end of the piece. There were a good 
 many efforts. The best was — 
 
 " The play is o'er, and we'll no longer worry yer, 
 For here's an end of me, and Mr. Poirier." 
 
 But it was rejected chiefly owing to the necessity of 
 anglicising the pronunciation of the name of Poirier, to 
 which the author objected. 
 
 Major-General Sir H. P. de Bathe, Captain H. Womb- 
 well, Mr. T. E. A. Dolby, and Mr. Godfrey Pearce were 
 elected. 
 
 In November 1872 Mrs. Monckton appeared as Miss 
 Hardcastle in " She Stoops to Conquer," with Mrs. 
 Hughes Hallett and the Misses Hughes Hallett ; Mr. 
 Augustus Spalding was elected a Windsor Stroller ; and 
 the following season of November 1873 was remarkable 
 for an excellent performance of " The Ladies' Battle " 
 and " London Assurance," with Mrs. Monckton as the 
 Countess d'Autreval in the former and Lady Gay Spanker 
 in the latter, and with General de Bathe as Dazzle. Mr. 
 Herbert Gardner made his first appearance as Christopher 
 Larkings in " Woodcock's Little Game," in which Mr. 
 Spalding played Woodcock, having already made his 
 first appearance on the 25th as Hastings in Goldsmith's 
 comedy " She Stoops to Conquer " ; Lionel Benson 
 was elected, and Hartopp acted for the last time. He 
 played Sir Harcourt Courtly in " London Assurance," 
 and Mr. Adolphus Swansdown in "Woodcock's Little 
 Game." 
 
 In the year 1874 the performance was abandoned 
 out of respect to the memory of the first President of 
 
The latk Captain Gooch, Frksident of the Windsor Strollers. 
 
 From a photograph. 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 37 
 
 the Windsor Strollers. But in 1875 there was a meeting, 
 at which Mr, Herbert Gardner and Mr. Alic Pemberton 
 (" Kit's " brother) were elected members, and Gooch was 
 unanimously chosen to succeed Hartopp as President. 
 The members present were Gooch, T. K. Holmes, B. C 
 Stephenson, Gordon Ives, Peel, Albert Ricardo, Bastard, 
 Spalding, Hozier, Dolby, and the two new members. 
 And the sixteenth season was started with '* Plot and 
 Passion," and a strong caste, including Miss Carlotta 
 Leclercq and Miss Augusta Wilton. 
 
 In December 1876 Mrs. Monckton returned, and the 
 Hon. Lady Sebright and Miss Helmore played for the 
 first time. Lady Sebright making her first appearance in 
 " Cut off with a Shilling " and " The School for Coquettes." 
 Mrs. Monckton, Lady Sebright, Miss Helmore, and Mrs. 
 Gooch were elected lady members ; and Mr. Hull, the 
 Hon. F. A. Henley, Mr. S. S. C. Dolby, and Mr. T. de B. 
 Holmes joined. 
 
 The next season, 1877, started in November with 
 " The Wife's Secret," which introduced Sir Charles Young 
 and Lieut.-Colonel Mildmay to our audience. It was a 
 bold thing to produce a five-act piece in blank verse, and 
 dangerous to invite comparison with Mr. and Mrs. Charles 
 Kean in a piece of such high pretensions ; but Gooch knew 
 what he was about, and so did Young and Mrs. Monckton. 
 Mrs. Monckton appeared in the same piece as Lady Eve- 
 line Amyott. The performance of the first night was 
 brought to a close by " Betsy Baker," in which the Hon. 
 Mrs. Wrottesley made her first appearance as the laun- 
 dress, whose vivacity, eccentricities, and pattens Mrs. 
 Keeley has made immortal. No one but Mrs. Wrottesley 
 could have ventured to stand in Mrs. Keeley's pattens. 
 The performance was so good, and its success so brilliant. 
 
38 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 that the rest of the cast must be set down. They were 
 Miss Helmore, who played Mrs. Mouser ; Mr. Bastard, 
 who played Mouser ; and Mr. Spalding, who played 
 Crummy. Altogether, it may be said that the eighteenth 
 season showed a step in advance, an advance which was 
 maintained in succeeding years. Colonel Mildmay and 
 Mr. E. G. H. Bingham joined. 
 
 In November 1878 the Strollers again came forward 
 as dramatic authors. " Our Bitterest Foe," by Mr. Her- 
 bert Gardner, W.S., and " Shadows," by Sir Charles Young, 
 W.S. (he had been elected that year), appeared on the 
 programme. Mr. R. R. Holmes was elected an honorary 
 member in this year, and started as scene-painter to the 
 Windsor Strollers. Mrs. Monckton and Sir Charles Young 
 again scored a success in " Shadows," which was a romantic 
 drama, in a prologue and four acts, written in blank verse. 
 And " Whitebait at Greenwich " came as a brilliant con- 
 trast, with Twiss (his second appearance) as John Small, 
 Gooch as Buzzard, Spalding as Glimmer, Miss Helmore 
 as Sally, and Mrs. WVottesley as Miss Lucretia Buzzard. 
 In this year Mrs. Wrottesley became a member. 
 
 In 1879 more romantic plays. "A Son of the Soil," 
 in four acts, by Herman Merivale, with Sir Charles Young 
 and Mrs. Monckton in the principal parts ; and " Play," 
 by Robertson, in which Mildmay and Spalding greatly 
 distinguished themselves, and so did the lady who played 
 Rosie Fanquhere, who, having learned from the Chevalier 
 Brown that his wife was dead, got mixed up with a pre- 
 ceding line and asked, " Where is she now ? " Twiss and 
 Nevill were elected. 
 
 In May of 1880 the Strollers made one of their rare 
 strolls to Queen Anne's Mansions, where they played for 
 the benefit of the Convalescent Hospital at Windsor. 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 39 
 
 the Windsor performance in November, " For her Child's 
 Sake," another play by Sir Charles Young, was produced; 
 and Edmund Yates came down to see the production of 
 " Black Sheep," a play which he had written in collabora- 
 tion with Palgrave Simpson, and which was founded on 
 his novel of the same name. Mr. F. Foster and Mr. C. 
 P. Colnaghi were elected members, and Corney Grain was 
 elected an honorary member. 
 
 In December 1881 Sir Charles Young was again to 
 the fore as an author with a comedietta, "That Dreadful 
 Doctor " ; and he and Lady Monckton added to their 
 laurels by a magnificent performance of " Clancarty," 
 Tom Taylor's play, in which Mr. H. S. Riddell played 
 King William III.; Mr. C. C. Clarke, Sir George Barclay; 
 Mr. F. C. Bentinck, Lord Woodstock ; and Mr. C. G. 
 Allan, Scum Goodman — their first appearances. Mr. C. 
 C. Clarke was elected a Windsor Stroller. 
 
 In November 1882 Mr. Herbert Gardner produced 
 his comedy in three acts, entitled " Jim will Tell," in 
 which he played the part of the Duke of St. Lozels, and 
 Mr. Charles Drummond, Mr. Claude Ponsonby, and Mr. 
 Eustace Ponsonby appeared for the first time. There was 
 new scenery by R. R. Holmes, W.S. ; and the places of the 
 lady amateurs were taken by Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Miss 
 Hoystan, Miss Reynolds, and Miss Kate Bishop. Mr. 
 F. C. Bentinck, Mr. C. G. Allan, and Mr. C. W. A. Trol- 
 lope were elected. In December there was another 
 stroll to the Londesborough Theatre, Scarborough, which, 
 although the Strollers took the best of their company and 
 the most successful of their pieces, was not altogether suc- 
 cessful from a pecuniary point of view. 
 
 In 1883 Lady Monckton made her last appearance with 
 the Windsor Strollers. On Wednesday, 28th November, she 
 
40 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 played Lady Dedlock in Palgrave Simpson's drama " Lady 
 Dedlock's Secret" (founded on an episode in Charles 
 Dickens's "Bleak House"), and on the 30th she played 
 Mrs. Colonel M'Cann in Tom Taylor's " Up at the Hills." 
 Sir Charles Young played with her the principal parts in 
 both pieces, and he bade his farewell to Windsor in the 
 character of Major Stonehurst, in Tom Taylor's comedy. 
 Mr. Charles Drummond, Mr. Claude A. Ponsonby, and 
 Mr. Eustace Ponsonby were elected. 
 
 In 1884 the meeting in November was chiefly remark- 
 able for a performance of " Cox and Box," Burnand and 
 Sullivan's Triumviretta as it was called, by Mr. Quintin 
 Twiss, Sir Henry de Bathe, and a gentleman who ap- 
 peared for the second time in a musical piece at Windsor 
 under the name of Mr. S. Whitehead ; Lionel Benson was 
 at the piano. The other pieces were " The Guv'nor " and 
 " Married in Haste," in both of which the Strollers had 
 the benefit of the assistance of Mrs. Beerbohm Tree, who 
 appeared as Carrie in the first and as Ethel Grainger 
 in the last. Mr. J. B. Westropp elected. In 1885 
 the theatre was not available, as it was wanted by its 
 owner, Mr. Richardson Gardner, for political meetings 
 in anticipation of the general election which was then 
 expected. But in 1886 the Strollers had their usual 
 season in November, when Mr. Alan Mackinnon as the 
 Hon. Tom Stanhope, and Captain Liddell as Colonel 
 Trevanion, made their first appearances in "The Glass 
 of Fashion " ; and Mr. Arthur Bourchier was introduced 
 to the Windsor audience as Viscount Glycerine in " Cyril's 
 Success." Captain A. F. Liddell joined. In 1887, how- 
 ever, again there was no performance, as the theatre, 
 which had been condemned by the borough surveyor, 
 was closed by the owner, who sold it to Mr. G. H. Long. 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 41 
 
 Mr. Long at once set to work to satisfy the require- 
 ments of the authorities in a very complete and elaborate 
 manner, and in November 1888 the theatre was ready 
 for the Windsor Strollers' twenty-seventh season. Mr. 
 Mr. C. W. A. Trollope undertook the stage management 
 for the first time. Mr. Derrick's farcical comedy "Con- 
 fusion " was the principal piece, and it was repeated in 
 December at a performance given by the Windsor Strol- 
 lers in aid of the Eaton Mission at Hackney Wick, in the 
 West Theatre of the Albert Hall. Mr. Arthur Bourchier 
 and Mr. E. H. Whitmore were elected. 
 
 In 1889 there was a very successful performance of 
 Mr, Cecil Clay's " A Pantomime Rehearsal," in which Mr. 
 W. Elliot made his first appearance as Jack Deedes, the 
 Manager and Author, and the Ladies' Orchestra played 
 for the first time under the direction of Miss L. Blair 
 Oliphant. Miss A. M. Mackinnon and Miss G. Nugent 
 were elected. 
 
 The Windsor Strollers' work in 1890 began with a 
 performance in March at Melton Mowbray, in aid of the 
 Farmers' Benevolent Institution. 
 
 "Bombaste Furioso up to Date" was the principal 
 feature of the Windsor season of that year. Eustace 
 Ponsonby, C. Drummond, and Nugent, with Miss Lizzie 
 Henderson to help them, succeeded in making a great 
 success. 
 
 In 1 89 1 Mr. Charles Thomas's farcical comedy in 
 three acts, " The Paper Chase," was produced, with Miss 
 Carlotta Addison as Pedder, Mrs. Charles Sim making her 
 first appearance as Mrs. Pomfret in the same comedy. Sir 
 Augustus Webster made his first appearance, and was 
 elected. 
 
 In 1892 Mr. Pinero's farce in three acts, "The Magis- 
 
42 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 trate," was produced with a very strong cast, and Mrs. 
 Charles Sim made her second appearance at Windsor. 
 She played Mrs. Marsham in " A Naughty Novel," as 
 Angela in "A Show of Hands," and as Anne Carew in 
 " A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing." The Strollers were again 
 fortunate in securing the services of a very distinguished 
 amateur actress. 
 
 The season of 1893 was chiefly remarkable for the 
 absence of the President's name from the bills ; for 
 although he presided at the meeting, the malady to which 
 he eventually succumbed had made fateful progress, and 
 he was unable to be present in the theatre. He had 
 served the Strollers faithfully, and ruled them with singular 
 judgment and success. His first appearance had taken 
 place in November 1869, and from the date of his elec- 
 tion as President, in succession to Hartopp in 1875, he 
 had only been absent from one meeting at Windsor 
 during a quarter of a century. He had played fifty-four 
 different parts in the various performances, and he was 
 one of the best and most popular actors that the society 
 ever possessed. Firm and fair, he was singularly free 
 from prejudice, and nothing is more remarkable in the 
 record of the many parts which he played than the fact 
 that they were so frequently subordinate. 
 
 It was impossible to believe that our cheery com- 
 panion was to leave us so soon. But on January 4, 1894, 
 a letter addressed to Spalding, the senior acting member, 
 and written in his usual handwriting, full of manly resig- 
 nation, announced that the end was near, and bade a 
 tender farewell to his old comrades, with a blessing from 
 "Goochie." He died on the nth, and many of us fol- 
 lowed him to his grave in the Windsor Cemetery at Shital 
 There was no performance that year ; but in June the 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 43 
 
 Windsor Strollers held a meeting, at which Mr. Augustus 
 Spalding, the senior member, presided, and the members 
 present unanimously elected Mr. Charles Drummond as 
 President. 
 
 One of the first acts of the new President was the 
 framing and printing of the rules of the Society. The law 
 had hitherto been unwritten, and it now set forth in print 
 that the President should be responsible for the choice 
 and casting of plays, that he should control the finances, 
 subject to an annual statement to each active member, 
 that candidates should prove their fitness as actors for 
 election by appearing at least in two seasons, while their 
 social qualifications should be tested by a unanimous vote 
 of members present at the election. The adoption of the 
 dramatic profession disqualifies a Windsor Stroller for 
 active membership, but he is eligible for re-election as an 
 honorary member. 
 
 In November 1895 Drummond started management 
 with Mr. Pinero's farce "The Schoolmistress," in which 
 Miss Lizzie Henderson played the part of the Principal 
 of Volumnia College with great success. On the second 
 night Mr. Carton's " Liberty Hall " was produced ; 
 Mrs. Charles Crutchley made her first appearance at 
 Windsor in it as Blanche Chilworth, and established 
 before a delighted audience her hereditary right to a con- 
 spicuous dramatic success. She was elected a Windsor 
 Stroller. 
 
 In November 1896 Mr. Outram Tristam's "Red 
 Lamp " was performed, with Mrs. Charles Sim as Princess 
 Claudia Morakofi^, Mr. Bromley-Davenport playing for the 
 first time as Rheinweck. And on the second day "The 
 Passport," by B. C. Stephenson, W.S., and W\ Yardley, 
 O.S., was produced after " Hester's Mystery." Mrs. 
 
44 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Crutchley played the part of Mrs. Darcy inimitably, and 
 it was hard to believe that the piece was being played by 
 amateurs. 
 
 In November 1897 ''The Idler," by Haddon Cham- 
 bers; "The Burglar and the Judge," by Philips and 
 Brookfield ; Pinero's " Sweet Lavender " ; and " Breaking 
 the Ice," by Charles Thomas, gave ample opportunity for 
 Mrs. Crutchley and Miss Lizzie Henderson to repeat 
 their triumphs — and the Strollers completed their thirty- 
 fifth season at Windsor. 
 
 Although started with the idea of strolling elsewhere, 
 the Windsor Strollers have done most of their work in the 
 royal borough. In thirty-eight years only seven times 
 have they given performances elsewhere — at Brighton, in 
 i860 ; at Rochester, in 1861 ; in London, at the Olympic 
 Theatre, in 1869 ; and again in 1880, at Queen Anne's 
 Mansions; at Scarborough, in 1882 ; in London, at the 
 Albert Hall, West Theatre, in 1888; and at Melton 
 Mowbray, in 1890. But they have been very faithful to 
 Windsor. Only for special reasons or under circumstances 
 beyond their control have they ever omitted their annual 
 performance at the Theatre Royal. Since i860 they have 
 missed only six times — in 1867 and 1868, when the 
 theatre was being rebuilt; in 1874, when their President 
 (Hartopp) died; in 1885, when the theatre was required 
 by the proprietor for political meetings ; in 1887, when the 
 building was condemned by the authorities ; and in 1894, 
 when their President (Gooch) died. In their thirty-five 
 seasons they had given eighty-eight performances, and 
 produced one hundred and sixty-eight plays. The records 
 of these performances show how singularly fortunate the 
 Presidents have been in the selection of the ladies whose 
 services have so materially contributed to their success, 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 45 
 
 selections which were, of course, made long before the 
 artists arrived at their ultimate prominent positions on 
 the stage. 
 
 Lady Monckton, Mrs. Beerbohm Tree, Miss Kate Terry, 
 Miss Herbert, Miss Murray, Miss Ternan, Miss Louisa 
 Thorne, Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Miss Rose Leclercq, Miss 
 Carlotta Addison, Miss Emily Cross, Miss Annie Irish, 
 Miss Kate Bishop, Miss Augusta Wilton, Miss Rosina 
 Filippi, Miss Edith Chester, Miss Mabel Millett, and Miss 
 Lizzie Henderson, have all of them appeared profession- 
 ally, with the exception of Lady Monckton, who appeared 
 as an amateur ; while as regards amateurs, in addition to 
 that most talented lady, the Strollers can show on their 
 bills such names as those of the Hon. Mrs. Wrottesley, 
 Mrs. and the Miss Hughes Hallett, Mrs. Charles Sim, and 
 Mrs. Charles Crutchley. From the ranks of the Strollers 
 Arthur Cecil, C. G. Allan, Arthur Bourchier, and Willie 
 EUiot went to distinguish themselves on the English 
 stage. That excellent actor, Jack Clayton, performed 
 with the Strollers once, but they did not think him good 
 enough. They were mighty particular. Mr. Samuel 
 Brandram, one of the most remarkable reciters of his 
 time, was a Stroller, and so was Corney Grain. There 
 have been authors too amongst them — Palgrave Simp- 
 son, Hartopp, Sir Charles Young, Herbert Gardner (now 
 Lord Burghclere), B. C. Stephenson, and ''Kit" Pemberton, 
 novelist and Times correspondent. There were very few- 
 idlers, and most of them still are busy men, which 
 accounts possibly for an enviable power of playing the 
 fool when they get the proper and legitimate chance, 
 which occurs after the banquet. 
 
46 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 THE BANQUET 
 
 One of the leading features of the Windsor season is 
 the banquet, and the entertainment which invariably 
 follows it on the " off night." 
 
 To be easily amused is a most precious gift. It 
 involves no expenditure. It calls for little effort on the 
 part of the entertained, and for less on the part of the 
 entertainer. This priceless gift the Windsor Strollers 
 possess in an eminent degree, and liberally share with 
 their guests. For the night of the banquet is a guest 
 night ; the dinner over and the " loving cup " passed 
 round, an adjournment is made to the Club Rooms ; the 
 fooling begins with a procession, which partakes of an 
 official character. The President, sometimes attired as 
 Phoebus Apollo and sometimes as Guy Fawkes, is attended 
 by a motley crowd, who enthrone him. The new 
 members are led up to him, and receive the " acolade " 
 with "rise, brother Stroller," while a convenient poker 
 descends upon the shoulders of the new member. Then 
 the evening's entertainment starts. Charlie Clarke, with 
 conjuring tricks and inimitable banjo performance ; 
 Armytage, with a comic account of an Egyptian campaign ; 
 Allan conducts a party round the field of Waterloo ; two 
 Strollers give an impromptu performance of sham Shake- 
 speare, and a guest wants to know which play their 
 recitation comes from ; Arthur Blunt sings " Maria," and 
 sits for his photograph ; Claude Ponsonby presides at the 
 piano; Charles Colnaghi and Eustace Ponsonby extemporise 
 a burlesque, while Nugent sings comic songs to an accom- 
 paniment of his banjo. Then late in the night the guests 
 retire, and the Strollers wander upstairs to their respective 
 bedrooms; not, however, till one last story has been told by 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 47 
 
 an ancient member. How they all laughed at it ! One by 
 one they hammered on their doors, and repeated the point 
 of the joke. One singularly appreciative soul broke into 
 the early slumbers of the drowsy crowd by opening his 
 door and shouting it down the passage. Then the Strollers 
 slept the sleep of well-earned repose. The next morning 
 two energetic souls who had risen with the dawn and 
 ordered breakfast at eleven o'clock, questioned the wit of 
 the wonderful story, and being unable to arrive at any cer- 
 tain conclusion determined to submit it to the independent 
 judgment of the average intelligence. With this intention 
 they started to make purchases at six shops in the High 
 Street, the story to be told alternately during the trans- 
 action of the deals. The result showed either that the 
 average intelligence of the Windsor High Street is below 
 the ordinary level, or that tradesmen do not joke at twelve 
 o'clock, or that the Windsor Strollers are more easily amused 
 than most people ; for the expedition resulted in the expen- 
 diture of 2s. 6Ad. on a chop, a herring, a piece of flannel, 
 a doll, a bun, and a box of pills. But nobody laughed. 
 
 THE LADIES' ORCHESTRA 
 
 At the performance on Tuesday, November 26, 1889, 
 the band of the ladies' orchestra appeared for the first time. 
 Gooch had the great fortune to enlist the services of Miss 
 Lilian Blair Oliphant, now Mrs. Gregson Ellis, who brought 
 together and conducted an orchestra composed of the 
 following ladies : — Lady Katherine Coke, Lady Sybil Knox, 
 Miss Hale, Miss Crutchley, Miss M. Ellison, Miss Blair 
 Oliphant, Miss E. Blair Oliphant, and Mrs. Bogle. It was 
 twenty-seven years since the Wandering Minstrels' last 
 performance at Windsor, and the ladies' orchestra took 
 
48 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 a permanent position on the programmes of the Windsor 
 performances, recruited from time to time by some of the 
 best amateur lady musicians of the day — Mrs. F. Liddell, 
 Miss Lambert, Miss Magdalen Ponsonby. In 1891 Miss 
 Blair Oliphant resigned the stick in favour of Mr. Claud 
 Nugent, with Miss Liddell at the pianoforte ; and in 1893 
 the band was strengthened by the addition of Miss H. 
 Hale, Miss M. Hale, Miss Ida Nutt, the Hon. Mrs. C. R. 
 Spencer, and Miss Ponsonby. 
 
 In 1895 Miss Stone, Miss F. Coutts Fowlie, Miss M. 
 Coutts Fowlie, Miss K. Goodford, Miss M. Taylor, and 
 Miss Hussey joined. 
 
 THE WANDERING MINSTRELS 
 
 Although the Wandering Minstrels did not form them- 
 selves into a Society until i860, they owe their origin to a 
 performance which took place at Windsor in November 
 1859, and which the officers of the Household Brigade 
 gave in aid of the funds of the Windsor Dispensary. The 
 late Hon. Seymour Egerton, afterwards Lord Wilton, who 
 was at that time an officer of the ist Life Guards, appeared 
 with an orchestra composed entirely of amateurs, amongst 
 whom were eight future members of the Wandering 
 Minstrels besides himself — Lord Gerald Fitzgerald, Mr. 
 d'Egville, Mr. Breedon, Mr. Fred Clay, M. le Patourel, 
 Mr. A. B. Mitford, Mr. Turner, and Mr. Val Morris. And 
 the following compositions by the members of the band 
 were played : — " A Romance Dramatique " for the cornet, 
 written by Mr. Egerton for Mr. A. B. Mitford ; " A 
 Serenade " by F. Clay, a valse by the conductor, and a 
 galop entitled ''Windsor Revels," written by Lord Gerald 
 Fitzgerald. 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 49 
 
 On the 13th November of the following year, i860, 
 the same performers, under the same conductor, appeared 
 at the first performance of the Windsor Strollers. 
 
 The band consisted of, among others, the following : — 
 
 E. A. Breedon. 
 
 Fred Clay. 
 
 Gordon Cleather. 
 
 A. Davis Cooper. 
 
 S. H. Curtis. 
 
 Capt. H. P. de liathe. 
 
 L. d'Egville. 
 
 Hon. Seymour Egerton. 
 
 Lord Gerald Fitzgerald. 
 
 Viscount Grey de Wilton. 
 
 Nicholas Hanhart. 
 
 Henry le Patourel. 
 Sir A. K. Macdonald. 
 A. Mendes. 
 A. B. Mitford. 
 Val Morris. 
 Richard Pritchard. 
 Henry Robley. 
 H. E. Tatham. 
 W. L. Turner. 
 Fred Wetherall. 
 
 After supper it was suggested that, as there was 
 no purely Amateur Musical Society, those then present 
 should start one, consisting of instrumental and vocal 
 members, with the object principally of playing for 
 charitable purposes. The idea was immediately taken 
 up, and the nucleus of the Society then and there de- 
 termined, the Earl of Wilton being President, the Hon. 
 Seymour J. G. Egerton, Conductor, and Mr. A. B. Mitford, 
 Hon. Sec. pro tew. 
 
 In a short time the Society really had a being. At 
 first it adopted the somewhat punning title of " The Ban- 
 ditti " ; but afterwards, at the suggestion of Tom Taylor 
 the dramatist, christened itself "The Wandering Minstrels," 
 and held its weekly meetings at the Freemasons' Tavern, 
 where, after the musical part of the business had been 
 gone through, the members adjourned to supper. Shortly 
 afterwards one of the members. Lord Gerald Fitzgerald, a 
 keen, all-round musician, thinking that it would be better 
 for the Society to have a home of its own, at his own 
 
 D 
 
50 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 expense built a handsome music-room at the back of his 
 house at 47 Sloane Street, and there the Society initiated 
 the Smoking Concert, now a thing of everyday occurrence, 
 but at that time quite unknown. The orchestra, at the 
 end of the room, was decorated with all kinds of quaint 
 pictures, arms, and curios, books of prints, &c., on stands, 
 and chairs, and tables on the floor, the latter with bottles 
 and glasses on them ; and upstairs, at the back, a gallery, 
 where Lady Gerald used to entertain her friends. Every- 
 body who was anybody at that time in society, art, litera- 
 ture, or music was to be met with at these pleasant 
 gatherings ; and besides the music of the band and the 
 books and curiosities and the bottles and glasses on the 
 tables, there were provided, carrying on the old supper 
 notion at the Freemasons' Tavern, oysters and stout. At 
 that time Seymour Egerton was conductor, and his brother, 
 Lord Grey de Wilton, who played the kettledrums, was 
 afterwards followed by Lionel Benson (the present Con- 
 ductor), and the now President, Sir H. (then Colonel) de 
 Bathe, played the side drum. In 1881 Lord Gerald Fitz- 
 gerald, through failing health, was obliged to close his 
 room and give up his membership, though not before he 
 had succeeded the Hon. Seymour Egerton, who, as Con- 
 ductor, had retired in 1874. 
 
 The first of the Smoking Concerts took place at 47 
 Sloane Street in July 1862, and they have been con- 
 tinued since 1881 in the Grosvenor Hall, and although 
 shorn of much of their old attractiveness and interest 
 through being held in a mere ordinary concert room, 
 they still appear to be appreciated. The Wandering 
 Minstrels were the first to start the Smoking Concerts, 
 which have been initiated all over the kingdom, but, ever 
 anxious for originaUty, they devised a new plan for the 
 
THE WINDSOR STROLLERS 51 
 
 comfort of their visitors, with the result that the waiter, 
 generally slow and frequently rude, was done away with 
 altogether, and the wants of the guests are now personally 
 attended to by their hosts themselves ; and though other 
 people have followed their lead in one respect, nowhere 
 else in London can be seen the picture of a crowd of 
 visitors receiving their refreshment in the shape of whiskeys 
 and sodas, &c., from the hands of the President of the 
 Society entertaining them ; for General Sir Henry de 
 Bathe, with other members of the Society, stand behind 
 the bar, and personally serve all their guests — no light 
 task, considering that the visitors at these Concerts gene- 
 rally number close upon three hundred. The Smoking 
 Concerts are, however, but a secondary matter really in 
 the history of the Society. It had two principal aims, 
 viz., to play for charitable purposes, and to be entirely 
 and purely amateur ; and the aspirant for the honour of 
 belonging to them had, besides, to satisfy the Society that 
 he was not only a good player, but it was incumbent 
 upon him to be also a " good fellow." Both rules have 
 been rigidly complied with, and only occasionally, when 
 at the last moment some member of the band, only in 
 the wind department, has been unfortunately prevented by 
 illness from occupying his usual post, has it been tempora- 
 rily filled by a professional man. Of no other so-called 
 Amateur Society can this be said, for in most, if not in 
 all of them, the principal desks are held by professors. 
 
 The idea of giving concerts for deserving charities has 
 been more successfully carried out than could at first have 
 been imagined, for during the thirty-eight years the Society 
 has been in existence it has realised nearly ^17,000 in 
 the cause of charity. 
 
 The largest amounts ever made were in 1864, when 
 
52 
 
 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 two concerts — one for the Brigade of Guards Industrial 
 Home — realised together the noble sum of ;^98o. 
 
 The following is a list of the Windsor Strollers, with 
 the dates of their first elections : — 
 
 President. 
 C. Drummond, li 
 
 Active Members. 
 
 A. F. M. Spalding . . . 1872 
 
 R. R. Holmes (Scene Painter) 1 878 
 
 Q. Twiss 1879 
 
 Captain A. F. Liddell . . 1886 
 
 A. M. Mackinnon .... 1889 
 
 Captain G. C. Nugent . . 1889 
 
 Captain Sir A. F. Webster . 1892 
 
 C. Lambert 1893 
 
 W. F. Fladgate 1894 
 
 Lt.-Col. N. Newnham-Davis 1894 
 
 W. H. Leese 1894 
 
 A. J. Tassell 1894 
 
 H. R. Bromley-Davenport . 1897 
 
 Honorary Members. 
 
 B. C. Stephenson . . . 
 Major-General H. Stracey 
 Colonel H. Hozier . . 
 Lt.-Col. W. Armytage 
 General Sir H. P. de Bathe 
 L. Benson . . 
 Lord Burghclere 
 Colonel H. Mildmay 
 F. C. Bentinck 
 
 C. G. Allan . 
 C. W. A. Trollop 
 
 Manager) . . 
 J. W. Westropp 
 A. Bourchier 
 E. H. Whitmore 
 The Right Hon 
 
 Malet, G.C.B. 
 W. G. Elliot . . 
 C. Nugent . . 
 
 e (Stage 
 
 G. C 
 
 i860 
 1861 
 1865 
 1870 
 1871 
 
 1873 
 1875 
 1877 
 1882 
 
 1882 
 1884 
 1888 
 1888 
 
 1892 
 1893 
 1893 
 
 Lady Monckton. 
 
 Miss Helmore. 
 
 Mrs. Pope. 
 
 Mrs. Copleston. 
 
 Miss G. Liddell. 
 
 Miss L. Blair Oliphant- 
 
 Ladies. 
 
 Mrs. C. Sim. 
 
 Mrs. F. Liddell. 
 
 Mrs. C. Drummond (^'.r officio^ 
 
 President's wife). 
 Mrs. C. Crutchley. 
 
IV 
 THE GREEK PLAY, OXFORD 
 
 By PHILIP CARR 
 
 AT those sedate repasts which usually follow the last 
 performance of the Oxford University Dramatic 
 Society — it is not known, by the way, whether these were 
 instituted to celebrate the joy of the spectators that their 
 labours were over, or to alleviate the depression of the 
 performers at their return to ordinary life and approach- 
 ing " schools " — successive Secretaries, doubtless inspired 
 by the solemnity of the moment, have rarely failed to 
 refer with a sort of conscious superiority to the dignified 
 position which the Society holds in the dramatic world. 
 Among other courtesies extended to the representatives 
 who attend these functions from Cambridge, no little 
 stress is laid on the fact that however successful the 
 Amateur Dramatic Club may be in a lighter vein, there 
 remains a classic reserve and a literary flavour about 
 performances of the O.U.D.S. which cannot be attained 
 out of Oxford. Certainly a Society which can look back 
 since its foundation in 1885 to a record which consists 
 of ten plays of Shakespeare and three examples of the 
 Greek dramatists, has something of which it can be justly 
 proud ; and since even its most enthusiastic advocates 
 would scarcely pretend that undergraduates alone would 
 have preserved this rather rigorous course, the gratitude 
 
54 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 of its members must always be due to the decision which 
 made it obHgatory. The late Master of BalHol, Mr. Jowett, 
 who was Vice-Chancellor in 1885, made it one of the con- 
 ditions of the foundation of the Club and the existence of 
 amateur acting in Oxford, that only Shakespeare or Greek 
 plays should be performed. Besides this decree, which 
 really made the O.U.D.S., Mr. Jowett did other services to 
 the drama in the University. It was through his instru- 
 mentality that Mr. (now Sir) Henry Irving came down to 
 Oxford in 1886 and delivered a lecture in the Sheldonian 
 Theatre on English actors, and it was under his immediate 
 patronage that there was produced on June 3, 1880, five 
 years before the foundation of the O.U.D.S., the first 
 serious attempt which had been made in England to give 
 a performance, in the language in which it was written, of 
 a Greek play. 
 
 When it became known that in the new hall at Balliol, 
 just completed, there was to be given a performance of the 
 " Agamemnon " of ^schylus, under no less distinguished 
 auspices than those of the Regius Professor of Greek and 
 the Fellows of Balliol College, the interest of the Univer- 
 sity was thoroughly aroused. There were some, indeed, 
 of the severer sort who were disposed to regard this as 
 a sort of illegitimate back-door to making scholarship 
 easy, or even interesting. It seemed to rob the classics 
 of their exclusive interest, and to place the scholar in 
 no little danger of being lost in the crowd. Among 
 undergraduates, on the other hand, the proposed innova- 
 tion was greeted with enthusiasm. Many, hardened 
 though they were by schools, began to read ^schylus. 
 In the punts on the Cherwell, hitherto sacred to the 
 yellow-back novel, might be noticed copy after copy of 
 the "Agamemnon" — sometimes in Greek. The excitement 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, OXFORD 55 
 
 spread even to North Oxford, and fluttered the dovecotes 
 of the Woodstock and the Banbury roads, where the 
 educated lady was in those days really a new woman, 
 and this form of " education made pleasant " an excellent 
 opportunity to make a trial of strength, and a first exhibi- 
 tion of newly-acquired culture. 
 
 When the performance actually took place, the result 
 was more successful than the actors or their friends had 
 dared to anticipate. An audience composed of all Oxford 
 and some of Cambridge discovered that not only could a 
 Greek play be acted, not only were the characters human 
 beings and not mere abstractions, but that this particular 
 play possessed an engrossing dramatic interest. The 
 mounting was of the very simplest ; but although those 
 who organised the performance disclaimed " any intention 
 to produce a facsimile of a Greek drama, which, if it were 
 possible, would seem to all but antiquaries grotesque and 
 unmeaning," yet this first of the Greek play productions 
 was probably more classical in feeling than any of its suc- 
 cessors, with the possible exception of the open-air per- 
 formances at Bradfield College. The scenery, for which a 
 drawing had been made by the late Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 
 was painted by Professor W. B. Richmond, who also designed 
 the costumes. There was no curtain or wings or pros- 
 cenium. The palace front of the Atreidae was the scene 
 throughout the play, and occupied the upper stage ; while 
 on a stage below were placed the chorus round an altar 
 of Dionysus. It was upon the chorus and the question of 
 its management that discussion had chiefly centred before 
 the production, and no doubt it was the greatest difficulty 
 which the promoters had to face. What was to be done 
 with these long passages of reflection on the story of the 
 play and on life which are placed in its mouth, and which 
 
56 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 might seem rather painfully lacking in dramatic effect to 
 a modern audience, although they include some of the 
 finest lines of Greek tragedy? In later productions the 
 difficulty has been met by setting the longer passages to 
 music, and assigning the shorter ones mainly to the Cory- 
 phaeus. The Greek plays at Cambridge have always been 
 produced in this way, and with a full orchestra. In the 
 *' Agamemnon," however, there was no orchestra, and 
 with the exception of a few bars of austere music composed 
 by Mr. Parratt, organist of Magdalen College, for the 
 beginning of the opening chorus, and for a short strain 
 before the death-cry of Agamemnon, there was no music. 
 The lines of the chorus were either recited in monotone, 
 for which the note was given by a pitch-pipe and a tuning- 
 fork, or were distributed as dialogue amongst its members ; 
 and, in spite of a rather natural desire on the part of the 
 audience for more music and less monotone, and some 
 criticism on the liberty of changing chorus into dialogue, 
 it was felt that the difficulty had been very successfully 
 overcome. Indeed, it is probable that for the chorus of a 
 tragedy this was the best method which could have been 
 adopted. The breaking up of some parts among various 
 speakers gave movement and dramatic action to those 
 passages which dealt most closely with the story, while 
 the delivery of the rest in monotone gained at least as 
 much in dignity and impressiveness as it lost in variety 
 through the absence of music. In the case of a comedy, 
 in which variety is the chief aim, the problem presented 
 by the chorus is a different one, to which music is a better, 
 possibly the best, solution. Even here the question of 
 how far modernity is justified by its introduction of variety 
 proved, when the later production of the "Frogs" took place, 
 one which provoked the most widely different opinions. 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, OXFORD 57 
 
 As regards the acting of the " Agamemnon," the chief 
 parts were taken by Mr. F. R. Benson of New College, 
 Mr. G. Lawrence of Corpus, Mr. Bruce of Balliol and 
 Mr. W. L. Courtney of New College. Of these, the name 
 of Mr. Benson has since become well known as that 
 of a successful actor-manager, especially in connection 
 with the Shakespearean revivals at Stratford-on-Avon. 
 Upon the merits of the performers the critical opinion 
 of Oxford was divided into two camps. There were 
 the ** Clytemnestrians," the admirers of Mr. Benson's 
 impersonation of the queen, and the " Cassandrites," who 
 found more virtue in the performance of Mr. Lawrence. 
 Each had excellences — the fine presence, the dignity, the 
 refinement of Mr. Benson, and the success with which he 
 struck the true tragic note in his acting, compensated 
 amply in the eyes of his partisans for the lack of variety 
 in his voice ; while Mr. Lawrence, with a voice of peculiar 
 beauty and flexibility, more than overcame, the Cassan- 
 drites urged, the disadvantages of a tendency to under- 
 acting and want of movement. Of the others, Mr. Bruce 
 as Agamemnon was good, but was hampered by the rather 
 elementary nature of his "properties." His chariot, from 
 whose eminence he had to declaim his most important 
 speech, consisted merely of a wheel in the far corner of 
 the stage ; and the purple robes, the walking across which 
 was to bring down on him the awful Nemesis of the gods, 
 were rather inadequately represented by a roll of red 
 carpet, suggestive rather of the brougham and Berkeley 
 Square than the chariot and the palace of the Atreidae. 
 Mr. Courtney, who played the part of the watchman, 
 began thereby a connection with the drama at Oxford 
 which bore much fruit in the assistance which he gave in 
 the foundation of the O.U.D.S. 
 
58 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 After the ''Agamemnon" Oxford did not produce 
 another Greek play for several years. Mr. Courtney and 
 others who had taken part in the memorable perform- 
 ance in Balliol Hall helped to produce the " Alcestis " at 
 Bradfield College ; and Cambridge followed the lead of 
 Oxford with productions of the " Ajax " of Sophocles, 
 the " Birds " of Aristophanes and the " Eumenides " of 
 -^schylus. It was not, however, till 1887, in the third 
 year of the O.U.D.S., that another effort was made in 
 Greek drama at Oxford. By this time the conditions 
 were vastly different. Not only was the O.U.D.S. founded, 
 but the town had been at last provided with a theatre. It 
 was here that, on May 18, the O.U.D.S. produced the 
 "Alcestis" of Euripides. Mr. Courtney undertook the 
 supervision of the production, while Mr. Alan Mackinnon, 
 who has been responsible for so many Shakespearean 
 productions of the Society, was stage manager. The 
 principal parts were taken by Mr. A. H. E. Grahame 
 (Admetus), Mr. Alan Mackinnon (Apollo), Mr. Arthur 
 Bourchier (Death), Mr. A. E. W. Mason (Heracles), Mr. 
 Coningsby Disraeli (servant) and Miss J. E. Harrison 
 (Alcestis). 
 
 As the play took place in the theatre it was almost in- 
 evitable that some advance should be made in the direc- 
 tion of assimilating the conditions of the production to 
 the conventions of the modern stage. The curtain was 
 not discarded, as at Balliol ; in fact a new one was used, 
 painted specially for the occasion by Mr. Herkomer, then 
 Slade Professor of Fine Art. The stage was still divided, 
 the lower part being reserved to the chorus, who circled 
 round the thymele in its centre, but the arrangements 
 approximated more to modern than to ancient convention. 
 It was not thought inappropriate, for instance, that Death 
 
Mr. Bourchier as Qdvaros in "The Alcestis." 
 
 Frotn a photograph by Messrs. Hills ^ Saunders, Oxford. 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, OXFORD 59 
 
 should enter up a trap-door, or that he should be provided 
 with every melodramatic accessory. 
 
 As to the lines of the chorus, they were accompanied 
 by music, written by Mr. Lloyd, organist of Christchurch ; 
 and although it was throughout archaic in feeling, and 
 made a successful attempt to reproduce the tones of the 
 music of the Greeks — it is not known, by the way, who 
 judged of the success of this — although, also, the orchestra 
 was restricted to two harps, a flute, and a clarionet, yet it 
 was a distinct change from the simplicity of the " Agamem- 
 non." But whatever were the disadvantages of these 
 changes from the point of view of theories of a classical 
 revival, there can be no question that from the point of 
 view of the audience they were entirely justified by suc- 
 cess. The music was throughout most impressive, the 
 acting — especially, perhaps, that of Mr. Bourchier, Mr. 
 Mason and Miss Harrison — was most effective, and the 
 enterprise generally was allowed to be the most successful 
 that the O.U.D.S. had yet attempted. Not that the produc- 
 tion was without its unrehearsed incidents, amusing only 
 unintentionally. Possibly the shade of Euripides was 
 taking a mild revenge on those who would dare to present 
 his masterpiece with the aid of modern theatrical device, 
 for the two accidents which occurred were certainly con- 
 nected with the most ambitious of the mechanical effects. 
 Mr. Alan Mackinnon, equipped with the full paraphernalia 
 of Apollo's traditional costume — for which see Classical 
 Dictionary, passim — was to be let down in a thoroughly 
 supernatural manner by strings from the sky. As this 
 descent was taking place his bow — without which no 
 Apollo would be complete — managed to get caught up in 
 the strings, and Mr. Mackinnon narrowly escaped a violent 
 death by strangling. This is probably the only recorded 
 
6o AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 instance of the use of the bowstring in this country in the 
 Turkish manner. Mr. Bourchier, on the other hand, most 
 grimly made up, with gauze and dagger and whitened face, 
 as Death, was to make his appearance at the other end, 
 from below. For this entrance, that no attribute of terror 
 should be lost, it was provided that clouds of steam should 
 surround the spectral figure as he arose. This was to be 
 arranged by a system of pipes of boiling water, certain 
 valves of which were to be opened to produce the required 
 nebulous effect. The stage hand, however, who had been 
 placed in command of this murderous engine manipulated 
 it with such adroitness that there issued not jets of steam, 
 but of the hottest water, which nearly made Death belie 
 his name by being boiled alive. After these two successful 
 efforts the soul of the author was no doubt satisfied, for 
 no more lives were endangered. That Mr. Bourchier 
 should begin his first speech Q to yv/BlX}] in the year 
 1887, when all Oxford were ringing with Corney Grain's 
 famous song, belonged more to that class of accident 
 that is prompted by " malice prepense " in the performer. 
 This is only one among many instances in the O.U.D.S. 
 when the " original Greek, " in which the play was per- 
 formed, was even more original than that of the author. 
 
 In the year 1892, when the next Greek play was 
 attempted, the O.U.D.S. struck out a line entirely new. 
 Tragedy was exchanged for comedy, and the last shreds 
 of convention was abandoned in the performance for the 
 sake of modern stage effect. The play chosen was the 
 " Frogs " of Aristophanes, and the satire on the Athens of 
 Pericles was illustrated by modern instances in the way 
 of " business " and " properties " bearing a reference, more 
 " up-to-date " and more easily understood, to the Oxford 
 of to-day. Dr. Hubert Parry, who had previously written 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, OXFORD 6i 
 
 music to a performance of the " Birds " at Cambridge, 
 revelled, in the complicated score which he composed for 
 the " Frogs," in every form of topical allusion and je:i 
 cCesprit. A full orchestra was engaged, and no attempt was 
 made to recall in any way an atmosphere of old music. 
 The " Boulanger March " was pressed into the service side 
 by side with reminiscences from Grand Opera, and with 
 well-known English airs, to enforce modern applications of 
 the points in the play. The result was to make the general 
 idea of the satire of Aristophanes far more comprehensible 
 to the majority of the audience than it could otherwise 
 have been ; and whatever fault the scholar could find with 
 the extravagance of the composer's method, he could 
 certainly not deny its briUiance. There can be little 
 doubt that it was to Dr. Parry's music that was due the 
 great success which was achieved. In the staging and 
 acting similar tactics were relied upon. It might have 
 been thought that the fact of the committee of the Society 
 being reinforced for this occasion by three senior members 
 of the University — Mr. D. G. Hogarth of Magdalen, Mr. A. 
 E. Haigh of Corpus, and Mr. R. W. Macan of University 
 — would be some guarantee for the correctness of the pro- 
 duction. This was true in a certain sense. An attempt 
 being frankly made to give a realistic presentment of 
 ancient Greek life by means of modern stage pictures, 
 rather than to illustrate the comedy by following approxi- 
 mately the conventions under which it was written, the 
 advice of these gentlemen was invaluable in the question 
 of the accuracy of scenery, properties, and costumes ; but 
 with regard to any idea of giving an impression of the 
 Greek theatre, upon which one of them was a leading 
 authority, their assistance was not needed, as no endeavour 
 of this sort was made. The double stage was abandoned. 
 
62 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 as was also the altar of Dionysus, and the chorus was dis- 
 posed about the stage much as in a comic opera. The 
 scenery, which was elaborate, and included many changes, 
 was picturesque rather than conventional, and the acting 
 aimed chiefly, with the music, at fitting modern applica- 
 tion to ancient satire. The effect of all this upon the 
 audience was tremendous. The theatre was packed at 
 every performance, and the enthusiasm, when Charon 
 instructed Dionysus to row across the Styx with all the 
 manner of the coach and the freshman out " tubbing," 
 was uproariously sympathetic. The O.U.D.S. was above 
 playing burlesques as they did at Cambridge — at least it 
 was not allowed — but the audience felt that they could 
 manage to get quite near enough to it in Aristophanes to 
 make a very entertaining evening. So the University 
 flocked to the theatre, and the receipts for the " Frogs " 
 exceeded those of any performance by the Society, either 
 before or since. The acting was excellent almost through- 
 out. The chief parts were taken by Mr. L. H. Helbert of 
 Oriel (Dionysus), Mr. H. F. Lyon of Trinity (Xanthias), 
 Mr. M. B. Furse of Trinity (Heracles), Mr. J. E. Talbot of 
 Magdalen (^schylus) and Mr. A. A. Ponsonby of Balliol, 
 who doubled the parts of the Corpse and Euripides. Per- 
 haps Mr. Ponsonby made the most notable success, though 
 where all were good it is difficult to distinguish. Mr. 
 Furse combined with acting the part of Heracles the 
 arduous duties of stage manager, and triumphed in both ; 
 while Mr. Helbert added to his laurels as Dionysus the 
 distinction of making the most amusing " gag " of the last 
 performance — always an occasion with the O.U.D.S. for 
 speeches (long and short remarks), witty and dull ; and 
 bouquets (humorous and sentimental). An admirer on 
 this occasion had thrown to Dionysus a bunch, which 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, OXFORD 63 
 
 was obviously intended as a token of admiration for the 
 donkey which stood patiently at his side. Dionysus 
 picked it up, and bowing gracefully — history does not re- 
 late whether he was inspired or had previously paid for the 
 vegetables — said simply 'Kapire^. This brilliant repartee 
 put a suitable ending to the most successful production of 
 the O.U.D.S. It was a week gratefully remembered by 
 many ; but by none was it so treasured as by the barbers 
 of Oxford. For the design of the Greek costume, and the 
 determination of the committee to discard the use of what, 
 it is said, are technically known as " fleshings," had 
 resulted in placing some of these gentlemen in a position 
 of affluence almost sufficient to retire from business. 
 
 The O.U.D.S. made no other attack on the Greek 
 classics till 1897, when Aristophanes was again taken as 
 the victim, and a performance was given of the " Knights." 
 On this occasion the same methods were adopted as in 
 the case of the " Frogs." The music, composed by the 
 Rev. F. W. Russell of B.N.C., was again elaborate and 
 again topical, and in this, as in both the acting and stage 
 management, the object aimed at was to illustrate by 
 allusion to local and contemporary points the satire on 
 the politics of 2000 years ago. The management of the 
 chorus was even more than in the " Frogs " that of comic 
 opera, or rather of burlesque. So far from circling round 
 a Dionysiac altar, they made their first entrance from all 
 sides of the stage, and on hobby-horses, and their evolu- 
 tions throughout were conducted with a view to ludicrous 
 effect. The acting was treated in the same spirit. The 
 two chief parts, those of Cleon and the Sausage-seller, 
 were played by Mr. P. A. Rubens of University and Mr. 
 H. M. Woodward of Keble. Both were excellent in 
 different ways, Mr. Woodward shining more particularly 
 
64 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 as a comedian, and Mr. Rubens in passages which re- 
 quired rather the treatment of burlesque. The other 
 parts were taken by Mr. L. R. F. Oldershaw of Christ- 
 church (Demus), Mr. A. N. Tayler of University (Nicias) 
 and Mr. F. Stevens of Keble (Demosthenes), while Vis- 
 count Suirdale (New College) was the Coryphaeus. 
 
 The production of the " Knights " completes the list 
 of the Greek play revivals at Oxford. Extending, as this 
 list does, from the severe simplicity of the " Agamemnon," 
 the first Greek play in England, to the frankly modernised 
 stage management of the " Frogs " and the " Knights," it 
 suggests the much-debated question of the spirit in which 
 the revival of Greek plays at the Universities should be 
 undertaken. When, after the *' Agamemnon," the step 
 was made towards elaboration in the stage setting of the 
 " Alcestis," there were some who thought that the chief 
 virtue of these representations was being lost. When the 
 producers of the " Frogs " entirely discarded convention to 
 give the most elaborate effect to the play, opinions were 
 even more divided. It was argued that this method of 
 presentation abandoned the whole raison d'etre of putting 
 these works upon the stage ; that it might be amusing, but 
 it certainly was not classical ; and that it was merely a 
 veiled way of producing a modern burlesque under the 
 cloak of the Greek author. For this last argument there 
 was certainly some ground. No opportunity was missed 
 in which a topical interpretation could be given to the 
 Greek lines of Aristophanes, both in the acting, the stage 
 management and the music ; and these passages were 
 naturally the most successful with the audience. It is a 
 doubtful question, on the other hand, whether, if they 
 were not done in this way, the comedies could be pro- 
 duced by the O.U.D.S. at all. The allusions, almost all 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, OXFORD 65 
 
 to contemporary affairs, are very dead to a mainly ignor- 
 ant audience 2000 years after the event, if they are not 
 helped out with some modern appHcation, and it is chiefly 
 upon these allusions that the plays are based. The 
 tragedies, which deal with emotions which are eternal, 
 are in a different case, as the performance of the 
 " Agamemnon " showed. With the comedies, the alter- 
 native is to play them with modern adaptations of the 
 satire and to crowded houses, or, in what is obviously the 
 better, and in the end the only reasonable, way, to an 
 audience which understands the real allusion, but which 
 is necessarily very limited. It is here that a society like 
 the O.U.D.S. is in rather a difficult position. It is ex- 
 pected to perform a Greek play from time to time, and 
 apart from the rather natural disinclination of its members 
 to act to empty benches, and the also rather natural 
 inclination of some of them to indulge in the nearest 
 thing they can to burlesque, there remains the fact that 
 the Society cannot afford to produce a play in a way 
 which is not likely to cover expenses — and these are not 
 light. The only thoroughly satisfactory way to present 
 these plays is, if not with the open-air theatre of Bradiield, 
 at least with absolute simplicity, as was the production at 
 Balliol. But if the O.U.D.S. adopted this plan it would 
 probably find itself with very small takings to meet the 
 expenses. Besides, the necessary incursion into anti- 
 quarianism is not peculiarly attractive to most of the 
 members of a club like this, whose desire is primarily to 
 do some acting. The decree of Dr. Jowett, which con- 
 fined the Society to Shakespeare, few of its members 
 would regret, but there are certainly some who would 
 deplore the additional obligation to periodically produce 
 a Greek play. The senior members of the University are 
 
 E 
 
66 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 probably more interested in the latter part of the pursuits 
 of the Society than in the former; and as the senior 
 members of the University are obviously more qualified 
 to supervise the management of the Greek plays in a 
 scholarly way, and are more in touch with the audiences 
 which the Greek plays attract, it would seem more fitting 
 that the production of them should be in their own 
 hands. This is the position at Cambridge, and might 
 advisedly be imitated at Oxford. Whether a College Hall 
 is more adapted to the necessary simplicity of the pro- 
 duction or not — and those who remember the " Agamem- 
 non " would be inclined to say that it is — there can be no 
 question that if they were placed entirely in the hands of 
 graduates these revivals would gain much in correctness 
 and appropriateness of rendering. The elaboration of 
 music and scenery, and the modernising of the plays to 
 make them attractive to the multitude, have tended to 
 spoil these performances ; but this was the only way in 
 which the O.U.D.S., unaided, could attempt to under- 
 take them. Let them return, under other auspices, to a 
 simpler form of presentation, and leave the O.U.D.S. to 
 the more congenial task of acting the plays of Shake- 
 speare. 
 
V 
 
 THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 
 
 1861-1898 
 
 By the editor 
 
 MY best thanks are due to the under-mentioned gentle- 
 men for the kind assistance they have afforded me 
 in the preparation of the following record : — Mr. J. W. 
 Clark, Mr. Albert Bankes, the Right Hon. J. W. Lowther, 
 M.P., Mr. H. A. Newton, Lord Willoughby d'Eresby, M.P., 
 Mr. W. H. Leese, and Mr. R. Balfour. 
 
 W. G. Elliot. 
 
 July 1898. 
 
 In attempting to write any history of the Cambridge 
 
 Amateur Dramatic Club, there are two names that must ever 
 
 be pre-eminent — those of the founder, Mr. F. C. Burnand, 
 
 and the best friend, Mr. J. W. Clark. Had it not been for 
 
 the exertions of these two gentlemen, one who, in the face 
 
 of great difficulties, knit together the stones of this historic 
 
 assembly, and the other, who, ever watchful, kept them from 
 
 faUing apart, it is more than possible that by this time the 
 
 Club would have ceased to exist. Those who have been 
 
 so fortunate as to read Mr. Burnand's entertaining book, 
 
 " Personal Reminiscences of the A.D.C.," will doubtless 
 
 remember the obstacles which beset its formation : how 
 
 it first began in a quiet sort of way in rooms, then 
 
 67 
 
68 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 migrated to the Hoop Hotel, and finally entered on its 
 present comfortable quarters at the corner of Jesus Lane. 
 Unfortunately the scope of the present chapter does not 
 admit of any detailed reference to the years 1855-63, the 
 period covered by Mr. Burnand's book, which also contains 
 a full account of the plays acted within that period. For 
 the same reason it is impossible to mention the numerous 
 performances which have taken place, and the numerous 
 performers who have acted between 1863 and the present 
 date. The plan followed, therefore, will be as follows : 
 The full casts will be given of those plays which have been 
 deemed to be of special merit, and as many of the others 
 as possible will be alluded to. 
 
 As regards the earlier period then, suffice it to say 
 that the psychological moment having arrived, Mr. 
 Burnand — thus showing that he had made a careful 
 study, not only of the actor's art, but also of the perru- 
 quier's — determined to beard the Vice-Chancellor in his 
 den. It was necessary to obtain this gentleman's per- 
 mission to give a performance in the big room of the 
 Bull Hotel, where money might be taken ; the plays to 
 be acted being " Villikins and his Dinah " and " Box and 
 Cox." The account of the interview between the two is 
 one of the most delightful things in the " Reminiscences," 
 Would there were space to quote from it ! The result 
 thereof was ultimately unsatisfactory, the Vice-Chancellor 
 refusing his permission ; but Mr. Burnand was not to be 
 outdone. Very soon an opportunity offered itself. The 
 Athenaeum Club got up a performance, which was practi- 
 cally winked at by the authorities, and the opportunity 
 was seized. If they wink at one club, they must wink at 
 another ; and so came the securing of a room at the Hoop 
 Hotel, and the foundation of the A.D.C. The first per- 
 formance took place in the May term of 1855, and from 
 
THE A.D.C, CAMBRIDGE 69 
 
 that time to this there has never been break or inter- 
 mission. No doubt this continuity has been to a very 
 large extent secured by the good offices of Mr. J. W. 
 Clark, to whose great services allusion will be made later 
 on. Fortunately, too — owing to his exertions, aided by 
 those of the late indefatigable President, Mr. R. Balfour 
 — a complete record of the Club's performances from 
 1855 to 1897 is now in the possession of the A.D.C, 
 with all the playbills complete. 
 
 A retrospect shows that there have, to all intents and 
 purposes, been three periods. They may be classified as 
 
 follows : — 
 
 1855-66. Burlesque and Farce. 
 
 1866-88. Comedy and Drama. 
 
 1888-98. Modern Burlesque. 
 
 Now it is interesting to note that these two latter periods 
 appear to coincide with the general dramatic taste of the 
 day. It was just about 1888 that the public began to 
 evince a marked aptitude for the lighter forms of enter- 
 tainment. Whereas they had hitherto patronised the 
 drama proper very steadily, the bulk of them then began 
 to turn their attention to— not exactly the drama improper 
 — but to those theatres where what is known as "the 
 sacred lamp of burlesque" and musical comedy, a later 
 development of the music-hall, held sway. The aforesaid 
 " sacred lamp " had always burnt pretty brightly, it now 
 began to assume the brilliancy of a large electric cluster. 
 It is pretty evident that Cambridge at once felt the effect 
 of the new wave of public taste, and responded thereto. 
 
 They had a good deal to struggle against in 1888. 
 Five years' competition with the Cambridge Theatre, an 
 institution unknown in the earlier days, and, it must be 
 owned, an exceedingly slack period between 1883 and 
 1888, when the acting, from all accounts, was not up to 
 
70 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 the usual standard, tended to lower the Club in popular 
 estimation. Moreover, since 1882 they had the onus of 
 a heavy debt, which it was absolutely necessary to incur 
 — more of this later — and the funds, too, were at a very 
 low ebb. Burlesque, however, saved them. It was good 
 policy to revert to the ideas of Mr. Burnand's time, but it 
 was better policy still to dress them up in a new form. 
 Those who were in authority at the time were clever 
 enough to see this, and they did it. What was the result ? 
 Burlesque in the May term has paid ever since. 
 
 In 1861-62, when Mr. Albert Bankes was President, 
 there were a number of young men in residence who have 
 since distinguished themselves in different ways. The 
 present Earl Carrington was the leading lady, and Messrs. 
 Burnand and Quintin Twiss — the latter celebrated ama- 
 teur coming from Oxford, but still an honorary member 
 of the A.D.C. — used to come down and act occasionally, 
 although B.A.'s and absentees. Lord Henniker, now 
 Governor of the Isle of Man, the late Mr. Arthur Guest, a 
 Director of the London & South-Western Railway, and 
 Mr. Edward Ross, the champion rifle shot, were, with Mr. 
 Bankes, representatives of " the supers " of that period. 
 H.R.H, the Prince of Wales was also in statu piipillari, and 
 belonged to the Club. He often came to see the perform- 
 ances, and showed not so very long ago that his interest 
 in the A.D.C. still exists by kindly assenting to take the chair 
 at the dinner held to commemorate the 25th anniversary 
 of its foundation. Of this more in its proper place. 
 
 During Mr. Bankes' term of Presidency a remarkable 
 scene happened one evening. The thunder — a thin piece 
 of sheet-iron, six feet by two, decided, for no particular 
 reason, to fall from its nail on to the bridge of Lord 
 Pollington's nose. He was at the moment waiting for 
 his cue at the side, and the farce had just begun. Fleet- 
 
THE A.D.C, CAMBRIDGE 71 
 
 footed supers rushed hither and thither for cotton-wool 
 and plaster, and the noble Viscount pluckily announced 
 his intention of proceeding with his part. Unfortunately 
 the blood could not be stanched, so the curtain had to 
 come down. Mr. Albert Bankes, advancing to the front, 
 said, " Ladies and Gentlemen, the thunder having fallen 
 on Lord PoUington's nose, the piece just commenced 
 must be withdrawn ; but to prevent disappointment, 
 within five minutes another farce shall be played by 
 members of the Club." 
 
 In 1864 the College Tutors made their first appear- 
 ance at the A.D.C. — it certainly was by no means their 
 last — and wanted to stop the acting altogether. " Waste 
 of time" was the reason given. However, several gra- 
 duates wrote a beautiful letter to the authorities, wherein 
 they urged the plea "that the A.D.C, and the A.D.C. 
 alone, had taught them the secret of producing, in after 
 life, that impassioned flow of eloquence and invective that 
 had already made its mark, not only in the Lower Cham- 
 ber, but had likewise stirred hoary-headed and somnolent 
 Peers to fresh efforts in the, at times, more lethargic 
 Upper House. Parish meetings — ay, even Local Autho- 
 rities, Quarter-Sessions, and rugged Scottish Commissioners 
 of Supply were listening with fascination to the younger 
 generation, who were thus knocking at the door. This 
 wonderful result had been obtained from acting at the 
 A.D.C. Could the Tutors be so hard-hearted ? Could they 
 be so blind to the vital fact that any society that could get 
 all this out of its members should be encouraged — not put 
 down ? " Needless to say, the Tutors gave way to a man. 
 The appeal got about into donnish circles. Strong and 
 bearded Senior Classics were seen to turn pale ; Junior 
 Bursars forgot to count their money-bags; sallow, emaciated 
 Wranglers writhed uneasily in their not-often-to-be-changed 
 
72 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 flannel shirts ; even the Heads of Colleges were visibly 
 moved, and the Club proceeded on its way. 
 
 Proceeding with the narrative of events from 1864, 
 when Mr. Burnand made his last appearance either in the 
 " Critic " or in " Robert Macaire," a strong cast is to be 
 found acting in 1865 — Messrs. P. Finch, F. Ramsbotham, 
 N. A. Hunt, F. Maclean, Q.C. — now holding a high judicial 
 post in India — and the present Sir Charles Hall, Q.C. 
 
 The next year, 1866, marks an era in A.D.C. history. 
 After much cogitation the Committee decided to break 
 away from the traditions of the past, and present for the 
 first time a three-act comedy, Tom Taylor's " Overland 
 Route." A great deal of doubt was expressed as to the 
 wisdom of the step, but it was fully justified by its success. 
 Much care was taken over the production. The late Mr. 
 David Powell, lately Governor of the Bank of England, 
 who was up at the time, was a tower of strength in the 
 way of scene-painting and stage-management, making a 
 special study of the scenes required. The cabin of the 
 Peninsular & Oriental steamship Simoom was voted a 
 great success ; but it was entirely eclipsed by Act II., the 
 Deck of the Simoom, and Act III., a Coral Reef. These were 
 the most elaborate " sets " the Club had yet undertaken, 
 and all sorts of touches were added to give reality, e.g. 
 the small swing-lamps in the cabin, which Mr. Powell 
 procured, and which were made exactly after the P. & O. 
 model. 
 
 Now, any one who has had much to do with plays 
 knows that the " Overland Route " is an extremely diffi- 
 cult piece to produce. The cast is a big one, each part 
 requires good acting, and there is a tremendous amount 
 of what is technically known as " business," especially at 
 the end of the second act, when the ship strikes on a reef, 
 and a panic ensues among the passengers. There is a 
 
THE A.D.C, CAMBRIDGE 
 
 73 
 
 crowd of supers, consisting of Lascars, stewards, officers, 
 and travellers of all types, whose dresses want careful think- 
 ing out and arranging properly. That this difficult task 
 was carried through successfully shows what a number of 
 very strong men must have been members at the time. 
 Contemporary records all go to show that this perform- 
 ance — the first — of the " Overland Route " was one of 
 the big successes of the A.D.C. No doubt the most 
 remarkable bit of acting in the play was Mr. Cyril Flower, 
 now Lord Battersea, as Mrs. Sebright, the gay, flirtatious 
 grass-widow. The cast was a fine one all round, but this 
 assumption stood out pre-eminently, and Mr. Flower's 
 photograph, now hanging in the Club rooms, shows how 
 wonderful he must have looked. The effect made by this 
 play was so great, that it practically gave the keynote to 
 the style of piece acted for more than twenty years after- 
 wards. It inaugurated the second period above referred 
 to. Cast :— 
 
 THE OVERLAND ROUTE." 
 
 Mr. Colepepper 
 Sir Solomon Fraser 
 Major M'Turk 
 Tom Dexter 
 Mr. Lovibond 
 Captain Clavering 
 Captain Smar 
 Hardisty 
 Tottle . 
 Moleskin 
 Limpet . 
 Jack Sebrigh 
 Smiths and Jackson 
 Mrs. Lovibond 
 Mrs. Sebright 
 Miss Colepepper 
 Grim wood 
 Mrs. Rabbits 
 
 Mr. W. A. Bankes. 
 . Mr. F. Ramsbotham. 
 Mr. E. F. Pellew. 
 Mr. C. Hall. 
 Mr. P. Finch. 
 Mr. A. K. FiNLAY. 
 . Mr. C. E. SWAINSON. 
 Mr. H. A. G. MORRALL. 
 . Mr. H. Powell. 
 . Mr. N. A. Hunt. 
 . Marquis of Huntly. 
 Mr. H. J. RouPELL. 
 Messrs COLVIN and LONG. 
 . Mr. E. S. SwAiNSON. 
 . Mr. C. Flower. 
 . Lord Ellesmere. 
 . Mr. C. Gaussen. 
 Lord Ronald Leveson-Gower. 
 
74 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 The great success of 1866 evidently urged Mr. Flower 
 and his associates to greater deeds, for they attempted in 
 
 1867, most unwisely as it turned out, to give a represen- 
 tation of nothing short of " Ruy Bias " in blank verse. 
 According to the record, "the scenery and 'appointments' 
 — whatever they may be — were excellent, but the play 
 turned out to be much too hard for amateurs to perform." 
 The whole thing was evidently rather a dismal failure, but 
 the play was in part saved by an unrehearsed effect which 
 came off in the last act. In the middle of a dark scene, 
 just as Ruy Bias had stabbed Don Salluste, and as the 
 lifeless body went plop over the parapet, the figure of the 
 Club page-boy was seen to steal slowly across the stage, 
 bearing a brandy and soda on a tray to an individual who 
 was waiting for his cue on the opposite side, and who was 
 evidently nervous. Perhaps this was one of the " appoint- 
 ments " above referred to. 
 
 The next event of importance was the production, in 
 
 1868, of the "Contested Election." It was here that Mr. 
 Herbert Gardner, now Lord Burghclere, made his first 
 appearance, indeed a most excellent Jeutte prcmter, and one 
 of the A.D.C.'s. very best actors. Mr. Reginald Kelly too 
 scored another of his big successes. The Church and St. 
 Paul's Cathedral have now claimed him for their own. 
 Mr. Gardner seems to have been the best lover the Club 
 ever possessed, for in " Plot and Passion," acted about 
 this time, a long love speech spoken by Henri de Neuville, 
 which had been cut out at rehearsal as presenting too 
 many difficulties, was reinserted after the first perform- 
 ance, and rendered by him with admirable effect. 
 
 In 1869 the " School for Scandal " was played, wherein 
 Mr. Gardner, as Charles Surface, and others won great 
 triumphs. Mr. Walter Durnford, too, now one of our 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 75 
 
 most popular Eton masters, scored heavily in the part of 
 Lady Teazle. 
 
 In 1870 they tried rather a curious experiment. A 
 piece was wanted with no female interest therein. Now 
 every one knows that this is a dangerous venture on the 
 stage as well as in real life, dangerous because boredom so 
 often ensues. The individual known through the medium 
 of the novel and play as the " crabbed old bachelor " will 
 probably respond — that is, if he talks in old-fashioned stage 
 language — " Stuff, sir ; stuff and nonsense ! I don't want 
 a parcel of silly, chattering women, with their ribbons 
 and laces, bothering me ! No, sir, neither when I go to 
 see a play or at home ! " At this juncture in the play or 
 novel a bright creature with golden hair depending down 
 her spinal column invariably creeps into the room and 
 whispers, "Oh, Mr. Hatemall, I've brought you mother's 
 miniature. Did you not know her when she was a girl ? " 
 Then the C.O.B. always breaks down and sobs, because 
 he was attracted towards her when she was seventeen. 
 
 But, bachelor or no bachelor, it was necessary to find 
 a play without any ladies therein. It appeared impossible. 
 But, ha ! Ecce, behold ! En, lo ! That guardian angel of 
 the A.D.C., Mr. J. W. Clark, clad not in dazzling raiment 
 and wings, but in an ordinary suit of clothes, suddenly de- 
 scended on the committee room firmly grasping a long pole 
 in his hand, and in a far-away voice volunteered to rewrite 
 the "Courier de Lyons," leaving out the female interest, 
 which is slight. The idea was received with a hoarse shout 
 of approval from eight wearied throats, and it was done. 
 The play was rearranged ; Joliquet, Jerome Lesurques' 
 servant, made one of the principal parts, so as to give Mr. 
 Gardner a good chance, and the whole was voted a great 
 success. It is not generally known that besides writing 
 
76 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 this capital version, Mr. Clark also invented the English 
 title by which the play has been known ever since, viz., 
 *'The Lyons Mail." 
 
 1870 saw another rising of the Tutors against the 
 Club. Looking back on A.D.C. history, an investment 
 in Tutors would have been a capital thing — they seemed 
 to be so constantly rising — not unlike, too, the Picts and 
 Scots of a slightly earlier period. They w^ere only quelled 
 after a scene of awful carnage, wherein the A.D.C. lost 
 nearly the whole headquarter staff, and had also to 
 accept ten additional rules. The feeling appears to have 
 been so strong at this period that the curtain had to be 
 dropped at eleven sharp one night, although the play 
 was not over! Exeunt the Tutors "for a little, just a 
 little," as a somewhat ancient comic song hath it. 
 
 In 1872 a farce was to be played one night, in which 
 Mr. Hunt, one of the great guns, was to take part. The 
 house was crowded, the time came, but no signs of Hunt. 
 The manager, who was evidently an awfully funny and 
 amusing man, walked on to the stage and remarked that 
 Mr. Hunt was not in the house, but that they would 
 ''hunt" for him elsewhere. Shouts of laughter. The 
 firing off of this witticism, which was very properly 
 so splendidly received, evidently seemed to clear the 
 manager's brain, for he suddenly became possessed of a 
 brilliant idea. Spying out Mr. Reginald Kelly sitting 
 among the audience, he requested him to ascend on to 
 the stage and give one of his well-known piano sketches 
 a la John Parry. Mr. Kelly very kindly obliged, and his 
 sketch was such a success that it had to be repeated every 
 night. When it was over, the " hunt " ha ! ha ! having 
 been successful, the farce was proceeded with. 
 
 1873, besides witnessing a revival of the "Overland 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 77 
 
 Route," was noticeable for the production of Sullivan 
 and Burnand's charming operetta, " Cox and Box." It 
 was acted by Messrs. George Murray, Jekyll, and G. H. 
 Longman, the celebrated cricketer. 
 
 1874 saw the "Heir at Law," with Mr. A. T. Olive 
 as Dr. Pangloss. 
 
 1875 was the beginning of a very strong time, which 
 culminated in 1882. "London Assurance" was given. 
 The Hon. A. Bourke played Dazzle, and Mr. J. W., now 
 the Right Hon. J. W., Lowther, Chairman of Committees 
 in the House of Commons, and Mr. F. Cavendish- 
 Bentinck, two of the Club's best actors, first appeared 
 before a Cambridge audience. During the rehearsals, 
 Mr. Bourke, being lame, had to do his rehearsal in an 
 arm-chair. Dazzle in an arm-chair ! The Hon. Stephen 
 Coleridge, who acted Sir Harcourt Courtly according to 
 contemporary records, " ought to have looked like an old 
 man made up young, instead of which he looked like a 
 young man made up old." Where were Clarkson and 
 assistants ? Mr. Percy Crutchley, who was the " Cool " of 
 the occasion, is reported to have opened the play thus — 
 " Eight o'clock, and Mr. Charles not yet returned." This 
 he did most admirably, but always bent down towards 
 the footlights in order to see by their light what the time 
 was by his watch. 
 
 In February 1876 they acted for the first time after 
 the usual anniversary dinner. The performances had 
 hitherto been restricted to three nights per week, but this 
 was the beginning of somewhat more liberty. Bravo, the 
 Tutors ! The piece chosen was the " Thumping Legacy," 
 the only comic incident being the contrast in size of the 
 two Carbineers. Mr., now Dr., Alan Gray, Mus. Doc, who 
 presides over the organ in Trinity Chapel, was by far the 
 
78 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 tallest man in the university. His colleague was a little 
 boy, the son of the late Mr. Townley, Lord-Lieutenant of 
 the County. This young man was suddenly impressed 
 into the service of the Carbineers at the last moment, they 
 being evidently one short. He was so terrified when his 
 co-Carbineer suddenly stalked on to the stage that he was 
 seized with a fit of the wriggles, which eventually deprived 
 him of his trousers, and gave a somewhat "Hieland" 
 smack to the whole affair. 
 
 In 1875 "She Stoops to Conquer" was mounted. 
 Much care was exercised in its production. Mr. Coe 
 coached, and Mr. J. O'Connor, the scene-painter at the 
 Haymarket, came down to paint the chief scene, " A Room 
 at Hardcastle's." It took the whole of the A.D.C. stage, 
 and was very pretty. All the furniture and properties — 
 no " appointments " this time — were carefully thought out, 
 and anachronism religiously eschewed. It was most ex- 
 cellently acted all round, Mr. Howard Sturgis as Miss 
 Hardcastle in a Gainsborough hat being wonderful, both 
 in appearance and performance. 
 
 This year the theatre was redecorated by private 
 subscription. On the second night Mr. J. W. Clark 
 pulled up the curtain too soon, and Miss Hardcastle and 
 Miss Neville— acted by Sir George Douglas — were dis- 
 covered among the " Shabby fellows " in the Inn. Cheers 
 and laughter. 
 
 In November 1877 they acted "Money," and five 
 nights' performance were allowed. One of the A.D.C.'s 
 most celebrated actors here made his bow, viz., Mr. 
 Charles Brookfield. Those who have seen his admirable 
 work on the stage will be interested to know that this was 
 his first — as it were — regular appearance. " Money " was 
 another very decided success, and was very well cast. 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 79 
 
 Mr. Lowther played Evelyn ; Mr. Frank Foster, Sir Fred- 
 erick ; Mr. C. Newton, Clara Douglas ; and Mr. Brookfield, 
 Sir John Vesey ; and also Messiter in a " Nice Firm," the 
 farce preceding the comedy, wherein Mr. G. Milner- 
 Gibson, now Mr. Cullum, made a great hit as Miss Apple- 
 john. He was a very excellent comedian, especially in 
 middle-aged ladies' parts. An amusing incident happened 
 in the first act of " Money " ; Mr., now the Rev., A. W. 
 Pulteney was acting Lady Franklin, and acting it very 
 well. Shortly before the end of the act off came his 
 blonde wig. It was hopeless to try and put it on again, 
 so he kept it in his lap ; but his well-known features and 
 short hair suddenly appearing on the top of his smart 
 gown convulsed the audience. 
 
 One night too, during the progress of the " Nice 
 Firm," Mr. Lowther gave Mr. Brookfield a little surprise. 
 The latter's first lines were spoken to a supposed cabman 
 outside, with whom he was disputing over the fare. With- 
 out informing Mr. Brookfield of his intention, Mr. Lowther 
 got himself up as a cabman, carefully concealed himself 
 until the latter had gone in, and then burst in with a 
 demand for a larger fare. The audience caught the 
 humour of the situation, and appreciated the joke hugely. 
 
 Now comes, perhaps, the finest performance ever given 
 at the A.D.C., viz., the "Ticket-of- Leave Man," by Tom 
 Taylor, in 1878. A very great deal of trouble was taken. 
 The chief parts were cast in the May term before, and 
 Mr. Horace Wigan, who created the part of " Hawkshaw 
 the Detective," coached. It is indeed difficult to single out 
 any one person for special commendation in the very fine 
 cast, but Mr. Brookfield made a tremendous hit by his 
 presentation of " Jem Dalton alias the Tiger," the forger, 
 his assumptions of character in the different disguises this 
 
8o AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 individual assumes being nothing short of wonderful. 
 Those too who witnessed Mr. J. W. Lowther's perform- 
 ance of Bob Brierly will never forget it. The manliness, 
 strength, and pathos of the character were brought out by 
 him in remarkable style, and his technique was perfect. 
 Lord Binning as Sam Willoughby, the boy, was splendid, 
 and Mr. Cullum as his mother was equally so. Special 
 mention should also be made of the Melter Moss of 
 the Hon., now, '' and Rev." A. G. Lawley, and the Hawk- 
 shaw of the Hon. R. Milnes, now Lord Crewe — all the 
 others too were first-rate. In fact, for good acting, per- 
 fect rehearsal, finish, and good scenery, painted by the 
 deft hand of Mr. C. Newton, the comely Clara Douglas of 
 " Money," this A.D.C. production will be hard to beat. 
 Cast : — 
 
 "THE TICKET-OF-LEAVE MAN." 
 
 Bob Brierly Mr. J. W. Lowther. 
 
 Jem Dalton Mr. C. H. Brookfifxd. 
 
 Melter Moss Hon. A. G. Lawley. 
 
 Hawkshaw Hon. R. O. A. MiLNES. 
 
 Mr. Gibson Mr. J. A. Watson-Taylor. 
 
 Sam Willoughby Lord Binning. 
 
 Maltby Mr. S. Chisenhale-Marsh. 
 
 Waiter Mr. Claude Ponsonby. 
 
 1st and 2nd Detectives . Hon. W. Sugden and Mr. R. L. Pike. 
 
 i Messrs. W. A. Wigram, J. A. Orr- 
 EwiNG, P. S. Hodgson, W. G. 
 Elliot, C. Hodgson, H. T. Hall. 
 
 May Edwards Mr. J. Bolton. 
 
 Mrs. Willoughby . . . Mr. G. Milner-Gibson-Cullum. 
 
 This performance ended Mr. J. W. Lowther's active 
 connection with the Club, although he has always been 
 one of those who have maintained a warm interest therein 
 in after life. His term of office was a very remarkable 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 8i 
 
 one. As earlier mentioned, the period 1875-82 inclusive 
 represented one of the strongest periods of A.D.C. history, 
 and he had all to do with the management in the first part 
 thereof. An excellent stage-manager, an excellent actor, 
 and an excellent fellow and good friend to all who 
 knew him, his place at Cambridge will not be easily 
 filled.^ 
 
 1879 was chiefly remarkable for a good performance 
 by Hon. R. Milnes of Mr. Affable Hawk, in the "Game of 
 Speculation," George Henry Lewis's adaptation of " Mer- 
 cadet," in which Mr. Claude Ponsonby, Mr. S. Chisenhale- 
 Marsh, Hon. " Joe " Lawley — brother of Hon. A. G. Lawley 
 — also distinguished themselves greatly. A fine bit of 
 acting too was Mr. E. D. Beylard's Dufard in the " First 
 Night," which followed. 
 
 Lent term, 1880. The following circular speaks for 
 itself : — "The Lent term, 1880, is the 25th Anniversary of 
 the foundation of the A.D.C. It is proposed to celebrate 
 the occasion by a dinner, at which H.R.H. the Prince of 
 Wales has consented to preside, and it is hoped that all 
 old members will be present. The dinner will take place 
 in the Guildhall, Cambridge, on February 26th, and will 
 be followed by a performance by members of the Club 
 in the A.D.C. Theatre. Applications for tickets, price 
 £1, IS., should be made not later than February 20th 
 to the Secretary, Trinity College." The toast list ran 
 thus : — 
 
 1 The individual who so kindly supplies notes for the next three years was 
 closely connected with affairs from this time forth till the end of l88i, sometimes 
 only acting, but for the greater part in the responsible and stern position of stage- 
 manager, combined later with the more genial one of President. It would be as 
 well, therefore, for readers of this history to take any remarks he makes as to 
 the superexcellence of the acting, management, and presidential urbanity of this 
 period with the usual grain of salt. — Ed. 
 
 F 
 
AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Proposer. 
 
 H.R.H. THE Prince 
 
 OF Wales 
 
 Toast, 
 " The Queen." 
 
 To Respond. 
 
 President of the 
 A.D.C. 
 
 " The Prince and Prin- 
 cess of Wales, and 
 the rest of the Royal 
 f Family." 
 H.R.H. THE Prince 5 " Prosperity to the 
 
 OF Wales I A.D.C." 
 
 Secretary A.D.C. " Old Members." 
 
 Secretary A.D.C. 
 Mr. F. C. Burnand. 
 
 Committee. 
 President, Hon. Ivo Bligh ; Hon. Secretary and Treasurer., Mr. 
 T. K. Tapling ; Stage-Manager, Mr. W. G. Elliot ; and Messrs. 
 
 E. D. Beylard, Claude A. C. Ponsonby, H. Whitfeld, and Hon. 
 R. Leigh. 
 
 The design of the theatre-programme consisted of an 
 
 undergraduate and a girl holding a ring with the A. D. C. 
 
 motto within, and the words " Silver wedding : Founder, 
 
 F. C. Burnand." Cast :— 
 
 "TICKLISH TIMES." 
 
 A Farce by J 
 
 Sir William Ramsay 
 Mr. Bodkins . 
 Lancelot Griggs 
 Jansen . 
 Constables 
 Mrs. Griggs 
 Winifred 
 Dot 
 
 Maddison Morton. 
 
 . Mr. G. Streatfeild. 
 
 Mr. W. G. Elliot. 
 
 Mr. S. Chisenhale-Marsh. 
 
 Mr. T. B. Miller. 
 
 Messrs. H. Calvert and R. Pike. 
 
 . Hon. R. Leigh. 
 
 , Mr. E. P. Tennant. 
 
 . Hon. R. White. 
 
 THE FIRST NIGHT." 
 
 Hon. Bertie Fitzdangle 
 
 Hyacinth Parnassus 
 
 Mr. Vamp 
 
 Mr. Flat . 
 
 Achille Talma Dufard 
 
 Emilie Antoinette Rose 
 
 Miss Arabella Fitzjames 
 
 Call Boy . 
 
 Actors, lie. Messrs. Miller, F. 
 
 Mr. Claude A. C. Ponsonby. 
 Mr. S. Chisenhale-Marsh. 
 . Mr. J. M. Paulton. 
 Mr. W. G. Elliot. 
 . Mr. E. D. Beylard. 
 . Hon. R. Leigh. 
 Mr. G. M.-G.-CULLUM. 
 Mr. W. E. P. Burges. 
 MiLDMAY, Tennant, Manners. 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 83 
 
 The whole passed off very well indeed. H.R.H. the 
 Prince of Wales presided in his usual admirable way, and 
 made some excellent speeches. The same may be said of 
 those delivered by Mr. Burnand, Mr. Tapling, and Hon. 
 Ivo Bligh. Afterwards, to the theatre, where smoking 
 and acting were indulged in to a late hour. The Prince 
 expressed himself well pleased, especially with Messrs. 
 Beylard and T. B. Miller, now a celebrated M.F.H., 
 who scored largely as Jansen, the mysterious smuggler. 
 History relates that Mr. Miller was brought up to be 
 introduced to H.R.H., who was preparing to utter some 
 complimentary words, but was entirely forestalled by Mr. 
 Miller's immediate remark, " Hope your Royal Highness 
 enjoyed the performance ? I saw you laughing ! " After 
 this there was naturally no more to be said. 
 
 Mr. Miller was not only a capital actor, but possessed 
 a rich vein of natural humour in private life. On one 
 occasion, wonderfully made up and arrayed in the simili- 
 tude of a German Baron that eateth sausages, he patrolled 
 Trinity Old Court in the daytime, on the arm of the stern 
 stage manager above alluded to, costumed as his nephew, 
 who pointed out to his uncle the various objects of interest, 
 such as the Chapel, Hall, Master's Lodge, residence of the 
 two Deans, &c., in all of which the Baron took the liveliest 
 interest. The porters at the gate were vastly amused. 
 
 The constitution of the A.D.C. Committee, which con- 
 sisted of eight undergraduate members, had up to this 
 time (1880) been conducted on the principle that the 
 whole internal business, writing, and financial work, in- 
 cluding the collecting and presentation of accounts, fell 
 upon the shoulders of one person, who was at once 
 secretary and treasurer for the time being. This was an 
 excessively bad practice, and the disadvantage obvious. 
 
84 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 It was impossible for a post of this nature, which carried 
 with it all the Club obligations, to be properly adminis- 
 tered when the individual in charge was constantly 
 changing. The result was that accounts were left un- 
 paid ; the work done by one man had suddenly to be 
 taken up by another, who might or might not have any 
 particular aptitude for the post ; and at last came the end 
 — hopeless confusion and embarrassment. There is no 
 doubt that many of the earlier A.D.C. troubles arose from 
 this pernicious system ; i.e. one person having to act both 
 as treasurer and secretary, instead of splitting the posts and 
 making the former a permanent one. Matters reached 
 a climax in the October term 1880. It was then found 
 that the twenty-fifth anniversary dinner, the cost of which 
 had been estimated at £\y is. per head, practically cost 
 X2, 2s. ! What with other debts, the total liabilities were 
 ^420 ! ! Of course a general meeting was called to discuss 
 the situation. The subjoined extracts from the Minutes 
 give the evolution thereof : — 
 
 " The treasurer read out a list of debts, amounting to 
 ^420. He calculated that subscriptions would bring in 
 about ;^2oo. This left ^^220 to be provided. He appealed 
 to the generosity of members who dined at the anniver- 
 sary dinner to pay ^^i as the subscription for this term." 
 
 " The Hon. John Wallop proposed that the price of 
 performance tickets be raised ; but this was felt to be too 
 great a speculation. The treasurer's motion was ultimately 
 carried by two votes." 
 
 " Mr. Wallop then proposed, and Mr. Chisenhale-Marsh 
 seconded, that the office of treasurer and secretary should 
 be no longer held by one member of the Committee, but 
 a permanent treasurer should be appointed, whose con- 
 stant experience in the office would prevent such heavy 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 85 
 
 debts being incurred. After a vain attempt to adjourn 
 the meeting, Mr. Wallop's motion was put and carried by 
 one vote. It was decided to offer the post to Mr. J. W. 
 Clark, M.A., and in case of a refusal, to summon another 
 general meeting. Mr. Clark accepted the post." 
 
 This was indeed a stormy meeting. The Committee, 
 who opposed Mr. Wallop's excellent motion, were beaten, 
 but did not resign. Subsequent events showed that, 
 although they were quite wrong in opposing Mr. Wallop, 
 they were right in still clinging to office. The appoint- 
 ment of Mr. J. W. Clark to the post of permanent trea- 
 surer was one of the best moves the Club ever made, and 
 Mr. Wallop and Mr. Marsh may be heartily thanked by 
 posterity. Mr. Clark, better known as "J," has shown 
 himself to be the best friend the A.D.C. ever had, and his 
 business mind and experience have been invaluable at 
 all their councils. That admirable reciter, Mr. Henry A. 
 Newton, the stage-manager of 1882, never made a happier 
 remark than when he said, some years later, " At the cele- 
 bration of the fiftieth anniversary the principal feature 
 shall be the entrance of ' J ' into the Club-room in a car 
 decked with flowers, and drawn by eight cream-coloured 
 stage-managers." 
 
 In 1880 a weird and awful melodrama by J. R. Planche, 
 entitled "The Day of Reckoning," was acted. It con- 
 sisted of nine acts, the story of the last three being entirely 
 different to that of the first six. This curious state of 
 things was effectively symbolised by Mr. Claude Ponsonby, 
 who appeared in a white shirt with a low collar, long hair, 
 and a moustache, in the first six acts ; and a jerkin of Lin- 
 coln green, short hair and a chin-beard, with no moustache, 
 in the last three. Unfortunately " J " pulled up the cur- 
 tain too soon one night on the final tableau, when Mr. 
 
86 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Ponsonby, having been killed by the stern stage-manager 
 above alluded to, was rearranging himself for another 
 death position in Mr. Streatfeild's arms. This situation 
 saved an exceedingly dull play from the audience's 
 point of view — but the language behind was so awful 
 that "J" and the stage-manager incontinently fled to 
 tell a few beads in a side chapel at Trinity. They were 
 back in time, however, for the next piece that evening, 
 "To Parents and Guardians," which gave great satis- 
 faction. 
 
 The production of the " Day of Reckoning " following 
 after the " Game of Speculation," taken in conjunction 
 with the financial condition of the Club after the twenty- 
 fifth anniversary dinner, gave rise to a happy effort on the 
 part of that facile epigrammatist, Mr. H. A. Newton, which 
 is worthy of mention : — 
 
 "The Day of Reckoning ! 1880, 
 . . . made a feast unto princes." 
 " A Day of Reckoning ! What needs that note of exclamation ! 
 Surely that usually succeeds a Game of Speculation.'' 
 
 It is no use being over modest about the success of 
 the year 1881, a year notable for the very admirable 
 production of the " School for Scandal." In fact, for 
 general completeness, evenness, and finish — the result of 
 long and arduous rehearsals — this play ran the famous 
 " Ticket-of-Leave Man" of 1878 very hard. It was 
 further marked by the first appearance on the A.D.C. 
 boards of Mr. J. R. Manners, without doubt the very best 
 impersonator of female parts ever seen at Cambridge. 
 In appearance, movement, voice, and acting, his perform- 
 ance of Lady Teazle was quite wonderful. The records 
 say that every one was good, some very good ; the scenery 
 
Mk. J. R. Mannp:rs as Lady Teazle in "The 
 School for Scandal." 
 
 From a photograph by Messrs. Hills 6^ Saunders, 
 late of Cambridge. 
 
THE A.D.C, CAMBRIDGE 87 
 
 and mounting were first-rate, and a handsome surplus 
 remained after paying all expenses. This was badly 
 wanted at the time. Subjoined is the cast of this play — 
 a feather in the cap of all those who took part therein. 
 Cast, coached by Mr. Horace Wigan : — 
 
 "THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL." 
 
 Sir Peter Teazle Mr. T. B. Miller. 
 
 Sir Oliver Surface Mr. H. A. Newton. 
 
 Joseph Surface Mr. W. G. Elliot. 
 
 Charles Surface .... Mr. E. M. Lawson-Smith. 
 
 Crabtree Mr. J. E. GORST. 
 
 Sir Benjamin Backbite Mr. C. DES Graz. 
 
 Careless Mr. E. P. Tennant. 
 
 Rowley Mr. C. P. Powney. 
 
 Moses Mr. A. Polhill-Turner. 
 
 Snake Mr. E. J. Gibbons. 
 
 Trip Mr. D. H. Peploe. 
 
 Sir Harry Bumper (with song) . . .Mr. A. T. B. DuNN. 
 
 Sir Toby Mr F. B. Mildmay. 
 
 Servant to Joseph Hon. T. Dundas. 
 
 Servant to Lady Sneerwell . . . Mr. P. H. Martineau. 
 
 j Messrs. G. W. E. Loder, Oakley, 
 ^"^^^^ ' ' • I Farrer, and Hon. D. Tollemache. 
 
 Lady Teazle Mr J. R. Manners. 
 
 Mrs Candour .... Mr. G. Milner-Gibson-Cullum. 
 
 Lady Sneerwell Mr. A. Drake. 
 
 Maria Mr. J. St. Leger. 
 
 In the preceding summer an unpleasant and some- 
 what fatiguing episode marred what is generally known 
 as the " even tenour of our way." It had no reference to 
 any accident, to a chanter of highish songs dwelling in the 
 same street, but concerned the Club page-boy, who was 
 discovered to be an indulger in acts of larceny, embezzle- 
 ment, multiplepoinding — this is a Scotch law term — lese 
 majestc, and the taking up of money at respondentia, besides 
 other minor offences connected with the wrongful acquisi- 
 
88 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 tion of lucre ; in plain English, he had appropriated and 
 converted Club moneys to his own use. When the facts 
 came out, he was haled before the magistrates, i.e. the 
 Committee, consisting of the Genial President and two 
 others, these being the only three left up at the time. He 
 then confessed that he had hidden the money in a field on 
 the road towards Gogmagogs. The President and one 
 other immediately volunteered to accompany the peccant 
 youth to the spot and recover the lost treasure. The day 
 was hot, the hour near lunch-time. The boy walked first, 
 the Committee next. When they had arrived at the out- 
 skirts of Cambridge, having marched about five parasangs 
 — as Xenophon hath it — from the A.D.C., the President 
 felt genially faint. The faithful Committee man bounded 
 into a shop and procured two buns and two glasses of old 
 milk. A mild whisky and soda or two generally accom- 
 panied an A.D.C. lunch, and buns and milk were not much 
 good. After toiling on for about five miles farther — well out 
 into the country — the boy pointed out a plantation in the 
 dim distance. ''There," he said, "lies the ill-gotten hoard." 
 Visions of Alberich snatching the gold from the three 
 Rheintochters in Act I. of the "Rheingold" flashed through 
 the President's mind. On they went, haggard, yet heated. 
 At last they reached the spot. Only one word, " Dig ! " 
 Upon which the boy burst into tears, and said the money 
 was not there at all, but in the A.D.C.'s cupboard ! Both 
 these gentlemen were supposed to be generally good at 
 taking chaff, but for years afterwards it was not safe to 
 mention this episode in their hearing. Once a young and 
 joysome Freshman undertook to do so. A lonely tomb- 
 stone, hard by the Senate House, now marks the spot, 
 known only to academic torturers and their examinee- 
 victims. 
 
THE A.D.C, CAMBRIDGE 89 
 
 The "Critic" was performed in 1882, performed 
 almost in its entirety, and with great success. No modern 
 gags were allowed, and for once Sheridan reigned supreme. 
 The Justice scene — now so seldom given — proved highly 
 acceptable with Mr. J. E. Gorst, now a leading light in 
 Egyptian administration, as the Justice. The late and 
 ever-to-be-lamented Mr. Arthur Cecil Blunt, who was an 
 honorary member of the Club, was busily coaching one 
 day, and was quite overcome when the curtain went up on 
 this episode. He had quite forgotten that it existed. The 
 only scene omitted was that of the Italian Musician. 
 
 It was at this time that the celebrated " silent supper " 
 was held in Mr. Gorst's rooms at Trinity. Many had been 
 bidden, among them the late Lord Houghton and the late 
 Mr. Corney Grain. At the last moment, however, the word 
 went round that in order to keep in good odour with the 
 powers it was absolutely necessary that there should be 
 no noise. Now an A.D.C. supper without noise is like 
 going in to Richardson on a kicking wicket — no fun. 
 The Don who lived above Mr. Gorst's rooms, if not actually 
 the master, was proxime ace, and it was strictly enjoined 
 that he be not disturbed. The supper was just about to 
 be dispensed with, when a brilliant idea struck somebody. 
 Why not have a sotto voce supper ? They held it, and the 
 success was great. The entire entertainment was carried 
 through in whispers, including a comic sketch by Mr. 
 Grain, and a speech made by the same individual in 
 honour of Mr. Gorst's uncle, who was present on the 
 occasion, a gentleman of retiring disposition, given to 
 country pursuits and the art of bibliomancy, which, ac- 
 cording to the dictionary, is " divination performed by 
 selecting passages of Scripture at hazard." Mistaking him 
 for Mr. Gorst's Right Hon. father, Mr. Grain delivered 
 
90 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 an impassioned oration, eulogising his great political 
 services. The party broke up at a late hour, still whis- 
 pering, and next morning the Don, who slept above, 
 remarked that they had evidently dispensed with the 
 supper ! 
 
 In May 1882 the Freemasons having entered into 
 negotiations with Mr. Elin for the purchase of the Club 
 freehold, a plan was submitted by Mr. Clark enabling the 
 A.D.C. to make a proposal to the landlord, i.e. that of 
 purchase. This was to cost ;^35oo, and at the instiga- 
 tion of Mr. Clark, Messrs. Mortlock, the Cambridge 
 bankers, kindly undertook to advance the sum required 
 by way of mortgage on the freehold at four per cent., the 
 Club to do its best to pay off the loan in instalments. 
 Again Mr. Clark's services in connection with the carry- 
 ing through of this transaction was invaluable. In 1890, 
 ^^650 of the principal sum had been paid off, besides the 
 regular payments of interest, and since that date further 
 portions also, so that the debt now stands at about -^2760. 
 This must be taken as an entirely creditable piece of 
 work, as since about 1883 the A.D.C. have had difficulties to 
 contend with which never arose in its earlier stages. The 
 principal of these was the establishment of the regular 
 theatre. Those only who are constantly at Cambridge 
 know what a difference this has made. Whereas, earlier, 
 the A.D.C. annual acting stood alone, there is now the 
 ever-present competition of this regular theatre for public 
 favour ; and had it not been for the fact that those in 
 authority have most kindly permitted the resumption of 
 the May term performances, wherein any profit that may 
 accrue to the Club is generally made, things would have 
 been in a bad way as far as continuance is concerned. 
 The period between 1883 and 1888 was a very trying one 
 
THE A.D.C, CAMBRIDGE 91 
 
 — before modern burlesque was revived — and somehow the 
 Club fell out of public favour. This it seems now to have 
 almost entirely regained ; and if some fairy prince would 
 arise to pay off the mortgage debt remaining of ^2000 
 odd, there would be no fear for the future. It may be 
 hoped that the occasion will produce the men. 
 
 Between 1883 and 1888 there were only two per- 
 formances that need be alluded to at any length. These 
 were the revival of the "Overland Route" in 1884, in 
 which Mr. Montagu James scored largely as Sir Solomon, 
 and Mr. Willie Bridgeman was so fascinating in the garb 
 of an ayah, that he received, one day, a proposal of 
 marriage, sent by a gentleman of dusky hue hailing from 
 Christ's College, who had seen the play on the previous 
 evening and thought he was the real thing. 
 
 In November 1886 they produced "King Henry IV., 
 Part I." The idea of acting Shakespeare had been 
 talked of for years. It was first mooted in Mr. Gardner's 
 time, but until 1886 nothing had been done. It cannot 
 exactly be said that the result was good. A sum of ^90 
 was spent on the scenery, the dresses cost a great deal 
 of money too, great pains were taken too by all concerned, 
 but with the exception of Mr. Macklin as Hotspur, who was 
 very fine, especially in his declamation, the performance was 
 not very satisfactory, Mr, Hannen as Owen Glendower, 
 and Mr. H. A. Newton — who had specially come up — as 
 Falstaff being excepted. The undergraduates stayed away ; 
 some of the Dons came, but not enough. It must be 
 remembered, too, that just about this time there was 
 commencing that upheaval of taste wherein the majority 
 of the London theatre-going public were transferring their 
 patronage from the heavier to the lighter forms of enter- 
 tainment. This was being felt at Cambridge, and it was a 
 
92 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 bad time to try any play of this nature. It was no one's 
 fault, but the choice was very unfortunate. 
 
 In May 1888, alterations were declared necessary by 
 the local authorities to provide increased facilities for exit 
 in case of fire, and it was thought advisable to make a 
 further outlay in general improvements — i.e. to redecorate 
 and reseat the theatre, make a second exit, and remove 
 the gallery. An appeal to old members was decided 
 upon, and eventually the above alterations were carried 
 out to the great general improvement. 
 
 Although " Medea ; or, The Golden Fleece," a classical 
 burlesque, was acted two years earlier, it was not till 
 June 1888 when the first of a series of musical pieces, 
 the " Sphinx," was produced, that the silver lining began 
 to appear in the clouds. The inauguration of these rather 
 go-as-you-please entertainments proved much more to the 
 taste of modern audiences than the older fashioned style 
 of play which had hitherto been the staple source of 
 supply. They were only just in time. Although there 
 were still many adverse factors, the turning point was 
 at length reached. The " Sphinx " brought in a profit. 
 The Hon. Walter Campbell kindly stage-managed the 
 performance, wrote the piece up to date, as also the 
 songs ; Messrs. W. H. Leese — now a rising barrister — 
 Langworthy, and Hon. G. Willoughby — now Lord 
 Willoughby d'Eresby, M.P. for Horncastle — were the 
 heroes of the occasion, or rather the two heroes and 
 heroine, for Mr. Langworthy was Jocasta, the heroine. 
 There was a particular song, the words of which Mr. 
 Langworthy never could remember, so as an aid to 
 memory a large sheet of cardboard with the words 
 thereon, stuck upon an elongated toasting - fork, was 
 pushed on to the stage close to him, with the desired effect. 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 93 
 
 Some of the dialogue in this skit on the classics is 
 worth quoting. 
 
 The Sphinx is dragging Jocasta off to his den to eat her. 
 
 Sph., as he drags her off— 
 
 And though this morsel may my dinner spoil, 
 After Jocasta comes Jo-castor-oil. 
 
 The good work was carried on. In June 1889 another 
 marked success was made with a musical piece called 
 " Nydia ; or, The Very Last Days of Pompeii," by Mr. 
 Leese, Mr. Willoughby, and Mr. Langworthy, which con- 
 tained the following : — 
 
 Apoecides asks Arbaces what his name really is, as 
 every one pronounces it differently. 
 
 Apoec. False quantity is not a thing for sport, 
 
 You've had me long, don't take me up so short. 
 Arb. Shut up, Apcecldes. 
 
 Apivc. Short, he can't be wrong. 
 
 Arb. Shut up, Apoecides. 
 Aposc. Sold, I'm long ! 
 
 Dr. Jackson, the celebrated classical tutor, was so 
 delighted with this joke, that he came night after night to 
 hear it. Mr. Willoughby, too, had a weird song, which 
 ran thus : — 
 
 " Pretty poUy, politechnico, pantechnicon, 
 Kitty katty, kata-leptico kamtulicon, 
 Huper Hipper, Hyper-critico Criterion, 
 Hagravating vaga vagabond Agamemnon." 
 
 It must be remembered that at this time the authorities 
 had forbidden burlesque qua burlesque to be acted, this 
 although the requisite permission was soon after kindly 
 given. It was due, therefore, in a great measure to Mr. 
 Willoughby, who was stage-manager at the time, that the 
 
94 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 " Sphinx " was played. He was face to face with the 
 problem of how to save the A.D.C. by acting a musical 
 piece without calling it a burlesque. It was a happy idea 
 to hit on a subject like the " Sphinx," which, being a skit 
 on the " CEdipus," was at once allowed. Mr. Willoughby 
 and Mr. Leese steered the Club through a very critical 
 period in its career, and steered successfully. 
 
 In May 1889 the " Wedding March " was played. Lord 
 Chelsea, Mr. Victor Cavendish, and the Hon. E. Fielding 
 were very good, and Mr. Gilbert Hare scored largely as 
 Woodpecker Tapping. In May 1890, Mr. Leese at the 
 head of affairs, the burlesque of " Der Freischutz " was 
 given. Another big go and very full houses, drawn no 
 doubt by the following remark : — ■ 
 
 Zatniel. We've a dramatic club too. 
 
 Caspar, alarmed. Goodness me ! 
 
 What, down in Hades ? 
 Zamiel. Yes, the Ha-des C — . 
 
 Lent 1 89 1 was notable for a very admirable revival of 
 the " Overland Route," which has been now acted four 
 times at the A.D.C. This was the first appearance of Mr. 
 H. R. Bromley-Davenport, the celebrated cricketer, who 
 comes of a family of excellent cricketers, actors and 
 actresses. He was quite one of the best men the A.D.C. 
 have produced of late years, resembling in many ways 
 Mr. J. W. Lowther in his knowledge of technique. He 
 was at the head of affairs for some time at Cambridge. 
 Not a part was badly acted in this production, Mr. Daven- 
 port, Mr. E. Grenfell, and Mr. Forster being particularly 
 good ; while it was difficult to say which were the cleverer, 
 Mr. A. M. Balfour as Mrs. Sebright, or Mr. H. C. Norman 
 as Mrs. Lovibond. Mr. Willie Bridgeman was rather 
 missed. Cast : — 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 
 
 95 
 
 THE OVERLAND ROUTE." 
 
 Sir Solomon Fraser 
 Mr. Colepepper 
 Major M'Turk 
 Captain Clavering 
 Mr. Lovibond 
 Tom Dexter . 
 Moleskin 
 Limpet . 
 Khitmagar 
 Captain Smart 
 Hardisty 
 Tottle . 
 Captain Sebright 
 Mrs. Sebright 
 Mrs. Lovibond 
 Miss Colepepper 
 Miss Grimwood 
 
 . Mr. M. F. Maclean. 
 
 Mr. H. R. BRO^[LEY-DAVENPORT. 
 
 Mr. H. A. Trotter. 
 
 Mr. E. C. Grenfell. 
 
 Mr. K. Sharratt. 
 
 . Mr. A. FORSTER. 
 
 . Mr. F. Meiggs. 
 
 Mr. W. H. Theobald. 
 
 Hon. G. Saville. 
 
 Mr. J. Llewellyn. 
 
 . Mr. W. Noble. 
 
 . Mr. C. H. Ellis. 
 
 Mr. X. Noble. 
 
 Mr. A. M. Balfour. 
 
 Mr. H. C. Norman. 
 
 Mr. G. Heseltine. 
 
 Mr. F. W. Stephenson. 
 
 Mr. Owen Hugh Smith, the genial Secretary of the 
 time, shines all through this period as an admirable record- 
 keeper and man of business, a reputation he has well 
 maintained in after life. 
 
 In the May term 1891 the Committee took to giving 
 suppers instead of the usual Sunday lunches, whence sprung 
 a new rule, " Every one must sing, whether gifted with 
 a voice or not." The result of this stringent regulation 
 was in some cases pleasing, but in others caused a good 
 deal of loss to farmers in the vicinity, owing to the 
 sudden death of many of the ancient mothers of their 
 calves. 
 
 The burlesque this term was " Ivanhoe a la Carte," 
 which was especially aided by the introduction therein 
 of a parody on the " Death of Nelson," written by the 
 late Mr. J. K. Stephen, one whose early death will always 
 be lamented. This sons was sung with immense success 
 
96 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 by Mr. Forster, and is reprinted without the kind permis- 
 sion of the editor of the Granfa. 
 
 Recitative. 
 
 Surrounded by a melancholy crowd, 
 
 See Granta mourns the prematurely ploughed, 
 
 Nor lays the fatal instrument aside 
 
 With which her agricultural trade is plied. 
 
 'Twas in the month of June, one blazing afternoon, 
 
 Hard by the King's Parade, 
 The sad examinees, in mournful two's and three's, 
 
 Crept in, morose, dismayed. 
 The cold Invigilator's eye detects the succour lying nigh. 
 
 And quenches all suggestion, {bis) 
 The stony-hearted order ran, " Cambridge expects that every man 
 
 Will answer every question." {bis) 
 
 And now the questions boom ; along the affrighted room 
 
 Each pen is dropped in ink. 
 One man attempts them all, and, hearing duty's call. 
 
 He quite declines to shrink. 
 He scribbled on with frenzied pen. 
 
 Receiving no suggestion, {bis) 
 From sheet to sheet his answer ran, — oh let us not forget the man 
 
 Who tried at every question, {bis) 
 
 The last, last question, a dark and fatal one, 
 
 Our Hero's pen, our Hero's pen essayed. 
 
 " I'm done at last," he cried ; "the Lord is on their side, 
 
 I'm ruined and betrayed ; 
 For honours I have vainly tried, a ' Poll' must satisfy my pride. 
 
 My friends gave no suggestion." {bis) 
 
 They ploughed that miserable man, 
 But owned that it had been his plan 
 
 To try at every question, {bis) 
 
 Mr. J. W. Clark was this year appointed Registrar of 
 the University, a post he has since continued to fill with 
 grace and dignity. Congratulations from all. 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 97 
 
 In 1893 Mr. R. L. Thornton, who had gone down in 
 1887, kindly came up to play Bob Brierly in the "Ticket- 
 of-Leave Man," now revived, and seems to have been very 
 good in the part. The Graiita, in its critique on the per- 
 formance, remarks on the old-fashioned style of the play. 
 " The good people are very good ; the bad, never anything 
 but bad." Now this is a sort of criticism that would never 
 have been dreamed of in the sixties and seventies. Audi- 
 ences and critics in those days were not in the habit of 
 going into these questions. Nevertheless the Granta's 
 remark is perfectly true. In older fashioned melodramas, 
 of which the " Ticket-of- Leave Man " is a very admirable 
 specimen, the good people are always quite perfect, and 
 the villains unutterably black. The heroine too, as a rule, 
 is so frightfully good, that in real life she would bore the 
 hero to distraction. In construction and characterisation 
 there is no better melodrama. Still, a careful inquiry 
 into what the present day A.D.C. audiences like and what 
 they do not like, seems to show that while they are pre- 
 pared for any amount of frivolity and irresponsibility in 
 musical pieces, they are not very keen about the older 
 styles of play that used to be popular then. They demand 
 greater vraiseniblance than these pieces afford. The diffi- 
 culty of choosing plays, therefore, becomes greater every 
 year, especially as certain subjects with which the more 
 modern drama deals are of necessity tabooed at Cam- 
 bridge. The future of the Club seems rather to lie in the 
 direction of burlesque and musical comedy in the May 
 term, and triple bills and revivals of old English comedy at 
 other times. 
 
 In the summer of 1893 they held a ball in the May 
 week for the first time in history ; one hundred and eighty 
 were present ; dancing in the auditorium, the stage 
 
 G 
 
98 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 arranged for sitting out, and supper in the green-room. 
 During the progress of the festivities the electric Hght 
 suddenly went out, but the inevitable Whiteley saved the 
 situation, by appearing suddenly through a trap-door to 
 the sound of a gong, and laden with lighted candles. The 
 rooms were what local journals always call " tastefully 
 decorated." This year the subscription was lowered to 
 -fi, IDS., and a large number of new members were 
 elected. 
 
 During the bad times, i.e. 1887, an attempt was made 
 to revive interest in the Club by means of Smoking Con- 
 certs. They were highly successful for some time ; and it 
 is interesting to notice that, by reference to a programme 
 of one held in 1894, there appear items by Chopin, Mande 
 White, Popper, Tosti, Godard, Ries, Liszt, and Schumann. 
 The University is evidently improving ! The programme 
 of the first "smoker" ever held in 1887, on the other 
 hand, does not contain one good song. This was pointed 
 out to the then manager of the concert. He was highly 
 indignant, thinking that the complainant could not know 
 much about the subject. This he subsequently emphasised 
 by pointing to one ditty in the list with a triumphant 
 gesture. It was " White Wings " ! 
 
 In the Lent term of 1894 the triple bill of "Trying it 
 On," "The Duchess of Bayswater," and "To Parents and 
 Guardians," actually shows a profit, the first for some 
 years, out of the May term. Ever since the revival of 
 burlesque, those in authority had always looked to May 
 acting to recoup them for the losses sustained at other 
 times. A hopeful sign for the future. 
 
 In June 1894 money was again made, as much as 
 r300 gross being taken. The draw on this occasion 
 was a new and original burlesque, entitled " Jupiter 
 
Mr. R. a. Austen Leigh as the Bedmaker in "Jupiter, LL.D." 
 
 From a photograph by Messrs. Steam, Cambridge. 
 
THE A.D.C, CAMBRIDGE 99 
 
 LL.D.," written by Mr. R. C. Lehmann, the well-known 
 oarsman and coach, with music by Mr. T. Tertius Noble, 
 the organist of Ely Cathedral. This was indeed a very 
 capital production. Mr. Lehmann shone in his lyrics 
 and Mr. Noble in his music, the only fault of which 
 was that the treatment was a little too elaborate for 
 the subject, although extremely clever and musicianly ; 
 while Mr. Lehmann's lyrics were so good that his dia- 
 logue suffered a little in comparison. But the idea was 
 excellent and original ; — the notion of a young under- 
 graduate suddenly planted among the gods and goddesses 
 of Olympus ; the Vice-Chancellor beset by a college of 
 ladies ; and a scene in the Old Court of Trinity. The 
 house was crowded at every performance. Mr. " Venus " 
 Martineau, as the Gay Undergraduate, danced quite admir- 
 ably, and his acting was what country newspapers style 
 as " most pleasing, and of great acceptance." Mr. W. 
 Burns, Mr. d'Hauteville, and the Hon. F. W. Egerton, 
 too, were quite in their best form. But the triumph of 
 the performance was the song and dance of the " bed- 
 makers " in Act III., in which Mr. A. L, Harrison was very 
 good, and Mr. R. A. Austen-Leigh was quite splendid. 
 His performance of a decrepit bed-maker was one of the 
 best and most artistic bits of impersonation ever seen on 
 the A.D.C. boards. Through the great kindness of the 
 Vice-Chancellor, the usual number of nights was exceeded. 
 Michaelmas 1894. Grand reappearance of the Tutors, 
 who had been most gentle and — if such a word may be 
 used — lanthanistic for a decade or so. They laid down 
 the following new rules : — 
 
 1. Suppers to be discouraged. 
 
 2. Every one to undertake to be in College by 12 p.m. 
 
 3. Those who still hankered after suppers to obtain 
 
loo AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 leave from the Vice-Chancellor, as well as the Senior 
 Proctor, such leave to be given for one night only, and in 
 no case on Saturdays. 
 
 4. The Club to do its best to perform, as far as 
 possible, works of literary excellence and acknowledged 
 merit. 
 
 5. No date to clash with Examinations. 
 
 A characteristic effusion from the pen of the late ]Mr. 
 Corney Grain is worth noticing here, in answer to a 
 request from Mr. Martineau that he would come up and 
 assist at a " smoker " : — 
 
 '' Dear Venus, who lives in the Lane, 
 'Tis with feehngs of grief and of pain 
 That I write to say ' No,' I'm engaged as a ' Pro,' 
 On the 2nd — Yours, R. Corney Grain." 
 
 No one was kinder than Mr. Grain in helping these concerts 
 with his presence and songs whenever he was enabled to 
 get away. 
 
 The Minutes state that in March 1895 the Club was 
 considered in a good condition. 
 
 In the same month the " Rivals " was acted for the first 
 time for many years, and with very great success ; indeed 
 the success was so marked, that it was decided to dispense 
 with the burlesque and act it in the May following, when a 
 very handsome profit was made, viz., ;^i30 net. This 
 revival and " Jupiter LL.D." have been the two big 
 financial draws which the Club have made lately ; and it 
 is doubtful if, even at the time when things were much 
 easier than they are now, any larger profit has been made. 
 Probably the " Ticket-of-Leave Man " and the " School 
 for Scandal" come nearest. It is indeed cheering to see 
 Sheridan so appreciated there. Mr. Burnand spoke most 
 
THE A.D.C, CAMBRIDGE 
 
 lOI 
 
 highly of the acting in Punch, and in a thoroughly 
 admirable cast Mr. Austen-Leigh as Mrs. Malaprop, and 
 Mr. A. W. Watson as Captain Absolute, were pre-eminent. 
 Mr. Geikie, too, was very good. Cast : — 
 
 THE RIVALS." 
 
 Sir Anthony Absolute 
 
 Captain Absolute 
 
 Falkland 
 
 Bob Acres 
 
 Sir Lucius O'Trigger 
 
 Fag . 
 
 David 
 
 Coachman 
 
 Servant . 
 
 Mrs. Malaprop 
 
 Lydia Languish 
 
 Julia 
 
 Lucy 
 
 Maid 
 
 Mr, 
 Mr, 
 
 Mr. R. Geikie. 
 
 Mr. A. W. Watson. 
 
 Mr. A. L. Harrison. 
 
 Mr. R. Balfour. 
 
 Mr. J. J. Murphy. 
 
 Mr. E. Talbot. 
 
 Mr. E. M, Clark. 
 
 Mr. A. H. Finch. 
 
 Mr. J. S. Cavendish. 
 
 R. A. Austen-Leigh. 
 
 F. G. d'Hauteville. 
 
 Mr. A. R. J ELF. 
 
 Hon. O. Bridgeman. 
 
 Mr. C. E. Agar. 
 
 There was an extraordinary epidemic of illness in 
 connection with this revival. Three days before the 
 date of commencement Mr. P. d'Hauteville took the 
 influenza and retired gracefully. He was succeeded in 
 his part at this short notice by Mr. E. Talbot, who was 
 not acting up to that time. On the morning of the dress 
 rehearsal Mr. Pike went down with the same complaint, 
 and on the morning of the last performance Mr. F. 
 d'Hauteville "was took," and then down went Mr. Jelf ! 
 But somehow all the parts were filled, and on the other 
 occasion this year that the play was given there was no 
 fatalities. 
 
 It is indeed pleasant to chronicle two big successes 
 two years running. The " Lyons Mail " — Mr. J. W. 
 Clark's version — was revived in 1896, and was quite 
 
I02 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 excellently done. The acting was very even indeed all 
 round, besides being in some cases very good. The best 
 performance of all was Mr. R. Balfour's Joliquet. It will 
 be remembered that this version of the " Courier de Lyons " 
 is so arranged that Joliquet, Jerome Lesurques' servant, 
 becomes practically the principal part. Mr. Clark arranged 
 it thus for Mr. Herbert Gardner. Mr. Balfour, who is the 
 youngest of a very talented family, showed remarkable 
 qualifications on this occasion. His elder brother was 
 the Mrs. Sebright in the "Overland Route" of 1891, and 
 the junior member has well kept up the family reputation. 
 It is much to be regretted that another highly-gifted 
 brother, Mr. A. E. Balfour, who was at Cambridge a little 
 earlier, never appeared on the A.D.C. boards. Judging by 
 this gentleman's later successes in impromptu romantic 
 opera and in representations of early biblical heroes, there 
 is no doubt that with the aid of the usual rehearsals he 
 would have developed into a histrion of striking force. 
 
 A funny incident occurred during the representation 
 of the " Lyons Mail." In the last act, Mr. Balfour as 
 Johquet had to be shot by Mr. Watson as Dubosc. When 
 the moment came the pistol failed to go off. There was a 
 ghastly pause — seemingly of hours — during which the two 
 stood glaring at each other, not knowing what to do, when 
 suddenly the well-known voice of Clarkson was heard at 
 the wings — " Mr. Balfour ! say you're stabbed ! " 
 
 In an earlier act, too, when Joliquet was concealed in 
 a cellar below the stage, the cue came for him to reappear. 
 Not a sign. Every one who was acting imagined he had 
 gone to sleep, whereas, in fact, he was so carried away by 
 his imagination that he was mentally evolving a dramatic 
 picture of the play below ground, and never heard the cue. 
 At last he was brought to himself by hearing the following 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 
 
 103 
 
 words over his head spoken by Mr. E. M. Clark : " Johquet, 
 
 Johquet ; d n you, Reggie, come up ! " 
 
 In the excellent cast now given, it should be mentioned 
 that Messrs. Geikie, Watson, and Talbot were all particu- 
 larly good. Cast : — 
 
 THE LYONS MAIL." 
 
 Dubosc I 
 
 Lesurques ) 
 
 Jerome Lesurques 
 
 Dorval 
 
 Joliquet . 
 
 Choppard 
 
 Fooinard 
 
 Couriol 
 
 Didier 
 
 Mr 
 
 Mr 
 
 Mr. A. W. Watson. 
 
 . Mr. R. Geikie. 
 
 F. G. d'Hauteville. 
 
 Mr. R. Balfour. 
 
 Mr. W. Pike. 
 
 P. G. d'Hauteville. 
 
 Mr. E. M. Clark. 
 
 Mr. E. Talbot. 
 
 In June 1896 the "Commission" and the "Romantic 
 Idea " were played ; and in November of the same year a 
 triple bill, " The First Night," " Our Bitterest Foe," and 
 " A Nice Firm." 
 
 Next year, June 1897, a very interesting revival of 
 Lord Lytton's play, " Money," all the more interesting as 
 the dramatist's grandson acted the leading part, Alfred 
 Evelyn. All accounts go to show that the present Lord 
 Lytton was quite first-rate. He seems to have in him all 
 the serio-romantic, Byronic, sarcastic qualities which are 
 absolutely necessary to carry the character. The part 
 requires not only these gifts, but also those of nerve and 
 firmness ; it must be " held," as it were, all through, for 
 Evelyn is not a very sympathetic person in these days. 
 Besides this, Lord Lytton did as any good artist does — 
 he took an immense amount of pains over his whole 
 presentation. Mr. J. B. Dyne as Lady Franklin ; Mr. 
 Edward Clark, son of Mr. J. W. Clark, as Sir Frederick 
 
I04 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Blount ; Mr. St. John Wayne as Graves ; and the Hon. 
 R, E. C. Guinness of Diamond Sculls fame as the Old 
 Member, were all excellent. Again a profit was declared. 
 
 The May term 1898 saw the production of the 
 " Ballad Monger," which Mr. Beerbohm Tree was kind 
 enough to allow — a special permission on his part to 
 Mr. J. VV. Clark, as the piece has never been acted in 
 England except by Mr. Tree himself. From all accounts 
 the performance was well up to the average, while Lord 
 Lytton's Louis XI. and Mr. R. Balfour's Gringoire were 
 certainly very good. The play was followed by Planche's 
 " Medea ; or. The Golden Fleece " for the second time 
 within ten years, with new songs by Messrs. E. C. Kellett 
 and R, C. Lehmann, and new music by Mr. T. Tertius 
 Noble and Mr. J. St. A. Johnson. The burlesque went as 
 well as ever, special successes being made by Messrs. R. 
 C. Herz and G. F. S. Bowles, who delighted every one. 
 The theatre was full nightly, and once more, to the 
 general gratification, there was a good surplus left after 
 paying expenses. Then, according to the Minutes, " the 
 Committee retired for a well-earned rest," an example 
 shortly to be followed by the inditer of this history. 
 
 This completes the records of the A.D.C. up to the 
 present date. Looking ahead, it is interesting to note 
 that in February 1905 the Club will hold its fiftieth 
 anniversary ; one which will no doubt be worthy of the 
 occasion, for it will certainly be an occasion. That a 
 society of young men banded together in the year 1855 
 to do a little quiet acting in rooms should have developed 
 as it has is very remarkable, none the less so when the 
 fact is considered that these young men are never together 
 for long. A strong nucleus cannot practically be kept 
 together for more than two successive years. When it is 
 
THE A.D.C., CAMBRIDGE 105 
 
 clearly understood, too, that the A.D.C. is pre-eminently a 
 social club, that is to say, that the fact of a man being 
 known as a good actor is not of itself sufficient to gain him 
 admittance, it will be seen that the difficulty of constantly 
 recruiting people of talent who are also gifted with social 
 qualities is a somewhat formidable one. But the fact 
 remains that with very few exceptions in this respect the 
 A.D.C. has ever since its foundation adhered to this policy, 
 and has also been enabled to carry it out successfully. 
 The acting nowadays is quite as good as it ever was. In 
 every society of this nature that bears the mark of years 
 on its brow, there must of necessity be strong and weak 
 periods, but old members will be happy to hear that the 
 future of the Club seems quite safe in this respect. 
 
 That Cambridge in its amateur performances reflects 
 the tone and taste of the day has been alluded to earlier. 
 There is no harm in saying that the go-as-you-please 
 burlesque of 1898 is as different to the burlesque of Mr. 
 Burnand's time as modern comedy is from old-fashioned 
 melodrama, and old burlesque and old melodrama are out 
 of fashion. The conditions of the day too, wherein the 
 existence of the regular theatre plays such an important 
 part, have evolved this fact, that burlesque will always 
 pay during the May week, and occasionally old comedy 
 too, while it is difficult to know what to act at other times. 
 The answer seems to be — based on the experience of the 
 last two or three years — that triple bills of one-act plays, 
 well rehearsed and acted, but inexpensively mounted and 
 dressed, and an occasional expedition into old comedy, 
 are the best sort of pieces for the October or Lent terms. 
 It is gratifying to know that a further instalment of the 
 loan above referred to has been paid off lately. That it 
 may one day be paid off in its entirety is the desire of all 
 
io6 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 who take an interest in the Club's welfare. There are 
 many such, as well there may be. Acting in after life, 
 whether undertaken as a business or a pleasure, is seldom 
 quite the same as it was at Cambridge. Jealousy is there 
 reduced to a minimum, self-advertisement is an unknown 
 quantity, good feeling is conspicuous by its presence. The 
 fact too that although there is plenty of hard work and 
 rehearsal the whole thing is not taken too seriously by 
 those engaged therein, is a blessing for which it is necessary 
 to give much thanks. That the A.D.C. may long continue 
 to flourish on these lines is the fervent desire of all her 
 sons. 
 
VI 
 
 THE AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 AND 
 
 THE AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF 1881 
 
 By W. YARDLEY. 
 
 "The Forty Thieves" 
 
 Played at the Gaiety Theatre, London, on the after- 
 noons of Wednesday, 13th February, and Wednesday, 
 loth April, and at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, on the 
 evening of Saturday, 9th March 1878. 
 
 PROGRAMME 
 
 GAIETY THEATRE, STRAND. 
 Sole Lessee and Manager . . Mr. John HOLLINGSHEAD. 
 
 V^EDNESDAY AFTERNOON, I3TH FEBRUARY 1 878. 
 
 Open at 2. Begin at 2.30. Carriages at 5.15. 
 
 344TH Matinee. 
 For the Benefit of a Theatrical Charity. 
 
 THE FORTY THIEVES. 
 
 PANTOMIME BURLESQUE 
 
 WRITTEN BY 
 
 Messrs. R. Reece, W. S. Gilbert, F. C. Burnand, and 
 
 Henry J. Byron, 
 
 And performed (excepting the ladies) by Amateurs. 
 
 Produced under the direction of John Hollingshead. 
 
 Stage Manager Mr. R. Soutar. 
 
 Pantomimic Instruct nr Mr. J. d'Auban. 
 
 Musical Director Herr Meyer Lutz. 
 
 X07 
 
io8 
 
 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 CHARACTERS. 
 Ali Baba . . . {A Wood-cutter) .... Captain GOOCH. 
 
 Ganem {His Son) .... -Mr. W. F. QuiNTlN. 
 
 Cassim {His Brother) . . Mr. ALGERNON Bastard. 
 
 Hassarac . {Captain of the Forty Thieves) . Mr. Jos. Maclean. 
 
 ( Miss Helen Barry. 
 
 Abdallah . 
 Mesrour 
 Benridden . 
 Mustapha , 
 Saad . . . 
 Beder . . 
 Nouredin 
 Assad . , 
 The Trumpeter 
 
 {His Lieutenant) 
 
 \ 
 
 Gentlemen of 
 " The Forty:' 
 > ( The Deserv- 
 ing Hanging 
 Committee ^j 
 
 I 
 
 • • \ (Mrs. A. Rolls.) 
 
 f Mr. F. H. M'Calmont. 
 
 Mr. W. " Wye." 
 
 Mr. Leslie Ward. 
 
 Mr. Gilbert Farquhar. 
 
 Hon. F. Parker. 
 
 Mr. W. HiGGINS. 
 
 Major Rolls. 
 Mr. A. Stuart-Wortley. 
 
 The remainder of the Forty Thieves represented by Messrs. E. 
 Darrell, W. Wye, J. Westropp, J. Gumming, C. Ringrose, C. Daly, 
 Hugh Drummond, J. Graham, Cecil Chapman, A. B. Cook, Benson, and 
 Amphlett, and Hon. C. Vivian, &c. ; also twenty young ladies who have 
 kindly given their services by permission of the Manager and Directors 
 of The Alhambra. 
 
 Morgiana 
 
 Cogia . 
 
 The Good Fairy 
 
 Miss Lydia Thompson. 
 Miss Eleanor Bufton. 
 Miss Lucy Buckstone. 
 
 Scene i.— "Exterior of Ali Baba's House," written by Mr. R. Reece. 
 
 Scene 2.— "The Wood," written by Mr. W. S. Gilbert. 
 
 Scene 3. — "Interior of Ali Baba's House," written by Mr. F. C. 
 
 Burnand. 
 Scene 4.— "The Cave," written by Mr. Henry J. Byron. 
 
 THE TRANSFORMATION. 
 
 
 CHARACTERS IN THE HARLEQUINADE. 
 
 Clown 
 
 Mr. W. "Wye." 
 
 Butcher 
 
 Hon. F. Parker. 
 
 Harlequin 
 
 Mr. W. S. Gilbert. 
 
 Butcher's Boy 
 
 . Mr. C. Daly. 
 
 Pantaloon 
 
 Mr. T. Knox Holmes. 
 
 Baker 
 
 . Mr. L. Ward. 
 
 Policeman 
 
 Captain H. E. Coi.viLE. 
 
 Sweep 
 
 Mr. W. Higgins. 
 
 Swell 
 
 Lord DE Clifford. 
 
 Waiter 
 
 -Mr. J. Westropp. 
 
 Artist . 
 
 . Mr. Leslie Ward. 
 
 Ung Mossoo 
 
 Mr. A. Bastard. 
 
 Tailor 
 
 Mr. W. F. Quintin. 
 
 A Gent 
 
 Mr. A. B. Cook. 
 
 Bricklayer 
 
 Mr. J. Graham. 
 
 Columbine . 
 
 . Mdlle. Rosa. 
 
 Bullerman 
 
 Mr. C. Ringrose. 
 
 Old Woman M 
 
 •. F. H. M'Calmont. 
 
 Scene i.— "A Quiet Street." 
 
 Scene 2. — "An Equally Quiet Bedroom." 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 109 
 
 It was at the merry little Beefsteak Club, then located 
 at 24 King William Street, Strand, that the idea of an 
 Amateur Pantomime originated in the year 1878. Whether 
 it was that the resuscitation of the Beefsteak Club — which 
 had passed into a trance for many years, to be brought to 
 life again by Archibald Stuart-Wortley, the late Corney 
 Grain, " Billy " Morris, the late lamented Montagu Wil- 
 liams, Augustus Spalding, and half a score other good 
 fellows in the year 1876 — suggested the notion of a revival 
 of Amateur Pantomime, which had been produced with 
 marked success exactly a quarter of a century previously, 
 or whether it was the outcome of the general exuberance 
 of high spirits that possessed us all in those " happy, those 
 halcyon days," I cannot undertake to aver. The notion 
 was no sooner conceived than we set to work to carry it 
 out ; and to carry out any such undertaking meant doing 
 so absolutely and thoroughly, and with no such word as 
 " failure " in our dictionary — if making a business of a 
 pleasure could by any possibility eliminate such a word 
 from the English language. 
 
 What was the first thing to do ? What we did was 
 to resolve ourselves into an utterly informal committee, in 
 which it was unanimously resolved to approach the only 
 man in the theatrical world who was by any possibility 
 the right individual to assist us in our ambitious project. 
 
 That man was John Hollingshead, who was at that 
 period controlling the destinies of the Gaiety Theatre with 
 such marked success. 
 
 " Practical John," by which name he was then known, 
 and for the matter of that is still known,|was " one of us." 
 He was a member of the Club, and he was as youthful 
 in his enthusiasm as any of us to bring the venture to a 
 successful issue, despite the fact that he had played the 
 
no AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 role of Pantaloon in the Amateur Pantomime a quarter of 
 a century before, though that circumstance did not make 
 him out to be more than middle-aged. To him in those 
 days the term " difficulty " had apparently no intelli- 
 gibility ; and yet to us, as may be easily imagined, when 
 " we got down to hard pan," the difficulties appeared 
 insuperable. 
 
 " Practical John " laughed them to scorn, and by his 
 nonchalant method of treating a trifling little matter, such 
 as a set of raw amateurs daring to challenge comparison 
 with skilled professionals in what is rightly or wrongly 
 considered to be one of the most difficult forms of histri- 
 onism, almost persuaded us to view the matter through his 
 own pince-nez. 
 
 I say almost advisedly, for had we not been possessed 
 of, and acted upon, a basis of fairly commendable modesty 
 (for amateurs), we should probably have achieved a fiasco 
 as complete in its way as our success proved most happily 
 to be. 
 
 This, for one of the moving spirits in the enterprise, 
 may seem to be a somewhat vainglorious assertion, but 
 what I am attempting to do is to write history — of a sort 
 — and not to offer apologies. 
 
 I could quote chapter and verse galore in proof of the 
 venture having proved a success far beyond our fondest 
 anticipations, by inserting in this article the press criticisms 
 that followed our efforts; but newspaper notices (especially 
 of amateur performances) are, I am confident, of so little 
 interest, except to those who form atomic portions of the 
 integral, that I leave it to those who may have their 
 curiosity sufficiently aroused on the subject to refer to the 
 back files of the journals of twenty years ago to satisfy 
 that curiosity. 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 in 
 
 But to return to our muttons — or rather to our Beef- 
 steaks — we went to work under the genial guidance of 
 " Practical John " to secure the very best available amateur 
 male talent, for we dared not venture upon any attempt at 
 persuading amateur ladies to participate in our crime. 
 
 In those days the lady amateur was either too high- 
 class for such truck as Pantomime, or too diffident. 
 
 The best-known lady amateurs of that period, I may 
 state (passim), have become more or less successful pro- 
 fessionals subsequently for comparatively brief careers, and 
 in lines very far removed from Pantomime. 
 
 In Lydia Thompson, Eleanor Bufton, Helen Barry, 
 Lucy Buckstone, and Mademoiselle Rosa, who one and 
 all not only entered with alacrity and whole-heartedness 
 into the spirit of the undertaking, we secured about as 
 good a quintette of professional talent for our purpose as 
 was available at that time. 
 
 To them, judging from the way they set to work from 
 the word " go," the experience was a huge delight. They 
 were not only of inestimable value as artistes (hateful 
 term, but the only one available), but by their unflagging 
 devotion to the cause in which they enlisted, their cheeri- 
 ness, cheerfulness, and tactful assistance in the way of 
 unobtrusive hints and painstaking work, amounting prac- 
 tically to downright drudgery, in instilling into the male 
 intelligence the "business" of the real stage, they were 
 indubitably enormous factors in the general success that 
 eventuated. 
 
 We also felt that an entertainment of the magnitude 
 of a "Pantomime Burlesque" — for that is the term by 
 which we compromised our ambitious project — would need 
 a bit of brightening in the way of the female form divine 
 in our " crowd " ; and as " Practical John " preferred that 
 
112 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 no one connected with the Gaiety Theatre, which was of 
 course the one and only theatre at which such a perform- 
 ance could have been given, should take part, he promptly 
 solved the vexed question from what source we were to 
 seek fair volunteers to assist us, by going to the Manager 
 and Directors of the Alhambra, and obtaining their con- 
 sent for the appearance of twenty young ladies of the 
 chorus of that establishment — where they at that time 
 employed chorus as well as ballet — to form the attractive 
 half of the immortal " Forty." 
 
 A very charming contingent of young ladies they were 
 too, both in appearance and in the esprit de corps they 
 displayed, by the loyalty and devotion with which they 
 attended rehearsals with the most praiseworthy regularity, 
 and the strict attention they paid to business. It must 
 be remembered that they were all volunteers, and beyond, 
 I presume, actual expenses out of pocket, worked for the 
 fun of the thing, and in the cause of charity only. 
 
 But I am somewhat anticipating. 
 
 The first thing to be settled was the subject, which 
 was the simplest matter of the lot ; for " The Forty 
 Thieves " did not call for too many important principal 
 characters, and afforded the more diffident or less ambi- 
 tious amateurs numerous opportunities of small {vety 
 small most of them) speaking parts. It also gave scope 
 to members of the " gang " to indulge in a mild and 
 harmless form of humour in the way of " making up " to 
 represent various public characters, some famous, others 
 notorious. 
 
 Having settled upon the subject, who was to write 
 the "book"? Here again the genius of "Practical 
 John " rose to the occasion without hesitation. It was 
 not to be reasonably expected that any one of our well- 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 113 
 
 known light writers of the time would undertake to gratui- 
 tously devote his valuable time and energies to the task 
 of writing an entire Pantomime for a parcel of amateurs, 
 even in the glorious cause of charity. Four letters from 
 our practical manager to the four best of our burlesque 
 writers (and burlesques ivere burlesques in those days), 
 and Messrs. Robert Reece, W. S. Gilbert, F. C. Burnand, 
 and Henry J. Byron had one and all cheerfully consented 
 to write a scene each, which four scenes were to consti- 
 tute the " opening." 
 
 So far nothing could be better. 
 
 The casting of the opening was a matter of compara- 
 tive simplicity. The majority of the amateur talent of 
 the day was to be found in the Beefsteak Club ; but it was 
 by no means intended from the start to make it a Club 
 performance, and all the best available amateurs, whether 
 members of the Club or not, were approached to assist. 
 The majority of the best-known amateur actors outside 
 the Beefsteak Club, whose names need not be particu- 
 larised as they took no part in the performance which 
 forms the subject of this article, declined on the ground 
 that Pantomime was a phase of histrionic art altogether 
 outside their experience or ambition. 
 
 That is where they differed from us who did take 
 part, i.e. in the " ambition." Our inexperience in Panto- 
 mime was as great as theirs ; but the proverb that relates 
 to one class of being rushing in where another class fears 
 to tread had no terrors for us, who were doubtless re- 
 garded as well qualified for the former of the two above- 
 mentioned classes. 
 
 To the best of my memory, the only man not belonging 
 to the Club who had the courage to undertake a leading 
 role was Mr. Joseph Maclean, an amateur of more than 
 
 H 
 
114 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 considerable experience, especially in burlesque, and a 
 dancer of exceptional ability. To him was entrusted the 
 role of Hassarac, the Captain of the Forty; and cer- 
 tainly the choice was a very wise one, for the neatness 
 and nimbleness of his dancing proved most successful 
 features of the performance, whilst his stage " business " 
 and general appreciation of the right methods of panto- 
 mime had the true touch about them. 
 
 To such a well-known and thoroughly experienced, 
 naturally-gifted comedian as Mr. Quintin Twiss, a genuine 
 star of the first magnitude in such well-established amateur 
 firmaments as the Canterbury "Old Stagers," the "Windsor 
 Strollers," the Cambridge " A.D.C.," to which he was affi- 
 liated on account of his dramatic prowess at the sister 
 university, to which he belonged, and in the success of 
 which he was an extremely important factor, as has been 
 amply testified by Mr. F, C. Burnand in his highly enter- 
 taining book on the most remarkable University Amateur 
 Dramatic Club ever daringly conceived and brilliantly 
 carried out, the character of Ganem belonged almost by 
 right, and absolutely without dispute or cavil. 
 
 No better choice could possibly have been made. He 
 revelled in the fun of the thing from beginning to end, 
 and the infection of his humour, which, despite its modest 
 quietness, was eternally bubbling over, spread through the 
 entire company, and materially assisted in the establish- 
 ment of the entente cordiale which prevailed throughout the 
 company, and was perhaps not the least remarkable 
 feature of a truly remarkable performance. 
 
 Mr. Twiss, by the way, figures in the programme as 
 Mr. " W. F. Quintin," an important official position neces- 
 sitating, in the summer-time of his life, a pseudonym 
 when engaged in such frivolous work as play-acting. 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 115 
 
 For reasons best known to himself he did not appear 
 on this occasion under his celebrated noin de theatre in 
 the amateur stage-world of " Oliver Twist." 
 
 He cannot be passed by in connection with this par- 
 ticular appearance as an amateur without a word of 
 unqualified praise for his Tailor in the Harlequinade. 
 He had but little to do, but his performance was a gem 
 of genuine water. 
 
 Captain Arthur Gooch, a shining light of the "Windsor 
 Strollers," and a most experienced amateur actor, who 
 subsequently joined the ranks of the Canterbury "Old 
 Stagers," with great benefit to that most venerable and 
 venerated body of amateur histrions, fitted, as it were, 
 naturally into the character of Ali Baba, and his per- 
 formance left nothing to be desired. 
 
 Mr. Algernon Bastard, an amateur of a wide range 
 of experience of a cosmopolitan order — for he had been 
 in the habit of playing in French almost as much as 
 in English — cheerfully undertook what was perhaps the 
 least satisfactory role in the cast of principals, that of 
 Cassim, in which he made as much as was possible of 
 rather slender opportunities. He got in his fine work, 
 however, and made one of the most pronounced hits in 
 the Pantomime as Ung Mossoo in the Harlequinade. 
 
 The eccentric " abandon," funny to a degree without 
 being in the least vulgar, of his " can-can," with Mr. F. H. 
 M'Calmont as an Old Woman, cannot fail to live in the 
 memories of those who saw it, as an unique specimen of 
 spontaneous saltatory genius. It was one of those sur- 
 prises to have been seen and not to be described. 
 
 The above-mentioned quartette of gentlemen con- 
 stituted the principal "speaking parts," so far as the 
 amateurs were concerned. 
 
ii6 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 But the minor characters managed to get in a lot of 
 fun, with quaint hues here and there, and really good, 
 well-thought-out business, the principal scorer amongst 
 them being Mr. A. Stuart-Wortley as The Trumpeter, 
 whose quaint antics and loose-jointed agility achieved 
 for him the pronounced honour of being compared to 
 the hitherto incomparable Fred Yokes. This circumstance 
 no doubt consoled him considerably for a great dis- 
 appointment that befell him in connection with the original 
 order of thing regarding the cast of characters, of which 
 more anon in its proper place. 
 
 Mention has already been made of the ladies who so 
 gallantly undertook what must have appeared to them 
 the most formidable task of their stage careers, from the 
 point of view of hard work. Suffice it to state as briefly 
 as possible that Miss Lydia Thompson as Morgiana was 
 the absolute sheet-anchor of the show. Had any drag 
 occurred, she would have been ready on the spot, staunch 
 to check it in a moment. As it was, all she had to do, 
 and did, was to strike the key-note, and everybody was 
 in harmony with her, both on the stage and in the 
 audience. 
 
 The stately Helen Barry, originally of " Babil and 
 Bijou " fame at Covent Garden, when she made her first 
 appearance as a gorgeous Amazon leader, was cast for 
 the character of Abdallah, the Lieutenant of the Forty 
 Thieves. I believe I am right in stating that she emerged 
 for this occasion specially from the retirement into which 
 she had gone on her marriage with Major Rolls, who 
 himself took part in the performance. 
 
 Handsome Eleanor Button, with the most musical 
 and infectious of laughs on or off the stage, was a 
 delightful Cogia. 
 
K E 
 
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 C M s 
 
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 '3 3 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 117 
 
 Pretty Lucy Buckstone, daughter of the celebrated old 
 " Bucky " of Hay market fame, was an ideal, good Fairy, 
 and there was the cast of the " opening " complete. 
 
 But the Harlequinade was quite another affair. To 
 
 our great relief and general astonishment Mr. W. S. 
 
 Gilbert volunteered to undertake the part of Harlequin. 
 
 That certainly was a big load off our minds ; but nobody 
 
 seemed in the least inchned or willing to tackle Clown, 
 
 Everybody was quite game to do Butcher, Baker, Tinker, 
 
 Tailor, &c., or even Policeman, Swell, or Pantaloon, but 
 
 all resolutely shied at the responsibility of Clown. At 
 
 last, after a deal of persuasion and earnest asseverations 
 
 on the part of everybody else that he was sent into the 
 
 world for the sole aim and object of representing Clown 
 
 in the way in which Clown ought to be represented, 
 
 Archibald Stuart-Wortley undertook to do or die in the 
 
 attempt to worthily " don the motley," which I believe is 
 
 the correct phrase for playing Clown. That was all right. 
 
 We got along swimmingly when once this crux was got 
 
 over. Thomas Knox Holmes, a veteran of seventy-two 
 
 years of age, but a boy at heart, was cast for Pantaloon. 
 
 He had taken part in the Amateur Pantomime a quarter 
 
 of a century earlier, in which John Hollingshead played. 
 
 Your humble servant, who played under the rather patent 
 
 pseudonym of W. "Wye," was cast for Policeman, Captain 
 
 H. E. Colvile (now Sir Henry Colvile) for Sprite, and 
 
 Mademoiselle Rosa, one of the premieres danseuses of the 
 
 Alhambra, for Columbine. Lord de Clifford was the 
 
 Swell, with a very good high kick, and the rest of the 
 
 characters in the Harlequinade were filled by those who 
 
 had appeared as Thieves in the " opening." 
 
 Dear old Bob Soutar, who was at that time the stage- 
 manager of the Gaiety Theatre, occupied the same post 
 
ii8 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 for our benefit, and never did shepherd look more care- 
 fully after a flock of sheep than did Bob Soutar after our 
 flock of wild amateurs. He was ubiquitous without being 
 in the least obtrusive. Was there a trap to be worked, he 
 was on the spot to see that none of us unwittingly fell 
 into it ; was there a leap to be taken, he was ready 
 waiting to see that the stage hands told off to catch us 
 were at their posts. In fact, he was here, there, and 
 everywhere, and with that peculiar, quiet, methodical 
 manner of his proved invaluable to everybody connected 
 with the performance. 
 
 Never was practical John Hollingshead's perspicacity 
 shown to greater advantage than when he selected John 
 d'Auban for the onerous and responsible position of 
 our Pantomime Instructor. Imagine the magnitude, the 
 seeming impossibility of the task imposed upon him. 
 The labours of Hercules were light in comparison to 
 what was before him when he undertook to train and 
 teach some five-and-thirty amateurs, who have always 
 the reputation of being " kittle cattle " to drive. Not 
 only had he to superintend every single detail of the 
 " opening," to arrange every bit of " business," to teach 
 every step of every dance, to drill a body of inexperienced 
 gentlemen in marches, counter-marches, entrances, exits, 
 to arrange movements to choruses, tableaux at the de- 
 nouements of scenes, and broadsword combats in the 
 Thieves' Cave, but he also had to commence at the letter 
 A of the alphabet of the Harlequinade with one and all 
 of us, and go through to Z before trusting us with the 
 grammar and language of the business, so to speak. He 
 had to teach us individually and collectively " leaps," 
 " rolls-out," " slaps," " bats," " fountains," " animations," 
 and goodness knows what else, for my memory fails me 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 119 
 
 at this distance of time as to all the technical terms of 
 which we were profoundly ignorant at the start, but 
 which in an incredibly short space of time we used with 
 the easy, flippant familiarity of " old timers " of at least 
 a quarter of a century's experience. 
 
 Nor could he have possibly succeeded as he did in 
 instilling success into us had we not one and all worked 
 loyally, unflaggingly, and seriously. This he has admitted 
 to me himself frequently since, and his despair at the 
 immediate outset was speedily turned into delight at 
 finding himself the instructor of what he has euphe- 
 mistically termed the most intelligent batch of pupils 
 he ever had under his tuition. 
 
 For our parts, we speedily recognised in him the most 
 patient, painstaking, equable, and long-suffering mortal we 
 had ever come across in any sphere of life. He knew 
 what he wanted to be done, and liow he wanted it to be 
 done — and it was done. 
 
 I know as a fact that John d'Auban regards to this 
 day his production of that Amateur Pantomime as not 
 only one of the most successful achievements of his long 
 and honourable career, but also as one of the most 
 pleasant — if not the very pleasantest — of his countless 
 associations with the stage. His sentiments on the point 
 are most fully and unanimously reciprocated by us. 
 
 Another enormous advantage we enjoyed was the 
 musical directorship of Herr Meyer Lutz, the deservedly 
 popular " Magister " of the Gaiety Theatre. No one at 
 that time, and few if any since, had greater experience of 
 the class of work that had made the Gaiety, from its start, 
 the very first favourite of London theatres that catered to 
 the play-going public the lighter form of entertainment of 
 the Metropolis. 
 
120 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Amateurs though we were, we were " safe as houses " 
 under the stolid guidance of the " Magister." Serene, 
 unruffled, patient — even dogged in his determination to 
 obtain the result he wanted — he would sit hour after hour 
 at the piano, seemingly oblivious of, and callous to, the 
 excruciating discords that were the most striking features 
 of the earlier chorus rehearsals, no sign or token of any- 
 thing in the shape of disapprobation of our well-meant 
 but rather abortive efforts at harmony apparent in his 
 phlegmatic bearing, until at the conclusion of what we 
 considered an especially well rendered number, he would 
 laconically ejaculate, " Vunce more, pleess !" and not only 
 '' vunce more, pleess," but maybe fifty times, we had to 
 hammer at it, until he was — for the time being — satisfied 
 of, at all events, a semblance of improvement. He literally 
 dinned into our ears sufficient of what did duty for har- 
 mony to enable him to know that his clever orchestration 
 in the hands of the admirable Gaiety band would cover 
 up our delinquencies. In justice to our good singers 
 and accomplished musicians, such as Mr. Lionel Benson, 
 Mr. Twiss, and others, I must state that the previous 
 remarks are not intended to apply to them of course, 
 but to the majority of us whose zeal as vocalists outran 
 both their capabilities and their discretion. 
 
 Needless to say, the worthy Lutz discriminated with 
 unerring certainty between the musical sheep and the 
 inharmonious goats, and for the formers' sake, as well 
 as for his own, wasted no unnecessary time in directing 
 his energies elsewhere than where they were required. 
 He did wonders with the goats, and their bleats by 
 the day of performance passed muster well enough to be 
 fairly indiscernible from those of the sheep — in ensembles 
 and choruses at all events. 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 121 
 
 I must now go back to the time when the cast had 
 been duly fixed upon, the scripts dehvered, and stage 
 rehearsals commenced. So far there had only been 
 musical rehearsals, extending over some ten days or a 
 fortnight, mostly from four to six of an afternoon. With 
 only a month left before the day already advertised for 
 the performance, we felt that rehearsing had to begin 
 in earnest, and begin in earnest it did. 
 
 It is wonderful what a toil, not to say absolute hard 
 labour, enthusiasts will make of a pleasure. Exempli 
 gratia. We rehearsed that Pantomime for four weeks on 
 end from three o'clock till six o'clock every afternoon, 
 and from midnight till three o'clock in the morning, 
 barring Saturdays and Sundays, on the Gaiety stage. 
 
 Apart from the regular " calls," we were rehearsing in 
 one way or another all day long. You had only to go into 
 the Beefsteak Club at any time after the doors were open 
 and you would find " Odger " Colvile, as we called him, 
 Archie Stuart- Wortley, W. S. Gilbert, your humble servant, 
 and others connected with the '' show," practising harle- 
 quin leaps over the fire-screen on to the sofa, doing 
 scraps of dances in the corners, and arranging details of 
 proposed business over a hastily swallowed meal. I verily 
 believe that we selfish, egotistical enthusiasts drove every- 
 body else away from that Club during the entire month 
 in which we suffered from the cacoethes ludendi, except 
 a few good-natured souls who had not been included in 
 the cast, but who became so fired with the infection of 
 our enthusiasm, that they too must needs join in our 
 exercises, to the additional detriment of the Club furniture 
 and the disintegration of their articles of apparel. 
 
 At that period I was residing in chambers on the top 
 floor of one of the Courts in the Temple, which chambers 
 
122 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 I shared with Jos. Maclean. After our night rehearsals at 
 the Gaiety we used to go home and practise dances, leaps, 
 and all sorts of wild antics, until we received a mild pro- 
 test from the occupant of the floor below, who, fortunately, 
 was not only a personal friend, but also a real good fellow. 
 He based his objection not so much upon his deprivation of 
 sleep, as that was a matter easily remedied in the daytime 
 whilst he was waiting in chambers for briefs that never 
 came, but upon the ground that he went in perpetual fear 
 of our coming through upon him below. He appeared to 
 be just as much concerned on our account as his own, 
 for he felt confident that, like himself, we were uninsured, 
 and pointed out that a catastrophe of the nature he antici- 
 pated would prove to be absolutely unremunerative to 
 anybody but the undertakers. There was no combating 
 so completely unanswerable an argument as that, so we 
 entered into a friendly arrangement with him, by which 
 we agreed to swap rooms with him until after the produc- 
 tion of the Pantomime, as the chambers below him again 
 were non-residential. 
 
 One of the most interesting circumstances in connec- 
 tion with the enthusiasm that possessed us was the 
 tremendous keenness of W. S. Gilbert. It seems that one 
 of the hobbies of his life had been to play Harlequin, and 
 with the thoroughness that is one of his most marked char- 
 acteristics, he meant to do it well. It is hardly necessary 
 to say that he played it extraordinarily well, but with a 
 grim determinedness that amused many in the audience, 
 although they one and all recognised with admiration the 
 enormous trouble to which he must necessarily have put 
 himself to arrive at the state of perfection he achieved. 
 There is little if any question that Harlequin is the most 
 difficult role to fill satisfactorily in a Harlequinade, and 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 123 
 
 that W. S. Gilbert should have acquitted himself so very 
 much more than creditably in such an exacting task, especi- 
 ally for one v^ho had passed the first bloom of youth, and 
 had had no kind of preliminary training for such work, 
 is absolutely marvellous. It was a triumph of mind over 
 matter, of sheer will-power over physical obstacles. His 
 keenness was not confined to personal practice, although 
 he never missed an opportunity of going through the 
 " animations," or pirouetting, or doing something to per- 
 fect himself, when in sufficient privacy or only in com- 
 pany of his fellow-workers. He on several occasions 
 invited all of those immediately associated with him in 
 the business of his Harlequinade to his private house to 
 dinner, and we would all afterwards go two or three times 
 through a thorough rehearsal in his drawing-room, and 
 later on cab it down to the Gaiety to attend the regular 
 midnight call. A pleasanter, more genial, or agreeable 
 companion than he was it would have been difficult, if 
 not impossible, to find. 
 
 Matters went merrily, briskly, and most satisfactorily 
 on for the first fortnight of the month's stage-rehearsals, 
 when lo ! a bolt from the blue ! an unforeseen calamity ! 
 a dire disaster I Archie Stuart-Wortley, who had scarcely 
 been up to his wonted mark of vivacity for three or four 
 days, was stricken with a bad attack of measles, of all things 
 in the world. There was no help for it ; he was obliged 
 to relinquish all idea of appearing as Clown, or indeed of 
 coming near us for some little time after he rose from his 
 sick-bed. There was a nice dilemma ! " Practical John " 
 was consulted post-haste as to what was to be done. He 
 decided the matter off-hand, to my own utter consternation 
 and dismay, and to the astonishment, but at the same time 
 the relief, of the others. His fiat went forth that I of all 
 
124 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 people was to " don the motley." In vain I protested, 
 pleaded, argued. The " ukase " had gone forth, and I was 
 obliged to submit. Fortunately in my role of Policeman 
 I was a good deal associated with the Clown, and as a 
 matter of fact knew every bit of " business " through strict 
 attention to it at rehearsals, whether it related directly to 
 myself or not. Had it not been for that, I verily believe 
 that " ukase " or no " ukase " I should have been sum- 
 moned to the antipodes on important family business, 
 and have " done a guy," which I understand to be more 
 or less of a slang phrase for " showing the white feather." 
 Anv way, I undertook the awful responsibility of Clown, 
 and I am creditably informed that I got through all right. 
 To this day I am of the firm belief that for Clown — even 
 an amateur Clown — to attempt to sing both " Hot Cod- 
 lings " and " Tippetywicket " was a great mistake. I 
 thought so then, but I did as I was told, and they (mean- 
 ing the audience) did not throw bricks or anything else 
 at me. And so I was satisfied, if they were not. 
 
 Of course my assumption of Clown necessitated a 
 further change in the arrangements of the cast of the 
 Harlequinade. " Practical John " settled it all without an 
 effort. Cut out the Sprite, who wasn't wanted, and let 
 Captain Colvile do the Policeman. It was done with the 
 very happiest results. " Odger " Colvile's Policeman was 
 one of the most pronounced features of the Pantomime, 
 and his wrestle w4th the Tailor's dummy has seldom been 
 equalled, and certainly never excelled, as a pure piece of 
 absolutely first-class pantomime work in the very highest 
 sense of the term. 
 
 I had no idea of what I undertook when I obeyed that 
 " ukase " and became Clown. To show what I went 
 through in the way of physical exercise, I solemnly aver 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 125 
 
 that during that fortnight in which I had to rehei.rse for 
 all I was worth, I lost over two stone in weight, and covered 
 myself from head to heels with bruises to such an extent 
 that after each rehearsal I had to retire to a dressing- 
 room, strip to the buff, and be rubbed all over most 
 vigorously with a marvellous compound known in the 
 profession as " nine-oils " by no less than three stage- 
 hands for fifteen or twenty minutes. 
 
 These little trifles were part of the " fun " we entered 
 upon in our craving for pantomimic glory ! 
 
 Happily Archie Stuart-Wortley recovered from the 
 measles in time to attend sufficient rehearsals to get in 
 some excellent work as The Trumpeter of "The Forty 
 Thieves," as I have mentioned before. For a variety of 
 reasons, which it is obviously unnecessary to detail, I 
 should infinitely have preferred to see him as Clown. 
 
 Long before the eventful day arrived every available 
 seat in the Gaiety Theatre had been bought up at very 
 greatly enhanced prices, the lowest price being half-a- 
 crown for the gallery. As much as fifty guineas apiece 
 was given for more than one private box. H.R.H. the 
 Prince and Princess of Wales not only gave a very hand- 
 some sum for the Royal box, but honoured the performance 
 with their presence and that of the members of their family. 
 
 Fancy prices ruled for the stalls, two guineas beincf 
 the lowest for that coign of vantage ; whilst nothing less 
 than a guinea was accepted for dress-circle seats ; and the 
 charge in the pit, where the seats were all reserved, was 
 half-a-guinea. The total receipts for the first performance 
 on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 13th, amounted 
 to between six and seven hundred pounds. It was ori- 
 ginally intended that there should be only one perform- 
 ance, but the success that attended that performance was 
 
126 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 so great that Practical John HoHingshead arranged for a 
 special performance at Brighton on the evening of Satur- 
 day, March 9th. Here the performance was equally 
 successful, and the receipts — at, of course, enhanced 
 prices — the largest ever taken at the Theatre Royal, 
 Brighton, except for Grand Opera. We went down in 
 a body to Brighton, and took the whole of the Old Ship 
 Hotel, and a royal good time we had of it. Our lady 
 thieves at Brighton were recruited from the Theatre 
 Royal. 
 
 Shortly after this the terrible disaster of the loss of the 
 training-ship Eurydice, off the Isle of Wight, occurred, and 
 as a fund was started for the bereaved relatives of the men 
 and lads who were lost in such an awful manner, it was 
 determined to give yet another performance at the Gaiety 
 Theatre for the benefit of the Eurydice Fund. This took 
 place on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 10, 1878, 
 and proved in every way as successful as the two previous 
 performances, although the receipts were not so large as 
 on the occasion of the first performance, owing to the 
 prices in the cheaper parts of the house being reduced to 
 a lower scale. Without having the actual figures, I believe 
 I am correct in stating that the receipts of the three per- 
 formances amounted to upwards of ^^1500, of which 
 -^500 was handed over to the Theatrical Fund, ;^3oo or 
 ^400 to the Eurydice Fund, and handsome sums to two 
 or three London hospitals and the Brighton Hospital, so 
 that the Ambitious Amateurs, if they did nothing else, 
 proved of some assistance to charities. 
 
 I have made no attempt to give any extracts of 
 accounts of the Pantomime, but I append two poetical 
 effusions that appeared at the time. I forget at the 
 moment in what paper the first of the two following 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 127 
 
 appeared. The first of them was written by Mr. J. E. C. 
 Mathews, a member of the Beefsteak Club, with a very 
 happy and facile knack of light versification. Here it 
 
 IS 
 
 AMATEUR PANTOMIME, 1878. 
 "THE FORTY THIEVES." 
 
 Walk up I ye Church and Laity, 
 Take places at the Gaiety, 
 Don't hesitate for fear you're late 
 And full you find each row ; 
 For all the World is coming here 
 To criticise our mumming here, 
 Our Metaphoric, Allegoric, Pantomimic Show 
 Ensure our popularity. 
 We claim without vulgarity, 
 In worthy cause of charity 
 
 We work to entertain. 
 On the rising of the curtain 
 Of succeeding we are certain 
 If you greet us when you meet us 
 In a sympathetic vein. 
 So come and see our play. 
 No matter what you pay ; 
 A show like this 
 You mustn't miss, 
 For it's only on to-day. 
 
 Mark our play ! Four authors wrote it, 
 
 Quaintly quoted, justly noted 
 For the talents they've devoted 
 
 To delineating men. 
 " Happy thoughts" by one invented ; 
 Novel jokes unprecedented 
 Make " Our boys " well represented 
 
 By the brisk Byronic pen. 
 Then our " Thieves " are all enlisted 
 From the Beefsteak Club, — assisted 
 
 By some Ladies, who are Haidees 
 When they're acting on " the Square 
 
128 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Though devoid of family jars, sir, 
 We've our prisoner at the Bar, sir, 
 For the convict Benson has obtained 
 Permission to be there.' 
 
 III. 
 
 Ah Baba's an ex- Lancer, 
 Hassarac's a cUnking dancer, 
 
 Who can make you double shuffles and 
 Quaint saltatory curves. 
 We've a Ganem whose grimaces 
 Ever gam him at all places 
 The plaudits which his feature Ta/zV-ting 
 
 Faculty deserves. 
 Then we've fascinating Lydia, 
 Who's gayer grown, and giddier, 
 I'll wager half-a-quid yer 
 
 Never saw a sweeter soul ! 
 We've alluring little Lucy, 
 Whom you'll worship when you do see ; 
 And Helen, always tellin' 
 
 When she plays the Major role. 
 
 IV. 
 
 We've a Harlequin reputed 
 For the works he's executed. 
 And on few men has acumen 
 
 Been more liberally poured. 
 When he dances dressed in spangles 
 Through the hornpipe's tricky tangles, 
 You'll find, though still " in statu pupillari," 
 
 He's encored. 
 His dumb motions are perfection 
 When taken in connection 
 
 With "gradations," "animations," 
 
 And "technicals" like that : 
 Though our wily Willie Gilbert 
 Doesn't care a single filbert 
 Except to flirt with Columbine 
 And wave his magic bat. 
 
 ' This refers to the circumstance that Mr. W. Higgins, as one of the thieves, 
 made up as Benson, a notorious convict of that period. 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 129 
 
 Our Clown's a first-class cricketer, 
 Whose tricks could scarce be wicketer ; 
 Yet Yardley we can hardly 
 
 Blame for "blaming" Pantaloon, 
 Who in " Fielding " days was famous 
 When he played the same old game as 
 We shall see him, if we're lucky. 
 Re-enact this afternoon. 
 We've amongst our " corps " dramatic 
 A Policeman acrobatic 
 
 Who'll " take a slap," fly through a trap. 
 Or stand upon his head ; 
 We've the King of " can-can " dancers. 
 Got at great expense from France, sirs ; 
 Whilst our Artist blows his trumpet, 
 As his trumpeter is dead. 
 
 VI. 
 
 We've a wonderful Cartoonist, 
 Who can dash you off the soonest 
 
 In shade and light of black and white, 
 Unfinished or Vandyked ; 
 In two minutes he will sketch you 
 Either Beaconsfield (who'll fetch you) 
 Or the people's William, who they say 
 Has got himself disliked. 
 In short, our Exhibition 
 Simply laughs at Competition, 
 Such amusements as inducements 
 Cannot fail to fill our Show ; 
 Yet from the first we've said it, 
 We must give the mead of credit 
 
 To D'Auban, Lutz, and Hollingshead, 
 Who've taught us what we know. 
 So come and see our play, 
 No matter what you pay, 
 A show like this 
 You mustn't miss. 
 For it's only on to-day. J. C. Mathews. 
 
 The following lines appeared in a periodical of the 
 time called Mirth, edited, to the best of my recollection, 
 by Henry J. Byron, who I rather suspect was the author 
 of the subjoined lucubration, which was signed " B." : — 
 
 I 
 
130 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 THE AMATEUR PANTOMIME AT THE GAIETY." 
 
 Go call me a hansom, and see that the horse 
 Seems to look on his fate as a matter of course ; 
 Is prepared to fly over the ground at a rate 
 Dealing danger to children, — for, hang it, it's late I 
 The time is announced when the play's to begin, 
 And unpunctuality seems like a sin 
 On such an important occasion as this — 
 And none of the Amateurs' fooling I'd miss. 
 
 Thus we cried on the thirteenth of Februar^^ 
 
 In metre suggestive of " Bonnie Dundee'' ; 
 
 And shortly the hansom drove up to the door 
 
 Of Hollingshead's playhouse, ten minutes before 
 
 The curtain should rise on the comical piece 
 
 By Gilbert, Burnand, H. J. Byron, and Recce. 
 
 What a sight was the " house " ! What a buzz and a hum, 
 
 And the overture starts off with " Old Mother Gumm " 
 
 Or something as classical, — never mind what : 
 
 The curtain goes up, and soon there's a big shot 
 
 That brings down the " house" in the opening scene, 
 
 The wonderful dancing of " Wye" and Maclean. 
 
 There are two rivers Wye, as we all of us know. 
 
 But such two dancers " Wye," why the world cannot show ; 
 
 Between him and Maclean there was scarcely a choice. 
 
 For the latter was almost as nimble as Royce. 
 
 Then Gooch shone as " Ali," and spoke out so bold ; 
 And Quintin as " Ganem " had got a shght cold. 
 But looked very funny ; whilst Archibald Wortley 
 Exhibited antics so twisty and twirtley 
 In boots fitting tightly as patent Balmorals 
 That Frederick Yokes had best look to his laurels ; 
 Whilst one thief made up as notorious Kerr, 
 And another as Gladstone, ex-Prime Mini-ster. 
 
 Miss Barry, — "Abdallah," — wore trousers which we 
 Think were p'r'aps just a trifle unnecessaree. 
 But still she looked splendid ; and " Cogia" was played 
 By blooming Miss Bufton, most grandly arrayed ; 
 She made a slight character seem quite important ; — 
 But there, — get away, — for the long and the short on 't 
 Is this, — that the nonsense was kept in a glow 
 By dear Lydia Thompson, — the best in the show. 
 
AMATEUR PANTOMIME OF 1878 131 
 
 She danced and she sang, and delivered her words 
 
 Like the lightest and brightest of musical birds, 
 
 And whenever the scene threatened flagging, why she 
 
 Came and put it all right in a single ]\{fee. 
 
 But when Lucy Buckstone, the sweetest of fays 
 
 Came, and, using old-world pantomimical phrase, 
 
 Called on Harlequin, Clown, Columbine, Pantaloon, 
 
 And the band struck up gaily a Pantomime tune, 
 
 There was laughing and cheering, and shouts of surprise. 
 
 As Gilbert in glittering garb met our eyes — 
 
 When the old " animations " he showed well he knew, 
 
 A thrill of astonishment ran the house through. 
 
 Then, after the Columbine, dainty as lace. 
 
 The shaky artistical Knox took his place 
 
 As senile Pantaloon ; then with comical cry. 
 
 And a "head over heels," came the Clown, Mr. "Wye." 
 
 There were leaps, fun in heaps. Captain Colvile was good, 
 
 And acted as no " Peeler" would, could, or should ; 
 
 Lord de Clifford as " Swell " was no end of a toff. 
 
 And was quite unconcerned when his "jasey" dropped off. 
 
 M'Calmont, young Ward, each elicited roars ; 
 
 And Bastard the loudest of all the encores ; 
 
 And Gilbert through all danced and postured with grace, 
 
 With a very determined expression of face. 
 
 The thanks of all those who were present that day 
 
 Are certainly due to the brilliant array 
 
 Of good-nature, and talent, and last, though not least. 
 
 To John Hollingshead, founder, no doubt, of the feast ; 
 
 To Lutz, of conductors the best ever known ; 
 
 To d'Auban, who patience and talent has shown ; 
 
 Coaching all with a temper that nothing could vex. 
 
 And to genial Bob Soutar— God bless his old specs ! 
 
 B. 
 
 Although I have been mainly dependent upon my 
 own memory for the facts stated above, I believe the 
 record of the proceedings in connection with the incep- 
 tion and carrying out of the Amateur Pantomime of 1878 
 to be substantially accurate in every particular. There 
 may be some minor details which I have omitted, but 
 if so, it is just as well, for I have far exceeded the space 
 I had intended to occupy, and which I thought at the 
 outset would be sufficient. 
 
132 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 THE AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF 1881. 
 
 " Herne the Hunted." 
 
 Played at the Gaiety Theatre on the afternoons of 
 Tuesday, 24th May, and Friday, 27th May, 1881. 
 
 HERNE THE HUNTED! 
 
 PANTOMIMIC BURLESQUE 
 
 BY 
 
 R. Reece and W. Yardley. 
 
 CHARACTERS. 
 
 Henry the Eighth . {King of England) . Captain A. GOOCH. 
 
 The Duke of Richmond (Hts Son) . . Mr, C. G. Allan. 
 
 The Earl of Surrey Mr. C. C. CLARK. 
 
 Sir Thomas Wyat . . . . Mr. A. Stuart-Wortley. 
 
 The Duke of Norfolk Mr. J. H. Morgan. 
 
 The Duke of Suffolk Mr. J. H. Gifford. 
 
 The Earl of Oxford ( T/te Lord Chamberlai7i) Mr. J. Ashby-Sterry. 
 
 Le Due de Chasse- ) .y,^^ French Ambassador) \ Mr. A. Bastard. 
 
 au-Reynard ) ( 
 
 Captain Bourchier {Captain of the Guard) M. H. St. Paul. 
 
 Will Sommers . {The Kings Jester) Mr. JOS. J. Maclean. 
 
 ^ J ( {Head Cook at Windsor ) ,, ^ ,,, t-t, r.T t r^T^t^ 
 
 Simon Quanden y Castle) ^ Mr.C.W.TROLLOPE. 
 
 Tristram Lyndwood {Ex-keeperof the Forest) Mr.T. Knox-Holmes. 
 Herne . . . {The Dejn on Hunter) . Mr. W. Yardley. 
 The " Duke of Shoreditch" \ Non-Coimnis- ( Mr A B CoOK. 
 
 The "Marquis of Islington" I j/(7«^^C>#c^rj- 1 j^^. £ northcote. 
 The "Marquis of Padding- Uf the YeomenS Mr. Godfrey Pearse! 
 ton" ) of the Guard \ 
 
 Huntsman Mr. S. DuBOURG. 
 
 First Whip Mr. Frank Miles. 
 
 Second Whip Mr. Leslie Ward. 
 
 The Fox Captain Barrington-Foote, R.A. 
 
 Anne Boleyn Miss Fortescue. 
 
 Lady EHzabeth 5 Known as ''J^he j Mrs. LIVINGSTONE THOMPSON. 
 
 Fitzgerald { Fair Geralainc ) 
 ,, , , ^ . . ( Mrs. Cecil Clay. 
 
 Mabel Lyndwood j (j^U^^ ^^^.^^ Vokes.) 
 
 Yeomen of the Guard, Cooks, Scullions, Hounds, Peasants, &c. 
 
AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF 1881 133 
 
 Act I. 
 
 Scene i.— " Terrace and Battlements of Windsor Castle by night." 
 Scene 2.—" The Kitchen in Windsor Castle." 
 
 Act II. 
 
 Scene i.— "A State Apartment in Windsor Castle." 
 Scene 2.—" A Glade in Windsor Forest." 
 Scene 3. — " Heme's Oak in Windsor Forest." 
 
 The remarkable success that attended the Amateur 
 Pantomime of 1878 fired the majority of us who had 
 taken part in that performance to another effort in the 
 same Hne three years later. 
 
 It was unanimously felt that another Amateur Panto- 
 mime, after such a short lapse of time, would be out 
 of the question, for a variety of more or less obvious 
 reasons. 
 
 After a vast deal of careful deliberation, in consulta- 
 tion of course with our grand ally, our "guide, philosopher, 
 and friend," " Practical John " Hollingshead, it was deter- 
 mined to try our still 'prentice hands on "Burlesque." 
 All sorts of old-time and well-tried burlesques were sug- 
 gested, but there seemed to be a general consensus of 
 opinion that the entire affair should be as far as possible 
 original. 
 
 Naturally the first person to whom we turned to 
 provide us with a "book," and to assist us also in the 
 rendering of his own work, was Mr. W. S. Gilbert, who 
 had been such a marked feature in the success of the 
 Pantomime in his dual capacity of part-author and one of 
 the leading performers. 
 
 At this distance of time, and writing purely from 
 memory, I believe I am correct in stating that the prm- 
 cipal reasons why this highly desirable desideratum failed 
 
134 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 to become a fait accompli were, that Mr. Gilbert had made 
 all arrangements for a prolonged trip abroad. Anyway, 
 the fact remains that he was unable to assist us in any 
 capacity, to the general disappointment of all. 
 
 On reflection in maturer years, it seems difficult to 
 realise now how we could have had what the Americans 
 term the "gall" to approach W. S. Gilbert, who was then 
 in the zenith of his success with his immortal " Savoy " 
 comic operas, with such a suggestion as to gratuitously 
 provide us with an original burlesque from his pen. I 
 only wonder that we did not also approach Sir Arthur 
 (then Mr.) Sullivan to write original music for us. Per- 
 haps we did. I am sure we must have attempted once 
 more to trespass upon the proverbial good-nature of Mr. 
 F. C. Burnand, and also on that of Mr. Henry J. Byron, 
 if he was then still alive, they being two of the contri- 
 butors to the Amateur Pantomime " book." 
 
 Mr. Robert Reece, who, with Mr. Gilbert, made up 
 the quartette of librettists of the Amateur Pantomime, 
 would not undertake to write our proposed Amateur 
 Burlesque single-handed, and to cut matters short, I had 
 the temerity to accept the honour which was offered to 
 me of collaborating with him. 
 
 The subject eventually selected was a very " go-as- 
 you-please " travestie, based upon Harrison Ainsworth's 
 " Windsor Castle," which we took the liberty of calling 
 " Heme the Hunted." 
 
 Of course it is not for me to descant upon the merits 
 or demerits of the piece such as it was, but I have 
 held it as a matter of pride — a feeling that I know was 
 shared by poor old " Bob " Reece — that we succeeded, in 
 a two-act burlesque of about one thousand lines, in pro- 
 viding no less than twenty speaking parts, all of more 
 
AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF 1881 135 
 
 or less prominence, the large majority of them being of 
 " more " than of " less." 
 
 We had a cast of amateur " stars," every one of whom 
 had a good chance of distinguishing themselves, and not 
 one of whom failed to do so ; whilst one and all pulled 
 together with an utter absence of jealousy, but with the 
 bonne camaraderie which is the essential of success in 
 such circumstances. We had the inestimable advantage 
 of the assistance not only of our trusty manager, John 
 Hollingshead, but also of the invaluable trio, Robert 
 Soutar (stage - manager), Herr Meyer Lutz (musical 
 conductor), and John d'Auban (pantomime and general 
 instructor), who had done such wonders for us in the 
 Amateur Pantomime, and in whom we had the completest 
 confidence, whilst they from their previous experience 
 of us as workers had a vast deal more confidence in us 
 than they naturally possessed when they started upon their 
 extremely difficult task three years previously. 
 
 Any attempt to eulogise their good work in " Heme 
 the Hunted " would be a mere repetition of what I have 
 already written of it in connection with the Amateur 
 Pantomime. Such a curt dismissal of their splendid ser- 
 vices in the Burlesque must therefore be taken, as it is 
 intended, as a compliment, and not as any depreciation of 
 their enormous value to ourselves. 
 
 How it came about precisely I do not now remember, 
 if indeed I ever rightly knew ; but the fact remains that 
 we decided to endeavour to employ amateur talent only 
 throughout the cast, ladies and all. 
 
 I am certain that it was not that we failed in any way 
 to appreciate the splendid assistance that the professional 
 ladies had rendered us in the Amateur Pantomime. 
 
 I am bound to say that our consciences as to the 
 
136 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 strict meaning of the term " amateur " were distinctly 
 elastic, for we naturally hailed with the greatest delight 
 the fact that we could obtain the absolutely invaluable 
 services of Mrs. Cecil Clay, who upon her marriage had 
 retired from the professional stage, which she had so 
 brilliantly illuminated with her unique talents as Miss 
 Rosina Yokes, the soul of the famous and talented Yokes 
 Family. 
 
 A retired professional, even the star of stars in the line 
 in which her lot had been cast, was by us considered an 
 amateur for our own ends. These ends, however, could 
 scarcely be considered selfish, as they were directed to the 
 gratification of the public, who were always her adorers, at 
 the unexpected opportunity of seeing her once again, when 
 they had resigned themselves to the regret that they had 
 seen the last of her upon the stage. 
 
 Again, with such an ally in our ranks we had success 
 for the charity for which we had to perform, viz., " The 
 Artists' Benevolent Institution," positively assured. 
 
 Why, then, should our consciences, if we were pos- 
 sessed of such inconvenient commodities, have been 
 otherwise than elastic ? 
 
 I take this opportunity of relating a circumstance 
 which escaped me when writing about the Amateur 
 Pantomime, but which is quite as apropos to notice 
 here, since it relates to Mrs. Cecil Clay, and is illustrative 
 of the humour that was the essence of her being. Our 
 worthy friend, " Practical John " Hollingshead, wrote to 
 her before anybody else to ask her to play the leading 
 girl in the Pantomime. He received in reply a highly 
 characteristic letter, to the effect that nothing would have 
 given her greater pleasure than to comply with his re- 
 quest, were it not that grave domestic reasons prevented 
 
AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF 1881 137 
 
 her from doing so. " But," she added, " should you 
 require a baby for the comic scenes in the Harlequinade, 
 I have every reason to hope and believe that by the time 
 its services would be needed, I shall be in a position 
 to supply you with the article." 
 
 There was no idea in her mind at the time of her 
 appearance in " Heme the Hunted " that she would 
 later re-adopt the theatrical profession, as she did with 
 notable success, but alas ! only on the American con- 
 tinent, and only for too brief a period, as she practically 
 " died in harness," the idol of all who were privileged 
 to know her, either as an actress or as a woman, at 
 an early age, and in the very zenith of her fame as a 
 comedy actress of the most pronounced talents. She 
 instituted a style of entertainment absolutely unique in 
 its perfection, and of a style that has had many would- 
 be imitators, but which remains in the memories of all 
 who were fortunate enough to become acquainted with 
 it as being as unapproachable as irreproachable. 
 
 I have often thought that America was perhaps in- 
 directly indebted to " Heme the Hunted " for the pleasure 
 her theatre-going public derived from the return of Rosina 
 Yokes to the stage. 
 
 With such a " star " to interpret our humble efforts, 
 Robert Reece and I were naturally only too eager to 
 make the character of Mabel Lyndwood the centre 
 round which the rest revolved ; but Mrs. Cecil Clay 
 would not hear of any such arrangement, and positively 
 declined to accept a role of anything like undue pro- 
 minence. I find on consulting the "book" of "Heme 
 the Hunted " that her actual number of speaking lines 
 did not exceed stxiy. 
 
 To her performance of Mabel Lyndwood in 
 
138 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 " Heme the Hunted " I could not find terms to do suffi- 
 cient justice, nor even if I could have I a tithe of the 
 space available to do so. From her entrance in the 
 Kitchen Scene (Scene 2 of Act. I.), when she was ac- 
 corded as magnificent a reception as I ever witnessed 
 or heard, to the final fall of the curtain, she was the life 
 and soul of the performance. 
 
 Tristram Lyndwood, Mabel's grandfather, played by 
 the veteran Thomas Knox-Holmes in his seventy-fifth year, 
 calls off to her — 
 
 Tristram. Mabel ! 
 
 Ejiier Mabel Lyndwood. 
 
 Mabel {shyly). Oh my ! my footsteps I'll retrace ; 
 
 I'm not accustomed to this sort of place. 
 All. Don't go. [About to go. 
 
 Mabel. Oh dear ! I must : in public my 
 
 Want of experience makes me so shy. 
 Herne. It is a source of grief to friends admiring, 
 
 Whose name is Legion, that you're ioo retiring. 
 
 The arch humour with which she gave her first lines, 
 the irresistible fascination of that wonderfully infectious 
 laugh of hers, produced an electrical effect upon the 
 audience. Admirably as the piece had commenced in 
 the first scene, started with enormous c'clat by a most 
 effective trio to the then popular air, " I'm Living with 
 Mother now," rendered inimitably by Messrs. E. North- 
 cote, A. B. Cook, and Godfrey Pearse, as the Marquis 
 of Islington, the Duke of Shoreditch, and the Marquis of 
 Paddington, all possibilities of non-success were dispelled 
 by our " Mabel." Her dancing was as light, as graceful, 
 as perfect, as in the very heyday of her most triumphant 
 successes. Her " business " was Rosina Yokes at her 
 
AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF 1881 139 
 
 very best. Nothing was ever seen in the way of true 
 pantomimic art better than her tremendous fight for 
 mastery between herself and her (hobby-)horse in the 
 Hunting Scene in the last Act, culminating in the com- 
 plete subjugation of the " fiery, untamed steed," a tour de 
 force which obtained her a double recall. 
 
 It was not only in her individual performance that 
 she was of such inestimable value, but also in the un- 
 flagging devotion to the success of the rest of us, one 
 and all. She was the first to arrive at rehearsal, the last 
 to leave, and I believe I am not overstating facts in the 
 least in asserting that there was not an individual con- 
 nected with the performance who did not benefit very 
 largely by her direct as well as indirect influence. We 
 were as a body infected by the zeal and keenness she 
 displayed and the example she set us, and as individuals 
 we profited vastly by the quiet hints she gave us, which 
 hints were conveyed with such tact and skill as to blind 
 us to the fact that each and every one of them was as a 
 matter of fact a lesson. Hints are easily, and often 
 greedily, taken. Lessons are generally unpalatable. We 
 never discovered the difference between them, adminis- 
 tered as they were with such a delightful sugar-coating. 
 
 It must not be imagined that we found it by any 
 means an easy job to enlist the services of amateur ladies, 
 especially in the matter of the chorus. Here again Mrs. 
 Cecil Clay was of infinite value to us. Mainly through 
 her persuasive faculties, and by undertaking the responsi- 
 bilities of " chaperonage," she induced a number of stern 
 and (at first) horrified " mammas " to allow their daughters 
 to appear for the first time in public (in a real theatre at 
 all events) in the cause of charity. 
 
 That "charity" is a wonderful word with which to 
 
140 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 conjure, provided your "conjurer" or " conjuress " is an 
 adept at the art. 
 
 Our " conjuress " secured us a bevy of most charming 
 young ladies, whose excellent services demand far more 
 recognition than I can give them ; for although I have 
 hunted London high and low, and have appealed to every- 
 body I can think of, I have been unable to find a single 
 soul from whom I can obtain a programme of the per- 
 formances. 
 
 The cast I have given at the commencement of this 
 article is taken from a printed book of the Burlesque. 
 And at that impasse I fear I must leave in most ungallant 
 fashion the kind ladies who formed our chorus, all beauti- 
 ful and talented, but destined, so far as my mission is 
 concerned, to be unrecorded, though far from unrecog- 
 nised, except by name. 
 
 It is an interesting matter to me, and I think to all 
 who may peruse these lines, that had it not been that she 
 had just determined to take to the stage as a profession, 
 Mrs. Langtry would have been in our cast. She would 
 naturally have proved a great attraction, and it was a 
 moot point with her for some days as to whether a first 
 introduction to the public on the stage in a " big " amateur 
 " function " would prove beneficial or prejudicial to her 
 future prospects as a professional actress. She ultimately 
 decided not to appear as an amateur — to our distinct loss 
 goes without the saying. 
 
 We secured a decided acquisition in Mrs. Livingstone 
 Thompson, another of the " Society Beauties " of the day, 
 as The Fair Geraldine, and the performance of the char- 
 acter was no less charming and engaging than her 
 appearance. 
 
 Our great stumbling-block proved to be our Anne 
 
AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF 1881 141 
 
 Boleyn. Mrs. Godfrey Pearse, the daughter of Mario and 
 Grisi, and inheriting a far more exceptional endowment of 
 their divine vocal qualities than is, as a rule, bestowed by 
 heredity on the progeny of mated talent, whilst at the 
 same time of exceptional attractiveness in face and form, 
 had consented to honour us with her valuable aid. 
 Unfortunately she was incapacitated by an affection of 
 her throat, happily of only temporary duration, from 
 assisting us. 
 
 Hers was the commencement of a series of disappoint- 
 ments on the part of several ladies of marked vocal and 
 personal attainments, until Captain Arthur Gooch, our 
 Henry Eighth, began to think that there was a fatality 
 attaching to the character not unconnected with history, 
 in so far that he was obliged to change his Queen so fre- 
 quently. I believe it is an actual fact that when we finally 
 found our Anne in Miss Fortescue, who had then recently 
 joined Mr. D'Oyly Carte's Savoy Company, she was actu- 
 ally the sixth with whom Gooch had rehearsed. Needless 
 to say Miss Fortescue proved in every respect a most 
 efficient and attractive Anne Boleyn. 
 
 I doubt if it would have been possible to find any- 
 body, professional or otherwise, who could personify Bluff 
 King Hal so much in accordance to tradition as did our 
 estimable colleague, " Goochy." His " make-up " was no 
 caricature ; the burlesque came out of his own unctuous 
 and humorous rendering of the opportunities afforded 
 him. One of the biggest hits of the piece was his mock 
 Italian " duettino " with Anne Boleyn to Campana's 
 " Dimmi che m' ami." 
 
 An amateur, who has since turned professional, and who 
 is one of the soundest and most useful, of our actors of 
 to-day, was Mr. C. G. Allan, who played with keen enjoy- 
 
142 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 ment and appreciative humour the part of the Duke of 
 Richmond. Mr. Charles Carlos Clarke, one of the best 
 known, and consequently most popular, members of the 
 Stock Exchange then and now, was delightful in his 
 asstheticism as the Earl of Surrey. Both his banjo-play- 
 ing and his nimble dancing were highly prominent amongst 
 the most successful features of the Burlesque, and his duet, 
 " Marigold," with Mrs. Livingstone Thompson, made a 
 most pronounced hit. Mr. Joseph J. Maclean, who played 
 Will Sommers, the King's Jester, underwent a most cruel 
 experience. On the very morning of the first perform- 
 ance he had the very sad misfortune to lose his father, 
 to whom he was most devotedly attached. Loyal to the 
 core, knowing that in the event of his non-appearance in 
 one of the most important parts in the piece it would 
 either mean the abandonment of the performance or the 
 necessity of a public explanation, which could not fail to 
 throw a gloom over not only the company, but the audi- 
 ence also and the unsatisfactory necessity of a substitute 
 reading the part at the eleventh hour, he went through 
 his terrible ordeal like the veritable hero he proved him- 
 self to be. 
 
 He has seldom been seen to greater advantage, 
 although an amateur actor of very wide experience and 
 exceptional skill. He abandoned himself to the excite- 
 ment of the afternoon with most conspicuous vervcy and 
 contributed in a marked degree to the success of the 
 entertainment. The reaction at the close, when the 
 enormous tension on his nerve power was once relaxed, 
 was the most pitiable experience that has ever fallen to 
 my lot, for it was to me, the most intimate friend he 
 possessed amongst the circle of intimate friends with 
 whom he was associated on the occasion, that he confided 
 
AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF 1881 143 
 
 his terrible bereavement. It was an experience that must 
 perforce dwell ever in my mind as long as I live. 
 
 There are innumerable well-authenticated cases of a 
 similar nature in the profession, but such an occurrence 
 amongst amateurs " playing at the real game " is, I should 
 imagine, unique, and in all human probability will remain so. 
 
 On the Friday following his part was played with 
 surprising success, especially considering the brevity of 
 the interval, by Mr. Seymour Dubourg, who played the 
 Huntsman in " Heme the Hunted." Mr. Seymour 
 Dubourg was the son of Mr. A. W. Dubourg, part-author 
 of " New Men and Old Acres," and author of other 
 successful dramatic works. 
 
 Minor parts were admirably filled by Messrs. J. H. 
 Morgan, J. H. Giffard, H. St. Paul, Frank Miles, and Leslie 
 Ward, the two latter being distinguished members of the 
 craft of artists, to whose Benevolent Institution the sub- 
 stantial profits of the performance were handed over. 
 
 Mr. C. W. Trollope, who was then one of the soundest 
 amateur actors I have ever seen, and who for several years 
 past has officiated in the capacity of stage-manager to the 
 Canterbury " Old Stagers," endowed the comparatively 
 minor role of Simon Quanden, Head Cook at Windsor 
 Castle, with far more importance than the authors of the 
 Burlesque had believed to exist in it. 
 
 A really admirable bit of genre burlesque — if I may 
 be allowed to use such a term on such a subject — was the 
 Fox of Captain Barrington Foote, R.A, It was worthy of 
 a Charles Lauri, and I don't know how I could give it 
 greater commendation. 
 
 Quite one of the happiest hits, rivalling, if not over- 
 shadowing, the success of his " can-can " in the Amateur 
 Pantomime Harlequinade, was Mr. Algernon Bastard's 
 
144 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 performance of Le Due de Chasse-au-Reynard, the French 
 Ambassador. Especially happy was he in the Hunting 
 Scene, mounted in the first instance on a hobby-horse, 
 and got up in true burlesque French hunting accoutre- 
 ments, a large horn slung round his body, and a (Lowther 
 Arcade) gun slung at his back. 
 
 Where he shone most conspicuously was in his en- 
 counter with the Fox, which to me was one of the funniest 
 scenes ever witnessed in burlesque. It is indescribable ; 
 but the scene itself may convey some sort of idea of its 
 possibilities, which were carried out to the fullest, both by 
 Mr. Bastard and Captain Barrington Foote. The brevity 
 of the quotation from the libretto must be the excuse for 
 giving it : — 
 
 Horn without, very faint and plaintive. 
 
 Enter Chasse-au-Reynard, on foot. 
 
 Reynard. Hello ! — Personne ! — I tink I lose my vay ! 
 I mount, — I fall, — mount, — fall, — toujours tombd ! 
 Wis so much inountin^ I am now quite ill ! 
 My 'orse he frisk, — or I vas wis 'im still ! 
 Enfin ! I meet a hedge ! — I try 'im ! — Peste ! 
 My 'orse go on alone ! — J'y suis ! — J'y reste ! 
 I call to 'im to stay ! — No use, of course ! 
 I call so loud, myself am now ze 'orse ! 
 I fall so often I am all a sore ! 
 N'importe ! Who care ? Vive la chasse ! Vive le sport ! 
 
 \The fox comes in dead-beat and sits, not 
 seeing Chasse-au-Reynard. 
 Ah ! Qu' est que c'est que qa. 1 — Vraiment le fox ! 
 Bonne chance ! — I shoot 'im dead like vun o'clocks ! 
 
 {^Prepares to shoot fox, -ujho moves 
 slowly up stage. 
 Ah ! quel dommage ! He move ! — All right, he stay ! 
 
 \He stalks fox on his stomach, takes careful and deliberate 
 aim, using rest for his gun. He fires. Percussion- 
 cap goes off, which completely staggers hi?n, throwing 
 him over in the air on to his back. After a bit he 
 pulls himself together again. 
 
AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF i88i 145 
 
 Quelle cannonade ! 
 
 \_Addrcsshii^fox, who has died a most 
 spasmodic and acrobatic death. 
 Are you kill ? \Exainining hi/n. 
 
 Cui ! Tu cs ! 
 
 \_ln a rapture of delight. 
 Eep ! eep ! 'ooray ! — Victoire ! — Vive la belle France ! 
 
 \_l'ery proudly, luithfoot on fo PC's prostrate body. 
 Moi-meme j'ai venge Vaterloo ! — d'avance ! 
 
 [With considerable difficulty slings fox s body over 
 his shoulder, and exit triumphantly. 
 
 This may not be particularly, if at all, funny to read, 
 but the way the scene was played by Messrs. Bastard and 
 Foote, was excruciatingly humorous, as any one who saw 
 it will bear out. 
 
 One of the most satisfactory features of this perform- 
 ance to ourselves, and certainly to the audience, was the 
 unqualified success of Mr. Archibald Stuart-Wortley as 
 Sir Thomas Wyat. The bitter disappointment that befell 
 him over the Amateur Pantomime, through being rendered 
 hors de combat by measles, and having to relinquish the 
 part of Clown, which he had assiduously rehearsed for two 
 or three weeks, was amply atoned for by the triumph he 
 achieved in " Heme the Hunted." A born comedian, he 
 made capital out of every line he had to speak and every 
 bit of " business " that came in his way. His pantomime, 
 assisted by the " hints " (to which previous allusion has 
 been made) of Mrs. Cecil Clay, was of the highest order. 
 His singing, so quiet, so easy, and unforced, was a treat, 
 especially in a parody of Tosti's *' Ohe Mama ! " His 
 agility and athleticism were the perfection of untutored 
 grace. He went through every trap and leap in or on 
 the Gaiety stage as if he had been at the business all his 
 life. Last, but not least, the freedom of movement he 
 displayed in his dancing was a revelation, especially in an 
 
 K 
 
146 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 amateur, and obtained for him from the Press favour- 
 able comparison with the prince of easy dancers, Fred 
 Yokes. 
 
 The dancing throughout was especially good. Some 
 of it was eccentric, notably in the case of Mr. Ashby 
 Sterry, who when called upon at rehearsal to show what 
 he could do in that line, admitted that he had never been 
 a votary of Terpsichore, even in the humblest capacity. 
 Dear old Ashby Sterry was obliged to be poetical even in 
 such (to him) prosaic circumstances. Johnnie d'Auban 
 professed not to understand his meaning, and requested 
 an exhibit of his saltatory skill. The result of Sterry's 
 maiden effort at the shrine of one of the Muses he had 
 never dreamt previously of worshipping was simply para- 
 lysing. As long as Lutz had strength to play the piano, 
 Ashby Sterry found breath enough to perpetrate the wildest, 
 most eccentric, and vigorous contortions and evolutions 
 conceivable. They would have filled any dancing dervish 
 with the greenest envy. At the conclusion of his trial 
 trip d'Auban, when he had sufficiently recovered from 
 amazement and exhaustion superinduced by uncontrollable 
 laughter, simply remarked, " I can teach you nothing, sir, 
 in the way of dancing. If you can do anything in any 
 way approaching that in the performance, you will make 
 the hit of the show." 
 
 And, upon my word, I believe he did. It certainly 
 was like nothing ever seen before or since. 
 
 H.R.H. the Prince and Princess of Wales were 
 again in evidence, and as usual were most generous in 
 applause. 
 
 A third performance was given on a Saturday night at 
 what then was known as the " Imperial Theatre " at the 
 Westminster Aqu-arium. 
 
AMATEUR BURLESQUE OF 1881 147 
 
 Nobody seems, as far as I can gather, to have been 
 inspired to write verses about the Amateur Burlesque. 
 
 Eh ? Heme himself ? What about him ? I have 
 no recollection of him beyond the fact that I tried my 
 best to impersonate him, whether successfully or other- 
 wise is not for me to say, even if I remembered, which I 
 do not. 
 
VII 
 THE GREEK PLAY, CAMBRIDGE 
 
 By J. W. CLARK 
 
 In the summer term of 1880 some enterprising Oxford 
 undergraduates persuaded Dr. Jowett to allow them to 
 represent the "Agamemnon" of ^schylus in the Hall of 
 Balliol College. Their effort not only achieved an im- 
 mediate and splendid success, but entailed consequences 
 of which the most enthusiastic member of that company 
 never dreamt. For some five hundred years Greek plays 
 had been read, and commented upon, and imitated ; but 
 nobody had ever thought of acting one. The experiment 
 made at Oxford showed that these ancient works could 
 still be effective on the stage ; and in the eighteen years 
 that have elapsed since then, Greek plays have been acted 
 in America and in England with a popularity which 
 shows hardly any signs of waxing cold. 
 
 In the following year the " OEdipus Tyrannus " was 
 given at Harvard, but still our Cambridge gave no hint 
 of following these two examples. At last, in the middle 
 of May 1882, the subject came up accidentally in the 
 course of conversation after a dinner at my house. There 
 were present Dr. Waldstein and Mr. H. F. Wilson, then 
 enjoying a brief repose after taking his degree. I cannot 
 now remember how the talk began, but before long we 
 had got as far as to determine to act a Greek play. A 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, CAMBRIDGE 149 
 
 copy of the " Poetae Scenici," that useful collection of 
 all the Greek plays that have come down to us, was 
 fetched, and our search began. We put yEschylus out 
 of court at once, because it was felt that his masterpiece 
 had been given already, and we passed on to Sophocles. 
 1 began to read the titles of his plays, which are arranged 
 alphabetically. " Ajax," I read. "Jim Stephen," cried 
 Wilson. " Of course," shouted Waldstein. The matter 
 was settled. I should explain that by " Jim Stephen " 
 we meant J. K. Stephen, scholar of King's College, who 
 was then giving brilliant promise of a successful career, 
 cut short, alas ! a few years afterwards by a lingering 
 illness and an untimely death. His splendid physique 
 pointed him out as an almost ideal Ajax, and the result 
 fully justified our selection. 
 
 The term was half over, and if we were to add our 
 play to the attractions of the " May week," there was not 
 a moment to lose. The sanction of the Vice-Chancellor 
 was easily obtained, and next, as a matter of precaution, 
 " a meeting of those interested in the scheme " was sum- 
 moned for Wednesday, 24th May. Our real object in 
 calling this meeting was pecuniary ; none of us had any 
 money to risk or to lose, and we thought it prudent to 
 find out, if possible, what support we were likely to get 
 in the University. 
 
 The attendance at that meeting could not be described 
 as large, but it was influential ; and Dr. Kennedy, Regius 
 Professor of Greek, supported us with generous enthu- 
 siasm ; but he, and all the others present, counselled delay. 
 In fact, looking back on our aspirations at that now 
 distant period, it seems almost incredible that we could 
 have thought of getting up a Greek play, music and all, 
 in less than three weeks ! So it was agreed to act in 
 
150 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 the following October term, a committee was appointed, 
 and we separated. 
 
 The first act of this body — I may say the only act — 
 was to place the coming representation under the care 
 of Dr. Waldstein, who threw himself into his new duties 
 with infinite zeal and energy. His object was twofold ; 
 first, to have the play thoroughly well acted ; and, 
 secondly, to bring into it all the archaeological correctness 
 possible — no easy task when the different conditions 
 under which the Greeks worked are taken into account. 
 The Cambridge theatre of 1882 was an oblong struc- 
 ture of wood, with a stage at one end and a gallery at 
 the other, while the stalls occupied the interval. It 
 was easy to sneer at this building and call it a barn, 
 but it lent itself admirably to the ingenious devices by 
 which Dr. Waldstein turned its wooden planks into the 
 semblance of marble. The modern proscenium was 
 easily disguised by a wooden framework painted to repre- 
 sent a pediment resting on columns, delicately tinted with 
 colour, and heightened with gold ; and the removal of 
 a few rows of stalls gave space for a chorus-platform 
 on a lower level than the stage, but about two feet above 
 that of the auditorium, with an altar of Dionysus, heaped 
 with fruit and flowers, in the centre. 
 
 For the presentation of the play we had but little to 
 guide us. It is a received tradition that a Greek stage had 
 an architectural background pierced with three doors ; 
 but whether scenery was or was not used in addition to 
 this, is still a vexed question. Further, what rules were 
 to be laid down for the actors ? In the large open-air 
 theatres of ancient Greece their stature was artificially 
 heightened, they wore masks, and they spoke through a 
 mouth-piece. Such devices could not be employed here ; 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, CAMBRIDGE 151 
 
 nor did we feel that the performance would gain in dignity 
 if our actors declaimed their lines without gestures, stand- 
 ing at a respectful distance from each other — a method 
 which is, I believe, called "plastic," and is supposed to 
 represent ancient custom. We determined after long and 
 respectful deliberation to treat the " Ajax " as a modern 
 play. We divided it into two scenes, which we might as 
 well have called acts, for we dropped the curtain between ' 
 them, and we engaged Mr. John O'Connor to paint a 
 separate landscape for each. There remained the one 
 distinguishing mark of the Greek stage, the Chorus, which 
 we were obliged frankly to accept, and deal with as best 
 we could. I have already mentioned the separate stage 
 provided for its evolutions. Its utterances were set to 
 music by Professor Macfarren ; and Mr. Stanford, as he 
 was in those days, taught the performers to sing, and then 
 conducted. It was objected that Macfarren's music was 
 not Greek. Perhaps it was not — but it was effective, and 
 contributed not a little to the success of the performance. 
 The choice of actors was not easy. Mr. Stephen 
 readily consented to play Ajax, but for the rest, all was 
 uncertain. Fortunately Dr. Waldstein had a large under- 
 graduate acquaintance, and by his own exertions and those 
 of his friends a number of aspirants to dramatic fame were 
 got together. Many came, and many went away, rejected 
 by our stern stage-manager, who would accept nothing 
 short of the best. At last, however, the cast became 
 fairly complete, and we had several rehearsals in the 
 course of the Long Vacation. But we were still without a 
 Tecmessa, when a fortunate accident threw in our way Mr. 
 Macklin of Gonville and Caius College. I shall never forget 
 his first appearance on the stage of a College Hall lent for 
 rehearsal. The part had not been in his hands for more 
 
15^ AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 than an hour, and he could not have read more than the 
 opening hnes, but as he walked on to the dais, book in 
 hand, he became the person he had to represent ; and 
 succeeding study only developed into rare and beautiful 
 completeness one of the most remarkable impersonations 
 it has ever been my good fortune to witness. 
 
 Of all the difficulties with which a Greek performance 
 is beset, perhaps that of dress is the greatest ; and even 
 after the costume has been designed, it is no easy matter 
 to teach the actor to wear it in a natural and becoming 
 manner. It is recorded that at Harvard the actors wore 
 their dresses at every rehearsal ; and in our later perform- 
 ances at Cambridge we have followed this excellent 
 example to some extent. But when we played the 
 "Ajax" we were inexperienced, and in fact none of us, 
 except Dr. Waldstein, knew what Greek dress meant. On 
 him, as was natural, the duties of costumier devolved ; and, 
 as in all other matters, he went to original authorities, as 
 vase-paintings, bas-reliefs, and statues. From these the 
 dresses were designed, and altered again and again until 
 found satisfactory. 
 
 The play was given on the nights of 29th November, 
 30th November, and ist December 1882, and on the 
 afternoon of 2nd December. Our fears of failure proved 
 groundless. It was a remarkable indication of the power 
 of Sophocles that the attention of the audience never flagged 
 during the two hours and a half during which the per- 
 formance lasted. Even those ignorant of Greek were pro- 
 foundly affected, and came a second and even a third time 
 to see it. The applause was frequent, spontaneous, and 
 well-timed. The best passages seemed to have a power 
 of their own to make themselves appreciated, independent 
 of the language in which they were written. 
 
Mr. M. R. James as Peithetairos in "The Birds." 
 
 From a dranniis; hv C. 71/. Newton. 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, CAMBRIDGE 153 
 
 I notice that contemporary critics speak of the acting 
 with kindly commendation ; and I am glad to find that in 
 their judgments there were no blots upon a performance 
 of high average merit. Of Mr. Macklin's Tecmessa I 
 have already spoken. We knew that Mr. Stephen would 
 look the part of Ajax, but nobody could have been pre- 
 pared for the dramatic power with which he realised the 
 different phases of the character. Teucer also, who domi- 
 nates the second part of the play, after Ajax is dead, found 
 an admirable exponent in Mr. H. C. Cust. His presence 
 and bearing stood him in good stead ; but those natural 
 gifts would have been of little avail without the pathos 
 of his grief, the scorn of his contempt for the Atridae, 
 and the tenderness with which he sheltered Tecmessa 
 and her child. 
 
 When we came to balance the accounts of our receipts 
 and expenses we found that the former had exceeded the 
 latter by ;^ii2 ; which sum, as the treasurer told the 
 guarantors, " it is proposed to apply to defraying a portion 
 of the expenses of the next performance." This the com- 
 mittee lost no time in organising. Their minute-book 
 informs me that on May 16, 1883, " it was agreed to play 
 ' The Birds ' of Aristophanes at the end of November next, 
 and that Mr., now Sir Hubert, Parry should be requested to 
 write the music." As I think on those days I marvel at our 
 courage, at the delightful airiness with which we ignored 
 difficulties, or skipped over them. Athenian comedy is 
 separated from us by a far wider interval than Athenian 
 tragedy. The comedies of Aristophanes not only belong 
 to a civilisation which has completely passed away, but 
 were written for particular occasions, and are full of per- 
 sonal allusions, the point of which is either wholly lost, or 
 can only be ascertained by long and laborious research. 
 
154 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Further, many scenes which are delightful to read are 
 very dreary in representation — as, for instance, the long 
 contest between ^Eschylus and Euripides in " The Frogs." 
 And yet we undertook, in the lightness of our hearts, to 
 set one of these before the public in six months' time ! 
 No doubt, if Aristophanes was to be acted, we were right 
 to begin with *' The Birds." It is a brilliant piece of 
 poetry and fun, in which, as Mr. Swinburne happily 
 observes, the humour of Rabelais is united to the lyrical 
 grace of Shelley, it is well known, and it appeals to the 
 eye as much as to the mind. A playgoer must be dull 
 indeed who does not enter into the fun of the foundation 
 of Cloud-Cuckoo-Town, and the humours of the Sovereign 
 Birds. 
 
 The dresses of the Birds gave occasion for much dis- 
 cussion. It was finally decided that no attempt should be 
 made to realise birds completely, for there are many lines in 
 the play which show that the faces of the performers must 
 have been visible. A fantastic combination of bird-plum- 
 age and human dress was therefore invented, consisting 
 of a head-dress modelled after a bird's real head, with a 
 beak projecting from the forehead of the actor. The wings 
 were attached to the ordinary Greek chiton, and made of 
 canvas, painted in imitation of the real markings. The 
 terminal quills were represented by a piece of bamboo, 
 which the actor held in his hand under the canvas, so 
 that he could extend or fold his wings at pleasure. We 
 planned all this ourselves, and Mr. John O'Connor painted 
 the wings in colours judiciously contrasted. The first 
 entrance of the Birds was always received with long and 
 loud applause ; and it must be recorded that they not only 
 looked pretty, but that they danced with grace, and acted 
 with intelligence. It was impossible to have numerous 
 
'^ 
 
 ""M.^^p.i 
 
 One of the Birds. 
 
 From a draivin^^ by C. M. Newton. 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, CAMBRIDGE 155 
 
 rehearsals, as the performers were mostly hard-reading 
 undergraduates, so that the " business " was invented on 
 the stage, and varied at each representation ; but they all 
 thoroughly enjoyed their parts, and did their very best 
 with them. The Jackdaw had the impertinence and in- 
 quisitiveness suitable to the character, and his by-play 
 with the tall Flamingo was exceedingly varied and divert- 
 ing. There was also a Cock who crowed and flapped his 
 wings with comic self-approval ; and much fun was made 
 out of the eagerness with which they all hopped forward 
 to pick up the grain which the Priest scattered at the 
 Sacrifice. 
 
 Fortunately for us Sir Hubert Parry was delighted with 
 his subject, and provided us with music which was not only 
 received with enthusiasm when first written, but is still 
 popular. Our composer was no slave to archaism. He 
 knew that Greek methods in music could not be success- 
 fully reproduced, and therefore set himself to express, in 
 a thoroughly modern way, the ideas suggested by the 
 words and situations. He was ably seconded by his 
 singers. None who heard are likely to forget the nuptial 
 song, or the charm of Mr. G. F. Maquay's rendering of 
 the Invocation to the Birds — one of those exquisite poems 
 which Aristophanes was so fond of introducing in the 
 midst of his wildest burlesque. 
 
 I should mention before I leave this delightful comedy, 
 over which I spent some of the happiest days of my life, 
 that we treated the text with the same freedom as that of 
 the Ajax. We used the pruning-knife a good deal — some 
 said not enough — and we divided what was left into three 
 acts, for each of which Mr. O'Connor provided an appro- 
 priate scene. When the acting took place in the clouds, 
 we indicated atmosphere by stretching a sheet of gauze 
 
156 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 across the stage, behind which the Birds passed and re- 
 passed, as though flying through the air. We played the 
 comedy seven times ; always to full, sometimes to crowded, 
 houses ; and could we have played it for a fortnight, I 
 believe the house would have been as full at the end as 
 it was at the beginning. It was estimated that 2700 people 
 had witnessed it. 
 
 After these two successes we reposed awhile ; and 
 having no play to mount, we secured our position by 
 organising our committee. We had found by experience 
 that the system into which we had accidentally drifted 
 worked exceedingly well — namely, that a body of older 
 men, carefully selected as likely to be useful in various 
 ways — scholastic, archaeological, or dramatic — should be 
 permanently enrolled ; that they should select the play to 
 be represented, the actors in which would, as a general rule, 
 be undergraduates ; and that then they should extend their 
 numbers temporarily. I will subjoin the rules we then 
 drew up, which we have never seen cause to change : — 
 
 RULES FOR THE CONSTITUTION OF THE GREEK 
 PLAY COMMITTEE. 
 
 (Agreed to, ist March 1884.) 
 
 1. That a permanent Committee be established, called "the Greek 
 Play Committee," consisting of not more than eighteen members resi- 
 dent at Cambridge, from whom shall be chosen a President, three Vice- 
 Presidents, a Treasurer, and a Secretaiy. Any member of the Committee 
 ceasing to reside shall vacate his seat on the Committee. Vacancies on 
 the Committee shall be filled up by co-optation. 
 
 2. That the permanent Committee shall invest or deposit its funds 
 in the names of two Trustees, of whom the Treasurer shall be one ; and 
 that the accounts shall be regularly audited once in each year by an 
 auditor appointed by the permanent Committee. 
 
 3. That, when it is resolved to produce a Greek play, the Committee 
 shall co-opt temporary or occasional members of Committee, so that the 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, CAMBRIDGE 157 
 
 whole number of the Committee shall not exceed twenty-four : the 
 occasional members shall continue to be members of Committee until 
 the end of the term next succeeding the representation of the play, or 
 until the proposed representation has been abandoned. 
 
 4. That the Committee thus temporarily enlarged (which shall be 
 known by the name of the play to be produced) shall appoint from 
 amongst its members, in addition to the permanent officers, a Stage- 
 manager, a Conductor of the Chorus, a Sub-committee for the election 
 of actors, and such other Sub-committees as may be necessary. 
 
 It was soon decided to perform another play in the 
 Michaelmas Term of 1885, and, mainly on the advice of 
 Professor Jebb, we chose the " Eumenides " of /Eschylus. 
 We learnt by experience how sound this advice was ; but 
 before we had got the piece in hand, so to speak, I think 
 that most of us were rather terrified at the magnitude of 
 the task before us. 
 
 The personages to be represented, with the exception 
 of Orestes and the Shade of Clytemnestra, are deities ; and 
 the Furies, or, as the Athenians called them. The Gracious 
 Goddesses, compose the Chorus, and are therefore con- 
 stantly before the public. How were they to be pre- 
 sented ? and how were we to treat Pallas Athena, who 
 presides at the trial of Orestes ? Could we entrust such 
 a part to an undergraduate ? Gradually, as commonly 
 happens when everybody is in earnest, difficulties vanished. 
 A young lady of great dramatic ability. Miss J. E. Case, 
 then a student at Girton College, was willing to play 
 Athena ; Mr. Macklin (already famous in the University 
 for his impersonation of Tecmessa in the '' Ajax ") under- 
 took Orestes ; Dr. Waldstein found a vase-painting which 
 taught us how to dress the Furies so that they might be 
 terrible and not ridiculous ; Mr. Stanford supplied the 
 music, and Mr. O'Connor the scenery. The play requires 
 three scenes — the Interior of the Temple at Delphi, the 
 
158 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Exterior of the Temple of Athena on the Acropolis at 
 Athens, and the Court of Areopagus. All these are 
 elaborate sets, and taxed our resources to the utmost. I 
 have since learnt that my reconstruction of the Temple at 
 Delphi — on the accuracy of which I greatly prided myself 
 — was entirely wrong ; but, fortunately for me, the public 
 did not find me out ; and even if they had, the acting of 
 Mr. Dighton Pollock as Apollo, Mr. Macklin as Orestes, and 
 Mr. Platts as the Shade of Clytemnestra would have made 
 them forget any quantity of archasological shortcomings. 
 But I cannot trust myself to speak of these things. I 
 will call an impersonal witness — a critic in The Saturday 
 Review. 
 
 " Of the first Act it is not too much to say that the impression it 
 conveys is far more powerful than any that we have received from any 
 stage representation whatsoever. The fauhless grouping and noble 
 massing together of colour are things never to be forgotten, and it 
 would prove an impossible task to attempt to select any special ex- 
 cellence of movement or arrangement where all was perfect. We 
 cannot, however, pass over Mr. Platts' admirable rendering of the 
 Shade of Clytemnestra in silence. . . . The gradual working up to the 
 culminating point of passion, when the last of the Furies shakes off the 
 spell of slumber under the tempest of Clytemnestra's rage, could not have 
 been bettered. Mr. Macklin's Orestes was a performance of unusual 
 power, displaying emotional qualities and a soundness of judgment not 
 often to be met with. . . . The Apollo of Mr. Dighton Pollock was also 
 admirable alike for gesture and diction. Miss Case spoke and moved 
 with much grace and distinction as Athena. Of the gentlemen to whom 
 the parts of the Furies were entrusted it would be difficult to speak too 
 highly ; and no small part of the overpowering effect of the whole 
 performance was owing to their thoroughly artistic handling of some- 
 what risky material. Beauty was never lost sight of in horror." 
 
 I have explained the constitution of our committee, 
 and the point of view from which we approach Greek 
 plays, in some detail, because it seems to me important 
 that a chapter such as this, of limited length, should 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, CAMBRIDGE 159 
 
 explain principles, as well as describe the works repre- 
 sented. To what I have said above about our procedure, 
 I should add a brief account of how we select our actors. 
 A few months before the performance is to take place a 
 notice of it is issued, and those who are willing to sing 
 in the chorus, or to act, are invited to communicate with 
 the stage-manager. In this way we are enabled to dis- 
 cover talent which, having regard to the size of the 
 University, we could not otherwise get at. After some 
 preliminary conversation a day is appointed on which 
 possible capacities are tried. The men who come are 
 invited either to declaim something that they know, or to 
 learn a scene from the work selected for representation. 
 A provisional assignment of parts is then made, and the 
 rehearsals begin. 
 
 At the conclusion of the " Eumenides " two questions 
 presented themselves. How soon should we play again ? 
 and what play should we give ? The former question 
 was soon settled by deciding not to perform again before 
 1887, but the second was more difficult. Our choice 
 of plays is, in some respects, limited. We have never 
 attempted a female chorus. No doubt the Greeks pre- 
 sented men dressed as women, who must have sung with 
 male voices ; but our musical contingent has always pro- 
 tested against that combination. On this occasion some 
 of us pleaded for Euripides, others for the " CEdipus 
 Tyrannus " of Sophocles ; and finally it was agreed to 
 attempt that masterpiece of Attic tragedy — partly, I think, 
 because it had been given at Harvard (in 1881), and 
 partly because we happened to have ready to our hands 
 some sound and tried dramatic material. 
 
 We all realised the difficulty of the task before us, and 
 we set to work with a steady determination to produce 
 
i6o AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 the play in a manner worthy of itself and of the reputa- 
 tion we had already gained ; and I do not think that I 
 am unduly partial if I record that we succeeded. This 
 was the cast : — 
 
 CEdipus . 
 
 Jocasta . 
 
 Creon 
 
 Teiresias . 
 
 Priest of Zeus 
 
 Messenger from Corinth 
 
 Herdsman of Laius . Mr 
 
 Messenger from the Palace 
 
 Leader of the Chorus 
 
 Mr. T. H. G. Randolph, Trinity. 
 
 Mr. C. Platts, Trinity. 
 
 Mr. F. T. Miller, Gonville and Caius. 
 
 Mr. H. Head, Trinity. 
 
 Mr. L. G. B. Ford, King's. 
 
 . Mr. M. R. Jainies, King's. 
 
 T. A. Bertram, Gonville and Caius. 
 
 . Mr. H. B. Smlph, Trinity. 
 
 Mr. R. R. Ottley, Trinity. 
 
 The Jocasta of Mr. Platts was quite up to the level of 
 his Shade of Clytemnestra ; and Mr. Randolph's CEdipus 
 surpassed all our expectations. The part is one of almost 
 overwhelming difficulty ; and it would be no disgrace to 
 even a tried actor of established reputation to say that he 
 had failed in it. But Mr. Randolph, by natural ability 
 and careful study, assisted by some lessons from Hermann 
 Vezin, and a few reminiscences of Mounet-Sully, gave a 
 clear and consistent realisation of the character, from the 
 proud, patronising bearing in the opening scene, to the 
 terrible pathos of the close. He was ably seconded by 
 Creon and the rest ; and it was easy to see, from the 
 demeanour of the audience, that they were profoundly 
 impressed. I should add that the play gained greatly by 
 Mr. Stanford's music, and that Mr. O'Connor provided a 
 single scene of great beauty. We tried to indicate the 
 despot by his environment : we gave him a marble palace, 
 glowing with colour ; we clad him in the most sumptuous 
 robes we could devise, with gold on his head and arms, 
 and a golden head to his staff of office ; he was attended 
 
THE GREEK PLAY, CAMBRIDGE i6i 
 
 by four stalwart guards ; and when the curtain rose the 
 stage was crowded with the suppHant Thebans, who hailed 
 him as their deliverer. 
 
 I have now nearly reached the limit of space allotted 
 to me ; and though I am not weary, perhaps my readers 
 are, so I will pass rapidly over the rest of my story. 
 
 After " QEdipus " three years elapsed before we played 
 again, and then we determined to make trial of Euripides. 
 We chose the " Ion," turning the chorus of waiting-women 
 into one of serving-men. It was a venturesome experiment ; 
 for the play is literary rather than dramatic, and the curi- 
 ously involved plot, with its modern melodramatic interest, 
 must be followed closely to be intelligible. The play was 
 well acted, the Ion of Mr. Stephen Powys was eminently 
 youthful and charming, and the music of Mr. C. Wood 
 was appropriate ; but I doubt if the public verdict was as 
 favourable as usual ; and in 1894, when we tried Euripides 
 again and mounted the " Iphigenia in Tauris," there was 
 an ominous falling off in the attendance. And yet this 
 play, tried by the usual tests to which dramatic works are 
 submitted, was as well acted and as carefully presented 
 as any of our previous efforts. Our conclusion was that 
 " Euripides the human " does not suit the end of the 
 nineteenth century. 
 
 Lastly, in 1 897, we gave " The Wasps " of Aristophanes, 
 under somewhat changed conditions. The old theatre, 
 which I have described above, had given place to a 
 charming new playhouse, which we could not treat 
 with the same easy familiarity. We made no attempt, 
 therefore, to construct a separate chorus-platform, but 
 treated the chorus as an integral part of the play, not as 
 something external to it. The fun of " The Wasps " is 
 readily understood, even by those who cannot follow the 
 
 L 
 
i62 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Greek text, and our performance was received from 
 beginning to end with roars of laughter. Not only was 
 the trial, with the cock and the puppies, conspicuously 
 successful, but even the third act, in which the old jury- 
 man is taught the manners of the polite world — a lesson 
 which he loses no time in forgetting — was felt to be quite 
 free from dulness. Mr. Reginald Balfour as Bdelycleon, 
 and Mr. Fry as Philocleon, proved themselves excellent 
 comedians, and they were admirably seconded by the 
 others. The Wasps too were as waspish as the author 
 could have wished, the music of Mr. T. T. Noble was 
 bright and attractive, and the single scene, painted by 
 Mr. Hemsley, representing an open place in Athens with 
 the Acropolis in the distance, was a most beautiful and 
 artistic production. 
 
VIII 
 THE O.U.D.S. 
 
 By CLAUD NUGENT 
 
 I 
 
 IT is a great mistake to suppose that the art of acting is 
 a modern development in the sister universities. As 
 early as 1535 it was so encouraged at Cambridge that 
 nine lecturers of Trinity were ordered by statute to act 
 publicly every Christmas on pain of ids. fine for non- 
 compliance. At Oxford also plays were written in Latin 
 and English, and represented by members of the univer- 
 sity in the presence of the kings and queens of the 
 sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. When Queen Eliza- 
 beth visited Oxford in 1566, and again in 1592, it was 
 customary to produce plays on Sunday evenings in Christ 
 Church Hall. On the first of the two visits a Latin play 
 called " Progne," by a Canon of Christ Church, was pro- 
 duced. On the same occasion an English play called 
 " Palaemon and Archyte," written by R. Edwards, was 
 acted, in which a real pack of hounds was introduced into 
 Tom Quadrangle to lend effect to a hunting scene. The 
 audience grew so excited when the hounds gave tongue 
 that they ran out into the quadrangle, and left the play to 
 go on by itself. Nor was acting at this time confined to 
 Christ Church alone ; for at St. John's College in 1607 they 
 
 actually elected a Prince of the revels, who should serve 
 
 163 
 
i64 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 as a Christmas lord to superintend all the forthcoming 
 festivities for the months of December and January. It 
 will be worth while to record ver}^ briefly the causes 
 which led to this curious institution. It seems that on the 
 31st of October in the above-mentioned year the graduates 
 and undergraduates were collected in their Hall to cele- 
 brate All Saints' Eve. The scene was a riotous one, be- 
 cause, although the object of the meeting was to witness 
 divers sports in preparation for Christmas, there appeared 
 to be no clear arrangement what the sports should be, 
 or by whom they should be represented. The Seniors 
 were content to be onlookers ; Second-Year men, called 
 « Poulderings," were anxious to exhibit their ability ; but 
 the Freshmen, " Punies of the first year," were not re- 
 markable for their patience, and the tumult in conse- 
 quence became so great, that no sports could on that 
 night be held at all. This led, as I have said, to the elec- 
 tion of a " Christmas Prince," and a certain Mr. Thomas 
 Tucker was the chosen one. We have his formal title, 
 which runs as follows : — 
 
 "The most magnificent and renowned Thomas, by 
 the favour of Fortune, Prince of Alba Fortunata,^ Lord 
 St. John's, High Regent of ye Hall, Duke of St. Giles',- 
 Marquesse of Magdalen's,' Landgrave of ye Grove,^ 
 County Palatine of ye Cloisters,^ Chief Bailiff of ye Beau- 
 monts,* High Ruler of Rome,^ Master of the Manor of 
 
 1 Alludes to the name of the founder of the College, Sir Thomas White. 
 
 2 The parishes which border on St. John's. 
 ' Part of the home domain. 
 
 4 The name of some lands belonging to the College, on which stood originally 
 the Palace of the Beaumonts, built by King Henry I., and still surviving in the 
 name of Beaumont Street. 
 
 * The name of a piece of land on the north side of Oxford, near a walk which 
 used to be called Non Ultra. 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 165 
 
 Waltham ^ Governor of Gloucester Green." ^ A rate was 
 levied on all the members of the College in proportion to 
 their ability, the President being taxed to the extent of 
 forty shillings, and Mr. Laud, who was none other than the 
 future Archbishop of Canterbury, furnishing on two sepa- 
 rate occasions sums of ten shillings. The public installation 
 of the Prince took place on the evening of St. Andrew's Day. 
 The first play was produced with the title of " Ara Fortunae," 
 or " Fortune's Altar." The next performance took place 
 on Christmas Day, when Prince Tucker sat down at the 
 High Table in the Vice-President's place, and was served 
 with a magnificent banquet, including the customary 
 boar's head. The evening ended with an interlude, con- 
 sisting of " Saturnalia," which were eminently successful, 
 " because," says the narrator, " there were no strangers to 
 trouble us." A tragedy called " Philomela " was given on 
 December 29th, fairly successfully, although the carpenters 
 were by no means ready with the stage, and the Prince 
 himself, who was to play the part of Tereus, had got an 
 extremely bad cold in his head. On New Year's Eve 
 there seems to have been a complete fiasco in a play 
 called "Time's Complaint." The Prince and his suite 
 passed through the quadrangle, honoured by three suc- 
 cessive volleys of shot from fifty or three score guns ; 
 but no sooner was the play begun than the tale of 
 misfortunes commenced. The " Prologue," who had 
 only six lines to say, clean forgot them all, and after 
 a long stage - wait abruptly went behind the scenes. 
 One of the comic characters was the Goodwife Spigott. 
 Unfortunately she came on the boards before her 
 proper time, and had to fill in the interval by some 
 
 1 The manor of Waltham, or Walton, belonged to the College. 
 
 2 Literally a meadow close to Gloucester Hall, from which it derives its name. 
 
i66 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 meaningless babble, which was not well appreciated by 
 the audience. The low comedian, in acting the part of 
 Humphrey Swallow, a drunken cobbler, used his oppor- 
 tunities with a gusto which was anything but pleasing to 
 the company at large : he so emphatically over-acted his 
 part, that he delayed the action of the scene and only pro- 
 duced disgust. On Sunday evening, January loth, being 
 properly the last day of the vacation, it occurred to some 
 merry spirits to produce a mock play, called " The Seven 
 Days of the Week," which proved to be the most 
 successful performance during the reign of the Prince. 
 In the first week of term the Prince and his fellow-actors 
 were invited to Christ Church to witness a rival perform- 
 ance, entitled " Yule Tide," which indulged in some witty 
 pleasantries against Prince Tucker. The Prince's resigna- 
 tion took place on February 9th, Shrove Tuesday. As 
 his reign had been introduced by a play dedicated to 
 Fortune, so also was its close commemorated by an 
 exhibition, entitled "Ara seu Tumulus Fortunae," to 
 designate the final term of Fortune's dynasty. At the 
 close of the performance the Prince, now but a prince 
 in name, was conducted to his own private chamber in a 
 solemn funeral procession. 
 
 Thus England was merry England before the Puritan 
 came and swept all such joys away. 
 
 II 
 
 About the year 1845 Oxford was passing through one 
 of her witty periods, which are now, alas ! so unfrequent. 
 Nowadays the art of satire and epigram seems almost 
 lost at the Universities. Since the days of Calverley's 
 poems, I do not think anything in that line has been 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 167 
 
 written which is likely to survive the test of time. But 
 fifty years ago it was a different story. Those were the 
 days of the "Art of Pluck " and the " Hints to Freshmen," 
 followed in 1869 by the "Oxford Spectator," and the 
 " Tatler." Then came the desire for the drama, the desire, 
 that is, to put wit into action. Brazenose College must 
 have the credit of being the first college to start theatricals. 
 The late Frank Talfourd, together with some fellow-under- 
 graduates, started a society called the " Oxford Dramatic 
 Amateurs." They did not act very much in Oxford, but 
 generally gave their performances at Henley during the 
 Regatta week, in much the same way as the " Old Stagers " 
 do in the Canterbury week. Their first public venture 
 was in 1847, when a burlesque by Talfourd, entitled 
 " Macbeth Travestie," was performed, with the author as 
 Lady Macbeth, and Samuel Brandram as Macbeth. The 
 entertainment concluded with " Bombastes Furioso," in 
 which Mr. Brandram actually danced.^ So successful 
 was this performance, that it was subsequently repeated 
 at the residence of Talfourd's father in Russell Square be- 
 fore a large audience, comprising Charles Dickens, John 
 Leech, Albert Smith, the Keeleys, and other distinguished 
 persons. 
 
 In 1848 "Ion," by Mr. Talfourd, senior, was given at 
 Brazenose College, and this was probably the first public 
 dramatic entertainment given by undergraduates in 
 Oxford during this century. This performance was very 
 near being a failure, because Oust, an undergraduate of 
 the College, now better known as the Dean of York, 
 threw up his part (a very important one) at the last 
 moment in order to go to the Queen's ball. 
 
 1 The late George Augustus Sala made a picture of the J>as de quatre danced 
 on this occasion. 
 
i68 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 In 1849 the undergraduates grew more ambitious 
 and took Miss Kelley's (the old Royalty) Theatre, where 
 they repeated " Macbeth Travestie," preceded by a drama 
 in which Mr. Brandram and Mrs. Fanny Stirling appeared. 
 
 In 1850 another performance was got up at Oxford, 
 in which " Box and Cox " was given in place of 
 "Thumping Legacy," which for some reason was given 
 up, although it had been put into rehearsal with Edmund 
 Yates as Jerry, and Charles Kegan Paul as Rosetta. As 
 an entr^acte Mr. Brandram sang " Caller Herrin'." The 
 performance concluded with a burlesque of " Hamlet." 
 
 In the same year, fired by the success of the Braze- 
 nose Amateurs, we now find Balliol taking up the work. 
 A club was started there by Herman Charles Merivale 
 and Robert Reece, who called it "The Tents of the 
 Keanites " (Merivale being a particular friend of the late 
 Charles Kean). A humble actor, who had been lately play- 
 ing in a travelling company at Oxford, and was now 
 earning a small recompense by reading out " cribs " to 
 lazy undergraduates, was engaged, and to his experience 
 the Balliol Amateurs owed their success. " To Oblige 
 Benson " and " Crinoline " were the plays chosen, and were 
 given in 1850, to the horror of the authorities. Besides 
 Reece and Merivale, many well-known persons took part 
 in this performance, including Edmond Warre (now 
 Head Master of Eton College) ; in fact, the performance 
 took place in his room. The Dons got wind of the 
 matter, and it reached the ears of Professor Jowett, 
 Thereupon a meeting was held in " Common Room," 
 but with very good sense they let the undergraduates 
 alone, and a repetition of the performance on a larger 
 scale was allowed, to which the Dons themselves and 
 ladies were invited. 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 169 
 
 There is no record of any further acting having taken 
 place until 1866, when the "Shooting Stars," a more im- 
 portant Society than any hitherto started in Oxford, was 
 formed. On July 8th of that year they acted the " Comical 
 Countess " and " Lalla Rookh " (burlesque) in the Masonic 
 Hall. In November they played " Dearest Mamma " and 
 " Fair Helen," by Vincent Amcotts, at the Victoria Music 
 Hall. In February 1868, at the same place, they per- 
 formed " Wonderful Woman " and " Lurline." During 
 this period, also, an excellent Society was formed at St. 
 John's College, under the management of Mr. E. Nolan. 
 This Society went in for comedies and burlesques. During 
 the years 1866-68 they played "The Rivals," "She 
 Stoops to Conquer," "Scrap of Paper," "Still Waters 
 Run Deep," also the burlesques of " Iphigenia " and 
 " Romeo and Juliet." 
 
 In 1869 the authorities put their feet down, and acting 
 at Oxford was positively interdicted. 
 
 Ill 
 
 In 1879 commences a new era in the history of 
 Oxford acting. Hitherto, as will have been seen, the 
 various dramatic clubs, if we except the " Shooting Stars," 
 were purely of a private nature, and restricted to their 
 several Colleges. But now began a fierce fight for the 
 drama between Don and Undergraduate. It should be 
 mentioned that the only form of entertainment at this 
 time provided for the amusement of undergraduates was 
 a performance at the Victoria Music Hall, more familiarly 
 known as the " Vic," and now happily abolished. Many 
 are the stories told of the disgusting scenes which took place 
 
170 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 within its walls, not only on the stage, but also in the 
 auditorium ; for while the artistes never scrupled to hurl 
 at the audience any nasty things they had in their minds, 
 the occupants of the stalls retaliated with any nasty things 
 they had in their hands ; and yet this state of things was 
 passed over by the very authorities who persistently 
 refused to allow the legitimate drama to be performed 
 either by professionals or amateurs during term time. 
 In this year the Hon., and now Rev., James G. Adderley 
 came up to Christ Church, and it was to his enthusiasm, 
 and to the enthusiasm which he infused into the minds of 
 his contemporaries, that the dramatic ball was set rolling 
 which has never yet stopped. 
 
 A sharp tussel eventuated, firstly, in the subdual of 
 prejudice; secondly, in absolute concurrence; and finally, 
 in hearty co-operation. It only rests with the under- 
 graduates of the future to see that they do not abuse their 
 privileges, but maintain the high standard which up to the 
 present time has existed. 
 
 It occurred to Mr. Adderley and to some of his 
 Christ Church friends to endeavour to form a Society 
 similar to the famous Cambridge Amateur Dramatic Club. 
 Being fully aware of the prejudice with which they had to 
 contend, they satisfied themselves by starting in a small 
 way. They issued invitations to their Christ Church 
 friends, and prepared a performance, consisting of "The 
 Area Belle " and " Box and Cox." The performance was to 
 take place in Mr. Adderley's room in Peckwater Quadrangle, 
 and much consternation amongst the Dons was caused at 
 the sight of scenery and footlights being publicly carried 
 through the College gates. The Censors were dismayed, 
 but hardly knew how to stop it. 
 
 There is an old rule at Christ Church by which not 
 
Hon. and Rev. J. G. Adderley as Dinah's Nurse in 
 
 "VlLLIKINS AND HIS DiNAH." 
 
 From a photograph. 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 
 
 171 
 
 more than four supper rations are allowed to each person, 
 and as Mr. Adderley had applied for forty suppers, the 
 Censors thought that by refusing this request the per- 
 formance would probably fall to the ground. But a 
 means of evading this regulation readily presented itself to 
 Mr. Adderley ; he carefully examined the rules, and finding 
 nothing to prevent his doing so, ordered cold luncheon 
 for forty, which he kept in a cool place till the evening. 
 Both supper and theatricals were a great success, and 
 a few days afterwards the actors were sent for to the 
 Deanery, where they repeated the performance before 'the 
 late Duke of Albany, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford being 
 also amongst the audience. They now organised them- 
 selves into a Society called the Oxford University Philo- 
 thespian Society, and set about to prepare for a public 
 performance the following term. 
 
 The subjoined is the list of the original members : — 
 
 Hon. J. G. Adderley, Christ 
 
 Church, President. 
 Hon. R. Adderley, Ch. Ch. 
 H. D. ASTLEY, Ch. Ch. 
 F. E. Shafto Adair, Ch. Ch. 
 Elliott Lees, Ch. Ch. 
 
 J. W. GiLBART Smith, Ch. Ch. 
 Sir Henry LAMBERT,Bart., Ch.Ch. 
 W. Ogle, Ch. Ch. 
 SirGEORGE SiTWELL,Bart.,Ch. Ch. 
 Alan Mackinnon, Trinity. 
 
 Dr. Evans of Pembroke, who was at that time Vice- 
 Chancellor, absolutely refused to give his sanction to a 
 public performance. " You may do what you like in 
 your colleges," he said, '* but publicly I forbid you to 
 act." Mr. Adderley took the word " colleges " to include 
 " lodgings," and thereupon arranged a very successful per- 
 formance at 26 Cornmarket, where " Ici on parle Fran- 
 <jais," the Screen scene from " School for Scandal," and 
 " Villikins and his Dinah " were given to crowded audi- 
 ences. It is not to be supposed that this did not reach 
 
172 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 the ears of the authorities, and it was afterwards ascer- 
 tained that the Proctors actually came to the door of the 
 house, but on hearing that certain distinguished academic 
 ladies were present, thought it better not to interfere, and 
 accordingly retired. 
 
 In the Michaelmas term, 1880, the Vice-Chancellor 
 was again approached, and once more refused his sanction. 
 Nothing daunted, however, the Society risked his displea- 
 sure, and in February 1881 played "Dearer than Life" 
 and a burlesque called " Lord Lovell and Lady Nancy 
 Bell " at the Templar's Hall. Meeting with no rebuke, 
 " The Philothespians " were emboldened to attempt a per- 
 formance on even a larger scale. Accordingly, in the 
 Summer term of 1881 they took the Holywell Music 
 Room, and announced two public performances of " Clan- 
 destine Marriage." But this time the Vice-Chancellor was 
 aroused, and sent to Mr. Adderley a few days before the 
 performance, and remonstrated ; but being a kind-hearted 
 man, and knowing that the Society had been put to much 
 trouble and expense, he gave them permission to act, but 
 with the solemn charge that it must never occur again. 
 The Philothespians made full use of this permission, and 
 ordered to be printed a thousand circulars, headed with 
 the words, " By permission of the Vice-Chancellor." About 
 four hundred tickets were sold. Heads of Colleges, even 
 Proctors came ; and if it had not been for the deadening 
 feeling that this was to be the last appearance of the Philo- 
 thespians, there could not have been a pleasanter or more 
 successful show. There seemed nothing for it now but to 
 dissolve the Society, and a meeting was called to consider 
 the question ; it was decided, however, by a majority of 
 one, to continue, and club-rooms were taken in St. Aldates, 
 where many minor performances took place, including 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 173 
 
 Burnand and Sullivan's " Cox and Box," with Adderley as 
 Cox, Capel Cure as Box, and Alan Mackinnon as Sergeant 
 Bouncer. There is not space to record all the smaller 
 performances which took place in the Club House, in the 
 Holywell Music Room, and the Bicester Town Hall, but 
 they were of sufficient importance to keep the name of 
 the Society before the public, and to infuse sufficient enthu- 
 siasm amongst the members as to strengthen them for the 
 final struggle. In most of these performances the leading 
 lights were the Hon. J. G. Adderley, Mr. Mackinnon, 
 H. A. Tipping, Hon. G. Coleridge, and Mr. H. D. 
 Astley, who looked and played the female parts to per- 
 fection. 
 
 The Midsummer term of this year was the last term of 
 Dr. Evans's Vice-Chancellorship. The knowledge of this 
 fact emboldened the Philothespians to announce a per- 
 formance during Commemoration. The pieces chosen 
 were " Husband to Order " and " Little Toddlekins." 
 Very fortunately for the Society a new Senior Proctor at 
 this time came into office — the Rev. H. Scott Holland, 
 now Canon of St. Paul's. He was kind enough to throw 
 himself heart and soul into the matter. He interviewed 
 Dr. Evans, asking his leave for the performance to take 
 place on condition it were conducted in a more private 
 manner. Dr. Evans's reply was, " That he would not object, 
 provided the matter were not directly brought under his 
 notice " ; but as ill-luck would have it, it was brought 
 directly under his notice, and on the very morning of the 
 day upon which the performance was to take place Mr. 
 Adderley received a letter, which read as follows : " The 
 Vice-Chancellor considers that the performance announced 
 in the Holywell Rooms is a breach of the Statutes, and 
 a contempt of his authority, and therefore requests 
 
174 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Mr. Adderley to call upon him on Thursday at twelve 
 o'clock." 
 
 Mr. Adderley knew too well that this implied that, if 
 he acted on that day (Monday) he would be sent down 
 on the Thursday, which would be fatal to his University 
 career. He thereupon called at once upon the Vice- 
 Chancellor, and obtained an interview one hour before 
 the curtain was timed to rise. " Why do you come 
 here ? " said Dr. Evans ; " I told you to come next Thurs- 
 day." " I cannot wait till next Thursday," replied Adder- 
 ley. " I hear you are going to send me down : I want to 
 know if this is true before I go and act. I shall not act 
 if you are going to send me down." " I decline to answer 
 you ; you must come on Thursday." With a heavy 
 heart Adderley left the room to play the parts of Madame 
 Phillipeau and Amanthis. Through the mediation, how- 
 ever, of the Senior Proctor, Dr. Evans was induced to 
 look lightly on the matter ; and when the dreaded Thursday 
 arrived, received Adderley in the most friendly manner, 
 saying, " I should be sorry to do anything disagreeable, as 
 this is my last day of office : I shall not trouble you any 
 more after to-day. Good-bye ! " and they shook hands. 
 
 In the Michaelmas term, 1882, Adderley resigned the 
 Presidency of the Club, and as all the original members 
 were reading for their final schools, they were unable to 
 take much active interest in the affairs of the Society. 
 Coleridge and Mackinnon resigned their places on the 
 Committee, and G. Gurney of Merton was elected Presi- 
 dent. Fortunately, however, the dramatic flame was 
 fanned to almost a furnace by the arrival at this time of 
 Arthur Bourchier from Eton, who is now recognised as 
 one of our leading actors, and has even had a London-^ 
 theatre of his own. The Society had also a strong arm of 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 175 
 
 support in Mr. W. L. Courtney, a tutor of New College, now 
 better known in connection with the Daily Telegraph and 
 as editor of the Fortnightly Review. It was due, perhaps, 
 to these two gentlemen as much as to any other cause 
 that the Club was awakened to fresh activity, and prepara- 
 tions were made for renewing " the fight for the drama." 
 The important question was to decide what attitude should 
 be adopted towards the new Vice-Chancellor, the late 
 Professor Jowett. The course which was hit upon was 
 impudent, but at all events had the effect of bringing the 
 whole matter to a head at once. An invitation was sent to 
 Dr. Jowett to come to a grand performance of " Money " 
 in the Holywell Music Room. Needless to say, the Vice- 
 Chancellor could scarcely ignore the fiat of his predecessor 
 without some show of disapproval ; but happily, owing 
 again to the hearty support of the Senior Proctor, he was 
 more easily persuaded to look leniently upon the matter, 
 and finally induced to call together a meeting of the Philo- 
 thespians at his house, there to give his irrevocable deci- 
 sion, which has remained unaltered to this day : Firstly, 
 he sanctioned the performances already announced to take 
 place at the Holywell Music Rooms ; secondly, he gave 
 permission for public performances at Oxford on two con- 
 ditions — (i) that only plays by Shakespeare and Greek 
 plays were to be acted, (2) that ladies were to take the 
 female parts. 
 
 Four performances were given of " Money," which 
 was preceded by a prologue and a farce. The Vice- 
 Chancellor was himself present on one evening, and 
 Lytton's famous comedy was played to crowded houses. 
 The prologue was delivered by the old president and 
 founder, Mr. Adderley. The last four lines are as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
176 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 " But now farewell, they call for my removal, 
 I'm only here to buy your best approval. 
 This is a serious sale, and nothing funny ; 
 Vou give us your applause, lue give you ' Money ! ' " 
 
 Bourchier as Sir John Vesey and R. Goring Thomas 
 as Stout appear, between them, to have carried off the 
 palm. G. Gurney played Graves, and W. J. Morris of 
 Jesus, who has since done so much for the Club, doubled 
 the parts of Sharp and the Old Member. Alfred Evelyn 
 was played by Pryce Hamer, and Glossmore by W. H. 
 Spottiswoode. It seems to have been singularly suc- 
 cessful, and was spoken of very well at the time in the 
 London papers. 
 
 Needless to say that the snuff-box episode in the Club 
 Scene occasioned numberless practical jokes. On one 
 occasion it was filled full of cayenne-pepper, with disas- 
 trous results ; on another occasion with appalling asafoetida, 
 which made its presence felt even on the audience ; and 
 on more than one occasion a general game of hide-and- 
 seek was played with the harmless, necessary box, for 
 which the Old Member perpetually cries out. The 
 part of Georgina Vesey was played by the present Lord 
 Wolverton, then " Freddy " Glyn, who greatly objected 
 to shaving his moustache, and at the entreaty of the Com- 
 mittee finally consented to compromise the matter by 
 having it gummed over with gold-beater's skin, which was 
 always proving refractory, and qualifying the fair Georgina 
 to enter the ranks with the " bearded lady." Georgina 
 also spoke with a very gruff voice, and her father, imper- 
 sonated by Arthur Bourchier, possessed a somewhat high- 
 pitched one, this reversal of the right order of thiii^s 
 frequently causing much amusement. 
 
 During the remainder of 1882, and during most of 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 
 
 177 
 
 1883, the Club contented themselves with small private 
 performances at Bicester and elsewhere, in which a very 
 valuable acquisition was found in Lionel Monckton, their 
 musical director, who is so well known now as not only a 
 composer, but also as a dramatic critic. Smoking con- 
 certs also frequently took place at the new club-room at 
 Canterbury House, King Edward Street. The dining 
 accommodation was increased. 
 
 Club colours were instituted, of pink and old gold, a 
 sash of which had to be worn by the members at their 
 various dinners. In fact, the Society had now grown to 
 be not only a dramatic club, but also a social club, in 
 like manner to the Cambridge Amateur Dramatic Club, 
 with this exception only, that the Philothespians had not 
 got their own private theatre like the more fortunate Cam- 
 bridge Club. Arthur Bourchier was now President, and 
 with the co-operation of principally Courtney and Mac- 
 kinnon, set about arranging for their first Shakespearian 
 production. " Merchant of Venice " was the play selected, 
 and took place at the Town Hall on December 4th to 8th. 
 It will be as well to give the cast : — 
 
 Duke of Venice 
 Prince of Arragon 
 Antonio 
 
 Bassanio 
 
 Salarino 
 
 Salanio 
 
 Salario 
 
 Gratiano 
 
 Lorenzo 
 
 Shylock 
 
 Tubal 
 
 Launcelot Gobbo 
 
 Old Gobbo . 
 
 Leonardo 
 
 Portia 
 
 Nerissa 
 
 Jessica 
 
 W. J. Morris, B.A., Jesus College. 
 
 . H. S. Carey, Pembroke 
 
 . E. G. Gordon, Merton 
 
 . W. L. Courtney, M.A., New 
 
 G. Pritchard, University 
 
 . G. F. Staffard, Balliol 
 
 E. Harrington, Christ Church 
 
 A. M. MACKINNON, B.A., Trinity 
 
 G. H. AlTKEN, Oriel 
 
 Arthur Bourchier, Christ Church 
 
 H. Lechmere Stuart, Magdalen 
 
 W. Bromley-Davenport, Balliol 
 
 W. J. Morris, B.A., Jesus 
 
 Earl of Norbury, Christ Church 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 Mrs. W. L. Courtney. 
 
 Miss J. F. Arnold. 
 
 Mrs. Woods. 
 
 M 
 
178 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 It will be seen from the above cast, and it is an 
 interesting fact to notice, that whereas at the foundation 
 of the Club nearly all its members were Christ Church 
 men, now they are far more scattered over all the Colleges 
 of Oxford. This was an encouraging sign for the future, 
 and gave good reason to hope that the dramatic art was 
 increasing in its popularity amongst the undergraduates. 
 
 Mr. Clement Scott, the well-known dramatic critic 
 for the Daily Telegraph, gave a very full account of this 
 the first fully authorised production of the Philothespians, 
 and enlarges in no unmeasured terms on the satisfactory 
 issue to the previous efforts of the originators of the move- 
 ment. " It is due," he writes, " to Mr. Bourchier of 
 Christ Church, to Mr. Scott Holland, to the Hon. J. G. 
 Adderley of Christ Church, to Mr. W. L. Courtney of 
 New College, and to many others, that the Oxford Town 
 Hall, usually devoted to second-rate performances, pre- 
 sented last evening such a remarkable sight. The Vice- 
 Chancellor, when he attends the performance, as he 
 intends to do to-morrow night, will not regret his sanction. 
 At any rate, he will hear a play by Shakespeare, from 
 first to last, more intelligibly and intelligently performed 
 than it can ever hope to be under any other condi- 
 tions." Mr. F. E. Weatherly, the well-known song writer, 
 and at that time an Oxford coach, wrote the prologue, 
 which was delivered by the Hon. J. G. Adderley. This 
 was followed by an overture, composed by Lionel 
 Monckton, who himself conducted the orchestra, and 
 was likewise responsible for all the glees and music 
 incidental to the piece. Mr. Scott proceeds to mention 
 with special commendation the Shylock of Mr. Bourchier, 
 the Portia of Mrs. Courtney, the Gratiano of Mr. Mac- 
 kinnon, and the Duke of Mr. W. J. Morris. He mentions 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 179 
 
 that Mr. W. Bromley-Davenport, now M.P. for Maccles- 
 field and Congleton, is " quaint without being extravagant." 
 He mentions Mr. Courtney's Bassanio as " an excellent 
 specimen of elocution." 
 
 The " Merchant of Venice " was also repeated at the 
 Memorial Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon, on the evening of 
 December 1 2th, by the special invitation of the Council, all 
 the cast being put up in the neighbourhood ; on the next 
 afternoon and evening at the Theatre Royal, Leamington ; 
 and on the following afternoon at the Vaudeville Theatre 
 in London, in aid of the Royal General Theatrical Fund. 
 The Oxford scenery would not in all cases fit these various 
 theatres ; and some amusement was caused, I am told, by 
 the Rialto in Venice being, in one place, represented by 
 the Royal Crescent at Bath. The cast, also, had to be in 
 certain cases altered, as the ladies declined to play during 
 this tour. Excellent substitutes were, however, found in 
 Miss Houliston, Miss Kate Lee, and Mrs. Dixon. 
 
 Mr. Mackinnon also arranged a repetition of the 
 " Merchant of Venice " at Charterhouse School, where 
 the ladies consented to resume their former parts. 
 
 An amusing adventure occurred on the opening night. 
 One of the Proctors, led on by over-zealous bull-dogs, 
 made a raid on the performers as they left the improvised 
 pressing-room belonging to a bicycle firm next door to the 
 Town Hall. On being asked to give their names and 
 addresses, in the usual way, for not being in cap and 
 gown, two of the performers, being so thoroughly in the 
 spirit of their parts, and fearing to keep the stage wait- 
 ing, gave their names as Shylock and Launcelot Gobbo, 
 Number One, High Street, Venice ! ! 
 
 During the tour which followed, the Club had the 
 temerity to give a morning performance at the Vaudeville 
 
i8o AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Theatre in London, and the outburst of professional 
 indignation can easily be imagined. During one of 
 Shylock's pauses for effect in the Trial scene, that effect 
 was made by a well-known veteran actor hurling the 
 remainder of the speech at him from the stalls, thinking 
 he had forgotten his part ! 
 
 At Charterhouse School the stage was suddenly 
 plunged into darkness during the Casket scene, and the 
 more Shylock, the stage-manager, stormed and stamped 
 the darker it became, the fact being that he was standing 
 on the indiarubber pipe that connected all the stage lights 
 with the main gas-jet in the building, and which ran 
 through the prompt entrance ! 
 
 In February 1884 "Vice Versa" and "Withered 
 Leaves" were given at Bicester, but as professional 
 actresses were on this occasion engaged, it was looked 
 upon by the Vice-Chancellor as a breach of the agree- 
 ment which had been made with him. On May 15th 
 of the same year a performance, which proved to be 
 the last given by the Philothespians, was arranged at the 
 Town Hall in aid of the Oxford Fire Brigade. Amongst 
 other items, the Quarrel scene from "The Rivals" was 
 given by W. J. Morris and Lechmere Stuart; "A Most 
 Unwarrantable Intrusion," by Adderley and Mackinnon ; 
 and the inevitable " Cox and Box," which was only 
 remarkable on this occasion in that Arthur Bourchier 
 took a part whose " vocal villainies all desire to shirk." 
 
 Now came a very serious crisis in the history of 
 Oxford acting, caused by a breach between the non- 
 dramatic element and the dramatic, the former becoming 
 numerically stronger, and wanting the Club to be run 
 more as a dining and a card club than anything else. 
 Thereupon they elected W. J. Morris to be President 
 
THE O.U.D.S. i8i 
 
 in place of Bourchier. The latter appealed to the old 
 members, and J. G. Adderley and Alan Mackinnon came 
 speedily up to Oxford to move and second a resolution 
 which was in the nature of a compromise, with a view to 
 keeping the Club on its legs. 
 
 By this motion, which was successfully carried, 
 Arthur Bourchier was to be elected stage-manager, with 
 absolute authority over the dramatic side of the Club as 
 opposed to Club matters. The internal arrangements of 
 the Club, however, had now become very unsatisfactory, 
 and was growing so unpopular, that the authorities, never 
 more than lukewarm, were determined to put an end to a 
 Club which would offer so little organised resistance. Dur- 
 ing the Long Vacation therefore, Bourchier, Adderley, and 
 Mackinnon had a meeting by appointment at the Mitre, 
 where Bourchier suggested the reconstruction of the 
 Society on popular lines ; doing away with the old name, 
 and calling it in future "The Oxford University Dramatic 
 Society," and electing a committee comprising the Presi- 
 dents of Vincents, Bullingdon, the Union, the Boating 
 Club, the Football Club, the Cricket Club, the Athletic 
 Club, and so on, besides several of the Philothespian Com- 
 mittee. Adderley at first felt very keenly the idea of 
 breaking with the past ; but after careful discussion there 
 seemed no other feasible manner of placing the Club on 
 a substantial basis, and of restoring it to the good graces 
 of the authorities, so Adderley was induced to waive his 
 objections, and the plan was carried out. 
 
 I should be sorry to pass away from this portion of 
 my narrative without a slight review of the last three 
 years ; for although from the time of the foundation of 
 the O.U.D.S. the Club has never looked back, but has 
 gained more and more strength and popularity every 
 
I82 
 
 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 succeeding year, it must not be for a moment forgotten 
 that it would never have been possible had it not been for 
 the indefatigable energy and the untiring zeal of three 
 gentlemen. To James Adderley I attribute the foundation 
 of the dramatic movement, and to Arthur Bourchier the 
 consolidation of the O.U.D.S. as a recognised 'Varsity insti- 
 tution. It would be unfair to omit that Alan Mackinnon's 
 stage productions of the various plays for which he has been 
 responsible entitle him to no small share of the praise 
 which modern Oxford audiences have lavished on them. 
 
 The Lent term of 1885 was principally occupied in con- 
 solidating the new Society, and preparing for their inaugural 
 performance. A. G. Grant Asher of Brazenose College 
 was now President ; L. E. R. Lance of Brazenose College, 
 Secretary, and a most indefatigable secretary he was ; L. 
 Owen of New College was Treasurer, while Mackinnon held 
 the post of Stage-Manager, and Bourchier that of Acting 
 Manager, W. L. Courtney of New College being Auditor. 
 There was a Provisional Committee, consisting of — 
 
 Hon. J. G. Adderley, Christ 
 
 Church. 
 W. E. BOLITHO, Trinity. 
 Hon. C. Coleridge, Trinity. 
 Lord Kenyon, Christ Church. 
 
 C. G. Lang, BalHol. 
 
 B. P. Lascelles, Magdalen. 
 
 D. H. Maclean, New. 
 
 A. M'Neil, Trinity. 
 H. V. Page, Wadham. 
 W. H. Spottiswoode, Balliol. 
 T. C. TOLER, Christ Church. 
 Elu Wood, Merton. 
 R. Williams Wynn, Christ 
 Church. 1 
 
 1 In addition to the names mentioned 
 members : — 
 
 P. L. Agnew, New. 
 
 A. T. Arnall, Brazenose. 
 
 C. \V. Barry, „ 
 
 Hon. A. Bi.iGH, Christ Church. 
 
 E. Buckley, St John's. 
 
 H. C. Bush, Hertford. 
 
 H. W. Cave, Balhol. 
 
 A. R. Cobb, New. 
 
 Hon. G. CuRZON, All Souls. 
 
 E. Harrington, Christ Church. 
 
 above, the following were also original 
 
 F. J. Humphreys, Brazenose. 
 E. A. Mitchell Innes, Balliol. 
 R. H. Pemberton, New. 
 
 R. H. Philipson, New. 
 
 S. J. Portal, Christ Church. 
 
 G. W. Ricketts, Oriel. 
 A. RoTHERHAM, Balliol. 
 
 N. E. Stainton, Christ Church. 
 
 S. H. Lechmere Stuart, Magdalen. 
 
 J. H. Ware, Brazenose. 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 183 
 
 There were fifty-two members in all. Charming club- 
 rooms were taken in the High Street, which rooms have 
 since been merged in to the Gridiron Club. W. J. Morris, 
 C. Egerton Green, G. H. Aitken, and other members of the 
 Philothespian's Committee subsequently joined the ranks 
 of the O.U.D.S. after the old Club had been wound up, 
 and the photographs and records of the old Club were 
 transferred to the keeping of the Committee of the 
 O.U.D.S., so that the continuity of the Dramatic Society 
 founded by Adderley was thus preserved. 
 
 The inaugural performance of the O.U.D.S. took place in 
 the Town Hall on May 9th to 15th, 1885. The play, '^The 
 First Part of King Henry IV.," was very carefully prepared, 
 rehearsals extending over two terms, and it would be safe 
 to say that the O.U.D.S. never had a better played show. 
 As well as the principals, the secondary parts, and especially 
 the supers, were far above the general level. The piece was 
 produced under the direction of Mackinnon, who was more 
 than usual to be commended, owing to the terrible difficul- 
 ties with which he had to cope. The art of converting the 
 large but inconvenient Town Hall into a stage capable of 
 bearing a battle of thirty men in suits of chain armour, in 
 a scene of scattered bushes and a fair-sized hillock, was 
 no light task ; but all passed off without those hitches so 
 common amongst amateurs. A prologue was spoken by 
 C. G. Lang (President of the Union), written by the Hon. 
 G. N. Curzon, now Lord Curzon of Kedleston, the newly- 
 appointed Viceroy of India. I cannot refrain from quoting 
 the four following lines, however pressed for space I am : — 
 
 " The curtain's rising — at this shrine of science 
 We meet to join in nuptial alliance 
 Oxford, a bachelor paerclaro homine, 
 And the famed Grecian maiden called Melpomene." 
 
i84 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Bourchier was an admirable Hotspur, a performance 
 which he never surpassed at Oxford. Mr. Clement Scott 
 in the Daily Telegraph at the time speaks in very high 
 terms of his acting ; while he says of Mackinnon, who 
 played Prince Hal, that " it was one of the best and most 
 creditable of the many good performances." E. H. Clarke, 
 now of the Haymarket Theatre, made his first appearance 
 in the O.U.D.S. in the double role of Glendower and a 
 Carrier, and the Hon. Gilbert Coleridge made an ex- 
 cellent Falstaff : it would be absurd not to mention 
 Henry IV. himself, which was played by E. Harrington, 
 who looked every inch a king. Lady Edward Spencer 
 Churchill was the Lady Mortimer, and sang a Welsh song 
 very prettily, while Mrs. Quickly was played by Lady 
 St. Leonards. Little more was done by the Society that 
 year with the exception of a concert, which was given by 
 them in the Holywell Music Rooms, which included a new 
 operetta, specially written for Adderley, Mackinnon, and 
 Bourchier, by W. Childe Pemberton. 
 
 The next event, and one of great importance, was the 
 opening of the New Theatre by the O.U.D.S. with a per- 
 formance of " Twelfth Night." It seems to have been 
 almost as successful as " Henry IV.," and of course they 
 were possessed of greater stage facilities. Bourchier played 
 Feste, and E. H. Clarke, Malvolio. Mackinnon had now 
 gone down from Oxford, and merely came up to witness 
 the performance and walk on as a super. After "Twelfth 
 Night " the Society was gradually allowed to dwindle 
 down. There was nothing to keep it alive between the 
 annual shows, and consequently members did not care 
 to pay subscriptions ; the club-rooms had to be given up, 
 so there was literally no means of rallying the members 
 together. It was consequently decided by Courtney, 
 
Mr. Alan Mackinnon as Princk Hal in "King 
 Henry IV.," Part I. 
 
 From a photograph. 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 185 
 
 Bourchier, and Mackinnon, who came up on purpose to 
 attend the meeting, that it was essential to produce a 
 Greek play. There being no funds available, economy 
 had to be considered, and it certainly cost less and drew 
 more. A full description of the " Alcestis " has been sepa- 
 rately treated at another part of the volume. I shall be con- 
 tent, therefore, with passing over it, with just the comment 
 that it resulted in a profit of ^^200. I came up to Oxford 
 this term, and was offered the part of Hercules, which, how- 
 ever, I declined for two reasons, one that I am not exactly 
 the build for a Hercules, and the other, that I preferred 
 other pursuits to learning Greek. The year between the 
 " Alcestis " and the production of " The Merry Wives of 
 Windsor" was the most prosperous that the Club ever 
 had. Tupper Carey of Christ Church, the Hon. Secretary, 
 Greenwood of Christ Church, and one or two others, were 
 most indefatigable in enrolling new members, and smoking 
 concerts were given in various rooms, which not only kept 
 the members continually meeting, but enabled newly-joined 
 recruits to give a sample of their ability. Mackinnon con- 
 sented to stay up all that term to give his assistance and 
 advice, and he brought in some very important changes in 
 the external working of the Club. They allowed the office 
 of President, which had only been a figure-head, to drop 
 out, and made the Secretary the principal officer, with this 
 important proviso, that the Secretary should never be a 
 Don. Also, it was settled that the stage-manager should 
 cease to be a regular member of the Committee, but should 
 only be elected for the purpose of producing a play, and 
 be then ex-officio member of the Committee. The Hon. 
 R. Scott-Montagu was elected Secretary, but very shortly 
 resigned, and the Hon John Scott-Montagu (now M.P. for 
 the New Forest) stepped into his place. With a pleasant 
 
i86 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 and hard-working committee, and money in hand, the way 
 seemed quite clear for a successful production of "The 
 Merry Wives of Windsor," which took place on May 28th 
 and the six following days. Mackinnon as usual was 
 responsible for the stage management ; with money to 
 spend on the production, it was far more elaborate and 
 worthy of the Society than any of its predecessors. The 
 Dell of Windsor Forest, with three cascades of real water, 
 shrubs, &c., and the stage broken up into rocky plateaux 
 of different elevations, with Heme's Oak overshadowing the 
 whole, was quite a new effect in Oxford. Bourchier was 
 an excellent Falstaff, and Morris's rendering of the jealous 
 Ford was one of the best things in the play ; neither 
 must the Dr. Caius of E. H. Clark and the Sir Hugh of 
 M. F. Davies pass unnoticed. But the hit of the piece, 
 from an audience point of view, was the Slender of my 
 brother, E. F. Nugent, whose build and general appearance 
 were created for the part. Mrs. Charles Sim made her first 
 appearance for the O.U.D.S., and has since won many 
 successes at Oxford. Mrs. Copleston was Mrs. Quickly ; 
 Lady Abingdon, Sweet Anne Page ; and Mrs. Jameson, Mrs. 
 Ford. Sullivan's music was very effectively rendered by 
 a special orchestra under the direction of Lionel ]\Ionck- 
 ton. The performance was certainly a good one, good 
 enough to make Mr. Beerbohm Tree, who came specially 
 to see it, ask for the prompt copy ; but the expenses 
 were heavy and the receipts not so good as usual, and it 
 resulted in a serious deficit, and the Society was greatly 
 hampered in arranging for the next production. 
 
 Lady Abingdon, who played Sweet Anne Page so 
 charmingly, frequently entertained the members of the 
 company at Whitham during the rehearsals, and Bourchier 
 as Falstaff was the victim of a practical joke in the shape 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 187 
 
 of one of the old family chairs in the hall at Whitham. 
 This chair when sat on promptly shut the occupant in, 
 and there was no way of getting rid of the chair except 
 the occupant touched a certain spring. 
 
 On one fell night this Whitham chair was cruelly 
 substituted for Falstaff's usual seat — result, imprisonment 
 of Falstaff, terrible language, and ringing down of the 
 curtain in the middle of the scene to extricate him from 
 his sorry plight. The next day Bourchier was the re- 
 cipient of a number of letters sarcastically asking his 
 authority for certain words used on the previous evening 
 not to be found in any of the folios, quartos, or early 
 editions of " The Merry Wives of Windsor." 
 
 On the resignation of the Hon. J. Scott-Montagu, 
 A. E. Grahame became Secretary ; but though he con- 
 tinually regally entertained us in his house in Brewer 
 Street, he did not take much interest in the affairs of 
 the Society ; and as Mackinnon had gone down, declining 
 to produce the new piece, and as Clark had also gone 
 down, the work principally devolved upon me, with, of 
 course, the invaluable assistance of Bourchier. The 
 smoking concerts went on as usual, but the Society was 
 lamentably weak in the point of view of actors. This 
 made it very hard to determine what should be our next 
 production. It was clear from the failure of " Merry 
 Wives," in a pecuniary sense, that it would be politic to 
 produce a tragedy. Eventually we agreed upon " Julius 
 Caesar," but I begged that Bourchier would consent to 
 play Brutus, and wrote and asked E. H. Clark to come 
 up and take the part of Cassius. This they both con- 
 sented to do, and with Morris as Mark Antony and 
 Grahame in the title role, we really had a very creditable 
 cast. I played Casca, and Henry Irving, jun., was Decius 
 
i88 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Brutus. But the chief feature of the show was the 
 exquisite scenery, designed by Ahna-Tadema, R.A., and 
 executed by Hall. Some very charming music, com- 
 posed and directed by Lionel Monckton, was also a great 
 addition. It was produced by the late Stewart Dawson, 
 and was a great artistic success, but, unfortunately, once 
 more a considerable financial failure. The houses were 
 nightly crammed, and the takings very considerable, but 
 the expenses overbalanced the receipts, and if Sir Robert 
 Peel had not come forward and most generously advanced 
 us ;^8o for one bill alone, we should have had no balance 
 at all. Grahame now went down from Oxford, and I was 
 elected Secretary. In order to enrol fresh recruits we 
 kept to the same policy of organising fortnightly smoking 
 concerts, which were now on a much bigger scale than 
 usual. They were held in the Clarendon Assembly 
 Rooms, and each member was permitted to bring in two 
 guests. This system of concerts proved an excellent 
 tonic for the revival of the Club, and caused its numbers 
 to considerably swell. At a private meeting of old 
 members we thought it would be a bold, and perhaps 
 a successful, step to make an effort to break through the 
 original mandate of the Vice-Chancellor, and to apply for 
 permission to produce Marlowe's " Jew of Malta." Rather 
 to our surprise, but be it said chiefly through the inter- 
 cession of W. L. Courtney, leave was granted; and 
 Courtney set to work to revise it in such a manner as 
 not to offend the moral sensibilities of an Oxford public. 
 A. C. Swinburne kindly granted some matter relating 
 to Marlowe, to be reprinted in the form of a preface, 
 and everything was in preparation. I went down that 
 term, and Henry Irving, jun., succeeded me. 
 
 In the winter of 1889 Robert Browning died, and 
 
THE O.U.D.S. 189 
 
 it was consequently decided to substitute " Strafford " 
 for "The Jew of Malta." Dr. Bellamy, the Vice-Chan- 
 cellor, gave his consent, and preparations were made 
 for its production. "Strafford" had not been given 
 (except by the Browning Society) since its production 
 by Macready in 1837. The performances took place 
 on February 12th to i8th, 1890, and Robert Barrett 
 Browning was present with Dr. Jowett. Alma-Tadema, 
 R.A. (as in " C?esar "), designed the scenery. 
 
 The influenza was raging in Oxford at this time, 
 which was most disastrous to the performance. The 
 ill-luck of the unfortunate Charles I. pursued his repre- 
 sentative ; Hunt after the first night was seized, and had 
 to give up his part, his understudy was taken ill at the 
 same time, so once more the Club had to fall back on 
 the ever-willing Mackinnon, who most kindly undertook 
 the part at a moment's notice, and played till the last 
 night, when he was also attacked, and actually a fourth 
 understudy had to play on the closing night. 
 
 On Irving's resignation of the Secretaryship, owing 
 to his reading, Amhurst Webber of New College suc- 
 ceeded ; but he went down before the next production, 
 and Lord Warkworth of Christ Church became the new 
 Secretary. 
 
 On February 4th to loth of 1891 an excellent perform- 
 ance was given of " King John." There was, however, 
 such a paucity of efficient actors, that once more the Club 
 had to have recourse to old members. Mackinnon played 
 Faulconbridge, and Holman Clark, Hubert. Harry Irving 
 was King John, and a little professional lady named 
 Mabel Hoare played Prince Arthur. Clark designed 
 the scenery, and the armour was lent from the Lyceum. 
 The great feature of the performance was, however, Lady 
 
I90 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Radnor's band of ladies, who played all the incidental 
 music. One hitch occurred on the first night, which led 
 to a story being told against myself. I had written 
 a wedding march for the procession into the walls of 
 Anglers ; but the drawbridge stuck, and the music had 
 stopped long before the last soldier had entered. Mac- 
 kinnon was left alone on the stage, and the first words 
 that he uttered were, " Mad world, mad kings, ynad com- 
 position." 
 
 Soon after the performance of " King John " both 
 Irving and Clark went on the stage. 
 
 In the following year a performance of " The Frogs " 
 of Aristophanes, which is dealt with elsewhere in this 
 volume. 
 
 In 1893 H. T. Whittaker of Christ Church was Secre- 
 tary, and a most successful performance was given of 
 "Two Gentlemen of Verona," in which Whittaker's 
 Valentine, and A. Ponsonby's Launce, were the most 
 notable features. 
 
 In 1894 A. Ellis of Trinity, Secretary, arranged for 
 a performance of "The Tempest." The stage effects 
 here were a very important feature, the Storm scene 
 being particularly worthy of praise. F. C. Woods of 
 Exeter was responsible for the music, and the Exeter 
 Choir appeared as Spirits. Miss Bruckshaw, of the Royal 
 College of Music, was the Ariel. Other good perform- 
 ances were those of R. G. Talbot as Prospero, A. Ellis 
 as Trinculo, and L. Playfair as Stephano. 
 
 In August of the same year the University Extension 
 had their Summer Meeting in Oxford. The period chosen 
 for the lectures of the year was the seventeenth century, 
 and the committee of the Oxford Extension wrote and asked 
 Mackinnon to undertake a performance of " Strafford," to 
 
THE O.U.D.S 191 
 
 illustrate a leading statesman of the period, which he 
 undertook to do. H. Snagge of New College was then 
 Secretary, and an arrangement was made for a picked 
 company of past and present members of the O.U.D.S. to 
 undertake a revival of the play. Thus ten years after the 
 foundation of the O.U.D.S. a performance was given at 
 the request of, at any rate, an authoritative body in the 
 University. 
 
 The cast included : — 
 
 Strafford Alan Mackinnon. 
 
 Charles I A. Ellis. 
 
 Pym E. H. CLARK {by permission of Mr. H. Beerbohm Tree). 
 
 Vane H. T. WnrrTAKER. 
 
 Denzil Hollis H. Croker King. 
 
 Hampden G. T. Kidstone. 
 
 Puritan W. A. Phillips. 
 
 The ladies' parts were undertaken by Miss Behuke 
 and Mrs. Charles Sim. The play passed off successfully, 
 and a vote of thanks was passed by the Committee of the 
 University Extension to the O.U.D.S. and to Mackinnon, 
 who became the recipient of a portrait of " Strafford." 
 
 1895 was the last year in which Mackinnon had any- 
 thing to do with the Club. He stage-managed a production 
 of ''The Merchant of Venice," which appears to have 
 been a smooth, but not a very brilliant show. Ellis as 
 Gratiano appears to have shone most, and next to him 
 Hearn as Launcelot Gobbo. J. Comyns Carr, jun., made 
 a good Antonio, and A. Bonnin a fair Shylock. 
 
 In 1896 (J. Hearn of Brazenose being Secretary) "The 
 Merry Wives of Windsor" was revived. Hearn played 
 Falstaff, and Croker King, Slender, Doctor Caius being 
 played by Woodward. It was a fair, all-round show, but 
 did not come up to the one of '88, Mrs. Copleston being 
 
192 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 the only one of the original cast. About this time Paul 
 Rubens of University College, a very promising musician, 
 arranged all the smoking concerts. 
 
 An excellent performance was given in the following 
 year of "The Knights," and that practically brings the 
 history of the O.U.D.S. down to the present time. I have 
 heard from the present Secretary, R. L. Oldershaw, and 
 from L. E. Bernham, the Treasurer, that the affairs of the 
 Club are in a most flourishing condition. A new club- 
 house has been erected in George Street, quite close to the 
 theatre, which is fitted up with every luxury, and that the 
 same enthusiasm prevails amongst the present members 
 as did in the old days. 
 
 " God speed ye, merry gentlemen." 
 
 Note. — I should like to make the following acknowledgments : — To 
 Mr. W. L. Courtney for allowing certain matter to be reprinted from an 
 article of his entitled "Oxford Revels"; to the Hon. and Rev. J. G. 
 Adderley and Mr. Alan Mackinnon for lending me their records ; to Mr. 
 Arthur Bourchier for much valuable assistance, and to many others for 
 their kind suggestions and advice. 
 
IX 
 ACTING AT ETON 
 
 By F. TARVER 
 
 1HAVE been requested by the editor of this book to 
 write a chapter on " Etonian Amateur Theatricals," 
 I suppose for two reasons : First, because I am one of 
 the few living Etonians whose memory carries them back 
 to early in the forties, a time when " Theatricals " were 
 at their best in Long Chamber, and also because from the 
 time when I returned to Eton as a master in 1864 till the 
 abolition of all such public or private performances in the 
 school in 1870 I had, at the request of the boys them- 
 selves, " coached " nearly all the Fourth of June speeches, 
 and managed, and occasionally taken part in, some of the 
 plays which were acted in private houses, and in all of 
 those which were performed in the Mathematical School, 
 to which the whole school were admitted by batches. To 
 begin then at the beginning, and to go back to the time 
 previous to that in which my own memory serves me, 
 I have been informed by a friend, who had it from the 
 lips of the Rev. J. Wilder (who died in the year 1892 at 
 the advanced age of ninety-one), that he, John Wilder, had 
 acted the part of Lydia Languish when a boy at Eton, and 
 that the theatre was a barn a little way out of Eton, pro- 
 bably at Dutchman's Farm, near Willowbrook, and that 
 the boys who played the ladies' parts went out in sedan 
 chairs, one of which was once stopped by a master, who 
 
 193 N 
 
194 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 apologised profusely to the supposed lady occupant and 
 let it pass. And in the " Reminiscences of Eton, Keate's 
 time," by the Rev, C. Allix Wilkinson, we read that " there 
 was at that time a regular theatre, with permanent scenery, 
 at Barney Levi's large room, about halfway ' up-town,' 
 conducted by a joint troupe of Collegers and oppidans, 
 and patronised by ladies from Windsor, * dames ' and 
 their friends from Eton and the environs, and if not by 
 masters' wives, certainly by their daughters." I have also 
 been told, on the best authority, that Dr. Goodford, for 
 some time Head Master and afterwards Provost of Eton 
 College, had in his schooldays acted the parts of Mrs. 
 Malaprop in the " Rivals " and of Distaffina in " Bombastes 
 Furioso." 
 
 The first authenticated account that I can find of act- 
 ing in Long Chamber is in the extracts from the letters 
 and journals of William Cory (better known to Etonians 
 by his former name of William Johnson), lately printed 
 for private circulation. 
 
 ^' Eton, May 14, 1838. — Last night we began our 
 theatrical season with ' The Original ' and ' The Sleep 
 Walker,' two tolerable farces, acted in the best possible 
 style, as far as the great characters, and got up in scenery, 
 &c., very neatly and cleverly, especially considering our 
 limited funds, about ^7 odd. The theatre is erected in 
 Long Chamber, in front of two small chambers where they 
 dress ; there are six scenes to last the season, and curtains, 
 &c., with beds turned up as walls. Beds, too, were our 
 galleries, some turned on their sides, some perpendicular, 
 with ' boxes ' of chairs for the ' Sixth Form ' and ' Liberty,' 
 and for two or three visitors, one of whom was our 
 musician, whistling very excellently to the accompaniment 
 of a wretched guitar, and singing occasionally. The three 
 
ACTING AT ETON 195 
 
 good actors were Westmacott ^ (the manager), Bullock, 
 and Tarver,^ all sextiles (Sixth Form)." 
 
 I may now begin to draw on my own memory and 
 recount my own experiences of the performances in " Long 
 Chamber," and as the room so called ceased to exist as 
 such about the year 1845, many still living who may 
 fairly style themselves " Old Etonians " can never have 
 seen it in its pristine state. It was the long dormitory 
 on the first floor of the building which forms the northern 
 side of " School yard." In it slept the first fifty of the 
 seventy King's Scholars, on strong oak bedsteads, of which 
 we shall have more to say soon. The original walls still 
 exist, but the interior has now been divided up into 
 twenty separate cubicles for the last twenty boys in 
 College, three or four studies of " Sixth Form " boys, and 
 the apartments for the " Master in College." Before 1845 
 this functionary did not exist, and we were left entirely to 
 the control of the " Sixth Form." 
 
 It is true that we did receive occasional nocturnal 
 visits from the kind-hearted headmaster. Dr. Hawtrey, but 
 these visits were always heralded by a loud rapping on the 
 door from the stick of his trusty henchman " Finmore," 
 so as to give ample time for the steaks, sausages, &c., which 
 we were cooking for our suppers, to be thrust under the 
 beds ; but Hawtrey, knowing full well how scanty was the 
 fare provided for us at the " Hall " supper, always pre- 
 tended not to smell the delicious odour of these contraband 
 viands. I have spoken of the oak bedsteads in which we 
 slept, because these and the rugs which covered us (lite- 
 rally " horse-rugs," and those not of the best) were the 
 materials with which we formed the framework of our 
 stage. The bedsteads were of very strong oak, and about 
 six feet long, so that two of them raised on end, and one 
 
 ^ Some time Professor of Elocution at Oxford. 
 2 My elder brother and Canon of Chester. 
 
196 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 on the top of the other, strongly roped together, joined to 
 as many more as were requisite to form the sides and 
 back of the stage, really made an excellent framework, 
 an unlimited amount of rugs forming a substantial, if not 
 elegant, drapery for sides, exits, &c. &c. For the pro- 
 scenium we had of course to enlist the services of some 
 carpenter and upholsterer from the town, and Mr. Evans, 
 the drawing-master, and distinguished member of the old 
 Water-Colour Society, would occasionally lend a helping 
 hand, and indeed on one occasion furnished a very 
 spirited picture of Tilbury Fort {" very fine indeed ") for 
 the back scene of the " Critic," which picture remained for 
 a long time after the breaking up of Long Chamber into 
 separate cubicles on the western wall of that building. 
 The building of the stage was of course a matter of two or 
 three days or nights, and if during this preparatory time 
 dear old Hawtrey did pay us one of his occasional visits, 
 he would turn upon the gaps in the line of bedsteads much 
 such an eye as did Nelson on the famous signal at Copen- 
 hagen. If the stage were fully " set," and the proscenium 
 footlights in their places, he would do no more than 
 shrewdly remark, " Oh ! I see what you are about " (as 
 well he might, having been an old " Colleger " himself), 
 and sending for the Captain, exact from him a promise that 
 all should be carried on with due order and decency. 
 
 The first play that I can recollect seeing acted in Long 
 Chamber was " The Critic." Not yet being a " Colleger," 
 I had been smuggled in by one of my brothers. Walter 
 Long, brother to the late Vice-Provost of King's, and to 
 the late Mayor of Windsor (Sir G. Long), acted Pufif ; and 
 I was told, though I was not of an age to judge for myself, 
 that his performance of the part was as good as, if not 
 better than, that of C. Mathews ! But when did not school- 
 boys think themselves better than professionals ? About 
 
.^ ^' 
 
 "^ 
 
ACTING AT ETON 197 
 
 that time too, " Anson," a very big Colleger, compared 
 with whom, in the eyes of us small boys, Goliath was a 
 pigmy and Samson a stripling, had actually carried, or 
 hauled, a donkey up the stairs into Long Chamber, which 
 donkey was stabled and fed in one of the studies until 
 such times as he should be wanted for General Bombastes 
 to ride him triumphantly into the presence of King Artaxo- 
 minous and Fusbos. In my own time we had a very credit- 
 able performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," in 
 which Arthur Browning (an elder brother of Mr. Oscar 
 Browning) took the part of Oberon, my brother " Joe " 
 that of Bottom, Arthur Coleridge, Mustard Seed (singing 
 all the songs), and myself Puck. The music was very 
 well and carefully got up and executed. 
 
 This was followed by a very amusing piece written in 
 verse by a Colleger of the name of King, entitled "A Night 
 in China," introducing our Plenipotentiary there. Sir H. 
 Pottinger, whose dealings with the Chinese about that time 
 excited as much interest as has attended the recent action 
 of Russia, Germany, France, and England in that country. 
 This was the last play acted in Long Chamber, which, 
 as I have said before, "ceased to be" in the year 1845 ; 
 but the tradition still clung to us survivors, and we burned 
 to emulate the noble deeds of our predecessors, and in 
 the month of April 1846 Arthur Coleridge and myself 
 rented what was known as " Turnock's Room " in the 
 High Street ("Turnock" was a small tailor, and behind 
 his shop was a large room occasionally used for concerts, 
 recitations, lectures, &c.). We there acted the three plays 
 of which I append the casts. The programme, or bill of 
 the play, which has been religiously preserved, and lent 
 to me for insertion here by Mr. Coleridge, was considered 
 by our audience, but more especially by ourselves, the 
 compilers, as humorous in the extreme : — 
 
198 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 THEATRE ROYAL 
 
 (TURNOCK'S ROOM). 
 
 Managers— Mr. A. D. Coleridge and Mr. F. Tarver. 
 
 Monday and Tuesday Evenings, ioth and iith April 1846, 
 
 Will be performed, with entirely New Scenery, Dresses, and 
 Accoutrements, by Her Majesty's Servants, 
 
 Mr. Barnardo's Admired Farce of 
 
 "HIS LAST LEGS." 
 
 Mr. Rivers . {A Credulous Old Gentlnnan) Mr. JOCK BiDWELL. 
 
 Mr. C. Rivers . . {A71 Amatory Youth) . Mr. H. Cheales. 
 
 (His first appearance at this Theatre.) 
 
 Dr. Banks . . (15 Rue de la Victoire, Paris) . Mr. F. Stacey. 
 Mr. O'Callaghan {A Getit on his Last Legs) Mr. A. D. Coleridge. 
 
 John . {Re-engaged by the Managers at imtnense expense) Mr. COKE. 
 Mrs. Montague . . {A Blooming Vidder) . Mr. F. Tarver. 
 Miss Banks . . {The Purest of her Sex) . . Mr. H. Still. 
 Betty .... {Could you have a better?) . , Mr. H. Yonge. 
 
 An Overture by Signor Joel'S Band, 
 
 After which will be performed the laughable Burlesque of 
 
 •'BOMBASTES FURIOSO." 
 
 Artaxominous . . . {King of Utopia) . . Mr. H. Cheales. 
 Bombastes . . {His much-loved Gefieral) . Mr. F. Tarver. 
 Fusbos . . . {A Minister of State) Mr. A. D. COLERIDGE. 
 Distaffina Mr. H. Still. 
 
 The Performance to conclude (or begin, we can't say which) with the 
 
 Farce of 
 
 " BOX AND COX." 
 
 Box .... {A fourneyman Printer) . Mr. F. Tarver. 
 
 Cox (A Natter) . Mr. A. D. Coleridge. 
 
 Mr. Bouncer . {Wait till you see her) . . Mr. Wayte.^ 
 
 The Managers are happy to state that they have been able to engage 
 
 the valuable services of Signor COKO^ Joel's Band. 
 
 Doors open at half-past 2. Performance to commence at 4 precisely. 
 
 Scenery and Decorations by Mr. F. Tarver. 
 
 Vivat Regina ! Floreat Etona I 
 
 ^ For some time Assistant-Master at Eton College, afterwards Professor of 
 Greek at London University. Died, after a long illness, in May of this year. 
 
 2 Jack Joel, who may still be seen with a straw hat and light blue ribbon, any 
 summer's day in Upper Club. 
 
ACTING AT ETON 199 
 
 This concludes the account of Eton theatricals in the 
 " forties," and now a long interval elapses before their 
 resumption. During my residence at Oxford, and the 
 year or two which I spent at Eton after taking my degree, 
 I cannot remember any performances taking place ; and 
 although I cannot speak from personal experience of the 
 ten years between 1854 and 1864, when I was very little 
 in England and hardly ever at Eton, I have taken great 
 pains to ascertain from men who were either boys at Eton 
 or masters during that period whether any, and, if any, 
 what performances, did take place, and I cannot find out 
 that there were any between the years 1850 and i860 ; 
 but thanks to the kindness of Mr. Arthur M. Heathcote, 
 well known in London for his dramatic recitations, but 
 especially as the author of " The Duchess of Bayswater " 
 and other plays, who has supplied me with much valuable 
 information, I shall be able to give an account of the plays 
 which were acted between that date and the year 1864, 
 when I came back to Eton as a master, and when I can 
 again draw on my own personal memory. I must also 
 record my indebtedness to Mr. William C. Higgins, of 
 cricketing celebrity, who has kindly placed at my disposal 
 a complete set of the Eton Chronicle from May 1863 till 
 the end of 1869, which not only supplies information 
 with regard to the year 1863, but enables me to supple- 
 ment whatever may have escaped my memory in the 
 subsequent years. 
 
 To begin then with the year 1862. Mr. Heathcote 
 tells me that he and another small Lower boy (B. Tun- 
 nard) actually had the audacity one night after prayers to 
 approach their tutor, the Rev. W. A. Carter (now Fellow 
 and Bursar of Eton College), with the bold request that 
 they might "get up a humble farce and perform it in 
 Pupil room." Mr. Bumble, when Oliver Twist "asked 
 
200 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 for more," could not have been more taken aback than was 
 Mr. Carter ; however, not only did he consent " to think 
 about it," but actually said a few days later that, if they 
 could get the head boys in the house to take it up and do 
 a good play, he would ask his friends to see it. The result 
 was a performance of " She Stoops to Conquer," of which 
 Mr. Heathcote has supplied me with the programme : — 
 
 Under the Patronage of the Rev, W. A, atid Mrs. Carter. 
 
 This Evening only, Thursday, 31st July 1862, 
 
 "SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER." 
 
 Sir Charles Marlow Mr. H. Howard. 
 
 Hardcastle Mr. C. Cotes. 
 
 Young Marlow Mr. H. Romilly. 
 
 Hastings Mr. W. Baring. 
 
 Tony Lumpkins Mr. C. Heathcote. 
 
 ?t'"&° I Hon. E. BoscAWEN. 
 
 Jeremy ) 
 
 Diggory Mr. B. Tunnard. 
 
 Ralph Lord Suirdale. 
 
 Roger Hon. H. Boscawen. 
 
 Mrs. Hardcastle Mr. L. Palk. 
 
 Miss Hardcastle Mr. A. Heathcote. 
 
 Miss Neville Hon. W. Vernev. 
 
 Maid Hon. H. Boscawen. 
 
 ^ , T-. „ J. ( Mr. H. Lee Warner. 
 
 Orchestra-Piano. Performers | j^r. C. C. W. Sibthorp. 
 
 The next year Mr. Carter's pupils acted the " Rivals," 
 with the following cast : — 
 
 Thursday, 30th July 1863. 
 
 "THE RIVALS." 
 
 Sir A. Absolute Mr. C. Cotes. 
 
 Captain Absolute Mr. H. Romilly. 
 
 Faulkland Mr. C. E. Jarvis. 
 
 Bob Acres Hon. R. G. Molyneux. 
 
 Sir Lucius O'Trigger Lord Suirdale. 
 
 Fag Mr. W. E. Balston. 
 
 David Mr. J. W. Montresor. 
 
 Coachman Mr. H. P. Powell. 
 
 Mrs. Malaprop Mr. E. D. Heathcote. 
 
 Lydia Languish Mr. A. M. Heathcote. 
 
 Julia Mr. C. A. Hopwood. 
 
 Lucy Lord Randolph Churchill. 
 
ACTING AT ETON 201 
 
 And here I will quote a few of Mr. Heathcote's observa- 
 tions as to this performance : " Lord Randolph Churchill 
 made a first-rate Lucy ; and my brother Evelyn, who was 
 not an Etonian, came, at Carter's invitation, to act Mrs. 
 Malaprop and supply Palk's place, who was taken ill in 
 the middle of the rehearsals. 
 
 "The next year," Mr. Heathcote goes on to say, 
 " Carter relaxed his rule as to the play being ' a classic,' 
 and I have no doubt the audience suffered, for we at- 
 tempted ' A Scrap of Paper,' with the following cast : — 
 
 27th July 1864. 
 
 The Performance will commence at 7 o'clock with the popular 
 Comedy in three Acts, entitled 
 
 "A SCRAP OF PAPER." 
 
 Prosper Couramont Mr. H. Romilly. 
 
 Baron de la Glaci^re Mr. W. Scholfield. 
 
 Brisemouche Mr. E. D. Heathcote. 
 
 Baptiste Mr. R. W. Powell. 
 
 Anatole Lord Suirdale. 
 
 Louise de la Glaci^re Lord R. Churchill. 
 
 Mme. Suzanne de Ruseville . . . Mr. A. M. Heathcote. 
 
 Mathilde Mr. A. Romilly. 
 
 Mme. Zenobie ) ^^^ ^ G. Molyneux. 
 
 Mme. Dupont > 
 
 Pauline Mr. W. Carter. 
 
 To conclude with the screaming Farce of 
 
 "WHITEBAIT AT GREENWICH." 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Buzzard . . . , Mr. E. D. Heathcote. 
 
 Mr. Glimmer Lord Suirdale. 
 
 John Small Mr. H. Romilly. 
 
 Miss Lucretia Buzzard . . . . Mr. A. M. Heathcote. 
 Sally Lord R. Churchill. 
 
202 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 About this performance Mr. Heathcote remarks : " My 
 chief remembrance is of the difficulty of getting Randolph 
 Churchill to rehearse or do anything he was wanted to 
 do. He was both too clever and too fly-away to submit 
 to a boy stage-manager ; and to this day I remember the 
 agonies he caused us, especially with a collection of real 
 butterflies lent us for the Curio scene, which he sent flying 
 over the place, and left me to pick up as best I could 
 during Suzanne's soliloquy." 
 
 Soon after this Mr. Carter was made a Fellow, and 
 his house was broken up ; but before following Mr. 
 Heathcote to the scene of his future triumphs at the Rev. 
 E. Stone's, I will quote from the Eton Chronicle the following 
 short notice of a performance at Mr. Vidals' : — 
 
 "Private Theatricals at Rev. F. Vidals', i8th and 19th 
 November 1 863. The first piece was ' Cool as a Cucumber,' 
 and this was followed by a burlesque, entitled ' 111 Treated 
 II Trovatore ; or. The Mother, The Maiden, and The 
 Musicianer.' We understand that the scenery, dresses, &c., 
 were hired from London. Dawson and Hon. J. Henley 
 distinguished themselves in the farce as Plumper and 
 Old Barkins. The Hon. E. H. Primrose, Hon. F. Henley, 
 and Dawson acted especially well in the several characters 
 of Azucena, Count de Luna, and Marica. The other 
 parts were sustained by the Earl of Ranfurly, Hon. J. 
 Wodehouse, Irving, and Hartopp." 
 
 The same authority, the Chronicle, informs us that on 
 the Tuesday evening, March 14, 1864, " Moliere's play of 
 ' Les Precieuses Ridicules ' was acted in Mr. Tarver's ^ 
 
 ' My brother, Mr. H. Tarver, then sole French master at Eton. 
 
ACTING AT ETON 203 
 
 Pupil room before a select company." The principal 
 characters were : — 
 
 Du Croisy } 
 
 La Grange > 
 
 Gorgibus 
 
 Mascarille 
 
 Jodelet 
 
 Madelon 
 
 Cathos 
 
 {Rejected Lovers) 
 
 { Mr. Wells. 
 
 \ Mr. Jones. 
 
 (^ Worthy Citizen) . . Mr. Dawson. 
 
 {La Granges Valet) . . .Mr. Grey. 
 
 {Du Croisfs Valet) . .Mr. FERGUSON. 
 
 {Gorgibus- s Daughter) Hon. J. Wodehouse. 
 
 {Gorgibus's Niece) . Hon. J. Henley. 
 
 This was followed by "Little Toddlekins," in which 
 the same actors took part (with the addition of Holland 
 and Hon. E. Primrose), and in which Ferguson's acting 
 of the Old Maid received " enthusiastic applause." 
 
 On the following evening, March 1 5th, the same '' com- 
 pany " (again in Mr. Tarver's room) played " The Adven- 
 tures of a Love Letter " and " Little Toddlekins," and 
 this time Mr. Grey seems to have shared the honours 
 with Ferguson. 
 
 In September 1864 I came back to Eton as a master, 
 and before the end of that " half " I was requested by the 
 Collegers to assist them in getting up some plays to be 
 acted in the College Hall. The entertainment began 
 with a " vocal concert " of considerable merit, conducted 
 by Mr. H. Barnby (brother of Sir J. Barnby, late organist 
 at Eton College), of which I need not give the programme. 
 This was preceded by a very clever prologue, spoken by 
 E. Symonds and W. Durnford, and followed by the two 
 plays of which I append the casts. 
 
 In the College Hall on Thursday evening, December 
 15, 1864:— 
 
204 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 PART 11. 
 
 AMATEUR THEATRICALS. 
 
 "THE SENTINEL," 
 
 A MUSICAL BURLETTA, IN ONE ACT, 
 BY 
 
 J. Maddison Morton. 
 Frederic William . {King of Prussia) . . A. J. Pound 
 
 Frederic. . S {His Son, afterwards ) A. G. Tindal. 
 
 ( Frederic the Great) ) 
 
 Baron Vonderbushel W. DURNFORD. 
 
 Schloppsen . . {The Sentinel) . R. C. B. Willis. 
 
 Corporal J. W. FOLEY. 
 
 Linda . . . {Schloppsen's Intended) W. H. Pollock. 
 
 Officers, Soldiers, &c., &c. 
 
 A?i Interval of Te?t Minutes. 
 
 To conclude with the celebrated Farce by J. M. MORTON, 
 
 "A REGULAR FIX." 
 
 Mr. Hugh de Brass E. S\tvionds. 
 
 Mr. Surplus . . . {A Lawyer) . . . A. J. Pound. 
 Mr. Charles Surplus {His Nephew) . . C. H. Everard. 
 
 Abel Quick . . {Clerk to Surplus) . H. A. Macnaghton. 
 Smiler . . . {A Sheriff's Officer) . . J. W. FOLEY. 
 
 Mrs. Surplus E. R. Phelps. 
 
 Emily W. H. POLLOCK. 
 
 Deborah Carter {Housekeeper to Mrs. Surplus) . W. Durnford. 
 Matilda Jane . . (Housemaid) . . F. T. Dowding. 
 
 The Costumes by Messrs. Nathan, 24 Tichboume Street. 
 
 "DULCE DOMUM" AND "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN," 
 
 In which the Audience are requested to join. 
 
 The acting was really very good. The boys had 
 chosen for themselves "A Regular Fix," mainly, I think, 
 to bring out the comic powers of E. Symonds, which were 
 really quite remarkable. W. Durnford's " get up " as 
 Deborah Carter was also inimitable. They adopted "The 
 
ACTING AT ETON 205 
 
 Sentinel " at my suggestion. I had myself acted in it some 
 years before in Hamilton Palace, and it proved, as I 
 hoped it would, " a success," with a good soldier's chorus, 
 good songs by Schloppsen and Linda, thrilling beats of 
 the drum to herald the King's approaches and exits, 
 &c. &c. I should mention that the whole of the expenses 
 of this entertainment were defrayed by the then Head 
 Master, the Rev. Dr. Balston. 
 
 Some little time before this performance in " Hall " 
 there had been one at Mr. Stone's under the direction of 
 Mr. A. M. Heathcote, who had " gone on " to that house 
 when Mr. Carter became a Fellow. I quote from the 
 Eton Chronicle of 15th December 1864: "The first piece 
 was a farce, entitled * A, S. S.', in which Mr. Heathcote was 
 exceedingly good as Anthony Sniggles. This was followed 
 by 'Boots at the Swan,' in which Mr. F. H. Wilson sus- 
 tained the difficult part of Jacob Earwig with great 
 success. Mr. Heathcote made another hit as Cecilia 
 Moonshine ; the performance ended with the farce of ' Ici 
 on Parle Frangais,' in which the Hon. R. Molyneux as 
 Victor Dubois and Mr. Heathcote as Anna Maria were 
 particularly successful ; Mr. Trower and Mr. F. H. Wilson 
 were also frequently applauded." Mr. Heathcote has 
 kindly furnished me with the complete " bill of the play," 
 which follows : — 
 
 At Rev. E. D. Stone's on Monday, 5TH December 1864, 
 
 Will be performed 
 
 "A. S. S." 
 
 Mr. Diogenes Hunter Mr. F. H. WiLSON. 
 
 Anthony Sniggles Mr. A. M. Heathcote. 
 
 Adolphus Mr. A. Trower. 
 
 Mrs. Hunter Mr. R. H. Thurlow. 
 
 Sophia Hon. R. G. Molyneux. 
 
2o6 
 
 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 After which 
 "BOOTS AT THE SWAN." 
 
 Mr. Henry Higgins . 
 Mr. Frank Friskley . 
 Jacob Earwig . 
 Peter Pippin 
 Miss CeciHa Moonshine 
 Miss Emily Trevor . 
 Sally Smith 
 
 To conclude 
 "ICI ON PARLE 
 
 Major Regulus Rattan 
 Victor Dubois 
 Mr. Spriggins 
 Mrs. Spriggins 
 Angelina . 
 Julia Rattan 
 Anna Maria 
 
 Mr. H. A. Danniel. 
 
 Mr. A. Trower. 
 
 . Mr. F. H. Wilson. 
 
 Hon. R. G. MOLYNEUX. 
 
 Mr. A. M. Heathcote. 
 . Mr. T. P. Wilson. 
 Mr. R. H. Thurlow. 
 
 with 
 FRANgAIS." 
 
 . Mr. F. H. Wilson. 
 
 Hon. R. G. MoLYNEUX. 
 
 Mr. A. Trower. 
 
 Mr. R. H. Thurlow. 
 
 . Mr. T. P. Wilson. 
 
 Mr. H. A. Danniel. 
 
 Mr. A. M. Heathcote. 
 
 I am also indebted to Mr. Heathcote and to Mr. J. 
 Sturgis for the following casts of plays acted in the same 
 year at Mr. Browning's and Miss Evan's, about which the 
 Eton Chronicle gives no information. 
 
 At Miss Evans's, on Monday, 12th December 1864, 
 
 Will be performed 
 
 " B. B." 
 
 . Mr. J. D. Mansel. 
 
 . Mr. J. M. Carr Lloyd. 
 
 . Mr. H. Ricardo. 
 
 Mr. F. A. Currey. 
 
 Squire Greenfield 
 
 Bob Rattler . 
 
 Joe 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Bobbin 
 
 Mr. Puncheon 
 
 Dorothy 
 
 Mr. W. O. Massingberd. 
 Mr. G. Greenwood. 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Buzzard 
 
 Mr. Glimmer 
 
 John Small . 
 
 Miss Lucretia Buzzard 
 
 Sally . . . . 
 
 After which 
 
 "WHITEBAIT AT GREENWICH." 
 
 . Mr. W. H. Ady. 
 
 Mr. F. A. Currey. 
 
 Mr. C. W. Greenwood. 
 
 Mr. W. O. Massingberd. 
 
 Mr. G. Greenwood. 
 
ACTING AT ETON 207 
 
 And 
 
 At Mr. Browning's, on Wednesday, 14th December 1864, 
 
 Will be performed 
 
 "RAISING THE WIND." 
 
 Plainway J. Rigdon. 
 
 Fainwould C. Devas. 
 
 Jeremy Diddler W. Barrington. 
 
 Sam W. Hay. 
 
 Richard E. Pears. 
 
 Waiter F. Hodgson. 
 
 John S. Roper. 
 
 Peggy W. Stancombe. 
 
 Miss Laurelia J. Murray. 
 
 "POOR PILLICODDY." 
 
 Pillicoddy W. Devas. 
 
 Captain O'Scuttle A. Gosling. 
 
 Sarah Blunt F. HODGSON. 
 
 Mrs. O'Scuttle J. Murray. 
 
 Mrs. Pillicoddy W. Hay. 
 
 This concludes all the information I have been able to 
 obtain about 1864, but in 1865 the dramatic "furore" 
 seems to have been unabated, and the performances at 
 various houses succeeded each other with great rapidity ; 
 but before proceeding to give the 1865 casts seriatim, 
 I should like to quote again from a letter written to me 
 by Mr. A. Heathcote : — 
 
 " I remember Stewart Dawson (who afterwards went 
 on the stage, and died last year, 1897) telling me of their 
 doing 'The Adventures of a Love Letter' (the other 
 version of a ' Scrap of Paper ') at his ' dame's,' but I am 
 not sure what house he was in. A boy named Henley was 
 very good in the chief lady's part. W. Johnson (after- 
 wards W. Cory, see page 194) was the House Tutor, and 
 undertook to prompt, but not having been to any re- 
 
2o8 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 hearsals, and not knowing the play, he became so much 
 interested in it that he read on, and when his services 
 were required in Act I. he was found deeply immersed in 
 Act III., and Dawson had to find his place for him before 
 the play could proceed." I am all the more indebted to 
 Mr. Heathcote for this anecdote, that, unless I am much 
 mistaken, this was the same S. Dawson who sustained so 
 admirably the part of Madame Jourdain in the " Bourgeois 
 Gentilhomme " when we acted that play before the whole 
 school in 1869, of which full details will be given in due 
 time and place. 
 
 To proceed, then, without further preamble to the year 
 1865, the first play I find recorded is — 
 
 At Stone's, on Tuesday, 4Th December 1865, 
 Will be performed the Screaming Farce by J. Maddison Morton, 
 
 "THE TWO BONNYCASTLES." 
 
 Mr. Smuggins Mr. F. H. Wilson. 
 
 Mr. John James Johnson Mr. A. Trower. 
 
 Mr. Bonnycastle Mr. A. M. Heathcote. 
 
 Mrs. Bonnycastle Mr. R. H. Thurlow. 
 
 Helen Mr. A. S. Daniell. 
 
 Patty Mr. H. A. Case. 
 
 To be followed by the Comedietta, in One Act, entitled 
 
 "NINE POINTS OF THE LAW." 
 
 Mr. Joseph Ironside. 
 
 Mr. Cunninghame . 
 
 Mr. John Britton 
 
 Mr. Rodomont Rollingstone 
 
 Mr. Smylie 
 
 Kate Mapleson . 
 
 Sarah-Jane 
 
 . Mr. F. H. Wilson. 
 
 Mr. A. Trower. 
 
 . Mr. G. Thornhill. 
 
 Mr. R. H. Thurlow. 
 
 Mr. A. M. Heathcote. 
 
 Mr. H. A. Case. 
 
 . Mr. A. S. Daniell. 
 
ACTING AT ETON 209 
 
 To conclude with the Domestic Drama by Tom Taylor, 
 "A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING." 
 
 Colonel Percy Kirke 
 Colonel Lord Churchill 
 Jasper Carew . 
 Kester Chedzoy 
 Corporal Ilintoff 
 John Zoyland . 
 Anne Carew 
 Dame Carew 
 Sybil Carew 
 Keziah Mapletoft 
 
 Mr. A. Trower. 
 . Mr. G. Thornhill. 
 Mr. R. H. Thurlow. 
 . Mr. F. H. Wilson. 
 Mr. J. T. R. FussELL. 
 
 Mr. H. A. Case. 
 Mr. A. M. Heathcote. 
 . Mr. A. S. Daniell. 
 Mr. F. H. W. Thornhill. 
 
 Mr. H. A. Case. 
 
 Then on December 12th, still in the same year, we 
 
 have 
 
 At Browning's, 
 
 «'TOM NODDY'S SECRET." 
 
 Captain Ormond Mr. Barrington. 
 
 Tom Noddy Mr. Devas. 
 
 Inkpen Mr. Hay. 
 
 Mary Mr. Tabor. 
 
 Gabrielle Mr. Murray. 
 
 This was followed by a short French play, of which 
 the cast is not given, called " L'Histoire d'un Sou," in 
 which I remember acting the principal (and only) male 
 part, with the two Misses Browning as the " ladies." 
 
 The programme concluded with — 
 
 " DEAF AS A POST." 
 
 Mr. Walton Mr. Roper. 
 
 Tristram Sappy Mr. Barrington. 
 
 Captain Templeton Mr. C. Devas. 
 
 Crupper Mr. Divett. 
 
 Gallop Mr. Pears. 
 
 Sophy Walton Mr. Longman. 
 
 Amy Templeton Mr. Stancomb. 
 
 Mrs. Plumpley Mr. Hay. 
 
 Sally Maggs Mr. Hodgson. 
 
 O 
 
2IO 
 
 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 On the next evenings, December 13th and 14th, were 
 acted 
 
 At Miss Evans's, 
 "SLASHER AND CRASHER." 
 
 Mr. Benjamin Blowhard 
 
 Mr. Samson Slasher. 
 
 Mr. Christopher Crasher 
 
 Lieutenant Brown 
 
 Dinah 
 
 Rosa .... 
 
 . Mr. J. M. Carr Lloyd. 
 
 . Mr. F. A. CURREY. 
 
 Mr. H. RiCARDO. 
 
 Hon. Arthur Lyttelton. 
 
 Mr. W. O. Massingberd. 
 
 . Mr. G. O. Trower. 
 
 After which 
 DONE ON BOTH SIDES." 
 
 Mr. Brownjohn 
 Mr. Whiffles 
 Phibbs 
 Mrs. Whiffles 
 Lydia . 
 
 Sir William Ramsay 
 
 Launcelot Griggs 
 
 Bodkins 
 
 Jansen . 
 
 Mrs. Griggs 
 
 Winifred 
 
 Dot . 
 
 Mr. G. Greenwood, 
 Mr. C. W. Greenwood. 
 Mr. Julian R. Sturgis. 
 
 , Mr. F. A. CuRREY. 
 Mr. F. C. Ricardo. 
 
 To conclude with 
 TICKLISH TIMES." 
 
 . Mr. J. R. Sturgis. 
 
 Mr. C. W. Greenwood. 
 
 Mr. W. H. Ady. 
 
 . Mr. J. M. Carr Lloyd. 
 
 Mr. G. Greenwood. 
 
 Mr. F. C. Ricardo. 
 
 Hon. Arthur Lyttelton. 
 
 On the same evening, December 14, 1865, I helped 
 to get up a Httle entertainment at Mr. (now Dr.) Warre's 
 house for the amusement of his pupils, family, and a few 
 friends, of which I give the programme verbatim : — 
 
ACTING AT ETON 211 
 
 Rev. E. WARRE'S THEATRICALS. 
 
 Thursday, December 14, 1865, 
 
 Will be presented in the newest possible Theatre, 
 
 " A CHARADE " in Three Acts. 
 
 To be followed by the usual " Christmas Box " (not without " Cox "). 
 
 Box . . Mr. F. Tarver. 
 
 Cox Mr. T. H. M'Clintock Bunbury.^ 
 
 Mr. Bouncer .... Mr. J. M'Clintock Bunbury. 
 
 To conclude with the Burlesque Tragic Opera, 
 "BOMBASTES FURIOSO." 
 
 Artaxominous . . . Mr. T. H. M'Clintock. Bunbury. 
 
 Fusbos Mr. H. F. Eaton. 
 
 General Bombastes Hon. B. Lawley. 
 
 Distaffina Mr. W. Higgins.^ 
 
 Attendants, Courtiers, Army, &c. 
 
 My principal recollection of this performance is the 
 stroke of genius which inspired the younger Bunbury 
 (who died a few years ago) to express to Mr. Cox the hope 
 that he slept " comfortable " (so pronounced). 
 
 The Chronicle records no theatricals in this year ; but 
 Mr. J. Sturgis has told me that before Christmas in 
 that year they performed at his " dame's " (Miss Evans) 
 " A Comical Countess," in which he took the part of the 
 Chevalier, and George Greenwood that of the Countess. 
 
 In the following year (1867) theatrical representations 
 became so " fast and furious," that I must request any old 
 Etonians who may do me the honour to read these pages, 
 and may deem that scanty justice is being done to their 
 performances (which, I have no doubt, they had every 
 reason to believe to have been amongst the best produced 
 at Eton), to excuse me if the limited space accorded to me 
 prevents me doing more than to record the dates of such 
 
 ^ Now Lord Rathdonnell. 2 Captain of the Eleven in 1868. 
 
212 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 performances, titles of the plays, and names of the actors, 
 without giving the full casts. I will take them in due order: — 
 
 1. April 3rd and 4th, at Rev. W. Wayte's : " Cool as a 
 Cucumber " and " Whitebait at Greenwich." Performers : 
 C. T. Campbell, J. P. Cunliffe, H. S. Ferguson, R. R. N. 
 Ferguson, M. L. Macnaghten, E. S. Lucas, and Lord R. 
 Graham.^ I cannot remember which of the two Fergusons 
 it was, but I can remember one " Ferguson at Wayte's " 
 as being a first-rate actor. 
 
 2. April 8th and 9th, at Rev. C. C. James's : " Ticket-of- 
 Leave Man," " Done on Both Sides," and " In the Pigskin." 
 Performers: C. R. Alexander, E. F.Alexander, H. B.Walker, 
 F. E. Temple, F. Newcome, T. H. Locke, F. J. Craven, 
 W. C. Hemming, M. D. Jefferson, T. Wood, J. B. Doyne. 
 
 3. April 9th and loth, at the Theatre Royal: "Old 
 Christopher " (W. Johnson, Esq.), " An Affair of Honour," 
 "A Peculiar Position," and "Turn Him Out." Per- 
 formers : Hon. F. Henley, Lord Wodehouse, F. E. H. 
 Elliot, H. G. Willink, Earl of Charleville, M. Francis, R. 
 Russell, Hon. F. Finch-Hatton. 
 
 4. April loth and nth, at Miss Evans's : "My Wife's 
 Maid," " Lend me Five Shillings," and " A Comical 
 Countess." Performers : J. M. Carr Lloyd, G. Greenwood, 
 F. A. Currey, H. Ricardo, Massingberd, F. C. Ricardo, 
 Schuster, and J. R. Sturgis. 
 
 And now again Mr. Sturgis kindly supplements an 
 omission in the Chronicle, and writes to me as follows : — 
 "At Xmas, 1867, I did the Captain of the Watch in the 
 play of that name. That must be the resplendent being 
 whom you faintly remember. The other parts (for 
 although I was then a great swell, in Sixth Form, and 
 keeper of the field, I could not act them all) were played 
 
 1 Now Duke of Montrose. 
 
ACTING AT ETON 213 
 
 by F. A. Currey, Arthur Lyttelton (who ought to be a 
 bishop by now), Schuster, a great musical amateur, and 
 Howard,^ then a new boy at my dame's." 
 
 On the 3rd December in the same year I remember 
 witnessing an excellent performance by the small boys at 
 the Rev. J. Hawtrey's, principally noticeable as being the 
 first occasion upon which Charles H. Hawtrey appeared 
 on any stage ; and as the Chronicle is also silent as to this 
 performance, I will quote Mr. C. H. Hawtrey's letter to 
 me on the subject. The plays performed were " Ici on 
 Parle Fran^ais " and " Bombastes Furioso." " All I 
 remember of the performance is that George Tufton 
 played the Frenchman, and Sir George Lowther, Spriggins 
 (he also performed half the Army in * Bombastes Furioso '). 
 Bombastes, I well remember, was my brother William, the 
 king was Wynne-Roberts-Wynne — he was a great big 
 chap — the Army was Lonsdale, who was near six feet, 
 and Spearman (Sir Joseph Spearman now), who was about 
 three feet high, and could put his fist in his mouth, and I 
 myself played Distaffina. I was eight years old, and it 
 was my first appearance on any stage." 
 
 I can supplement Mr. Hawtrey's letter by recording 
 the fact that C. F. Oliphant, son of Mrs. Oliphant the 
 authoress, played the part of Fusbos. With this I con- 
 clude my notice of plays acted in private houses ; but 
 before proceeding to deal with those acted in public, and 
 to which the whole school were admitted in batches, I 
 will state as briefly as possible the reasons which led to 
 their introduction. It had often occurred to me when 
 witnessing the performances at the different " tutors' " and 
 " dames' " houses, that it would be a very good thing if 
 the always respectable, and sometimes really excellent 
 
 ^ His younger brother. 
 
214 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 acting power exhibited by many of the boys could be 
 combined in one " School theatrical company," and plays 
 acted which the whole school might have an opportunity 
 of seeing and hearing, for I had noticed that in addition 
 to the " house " boys, numbering some thirty or forty 
 spectators, only some ten or twenty outsiders could be 
 admitted, and these were, naturally enough, the leading 
 boys or " swells " of the school, members of the " eight " 
 or " eleven," or of " Pop," whose privileged eyes and ears 
 had all the enjoyment withheld from the tgnobile vulgus; 
 and to show that this idea of " generalising " the theatrical 
 performances had occurred to the minds of the boys 
 themselves, I will quote first from a letter addressed to the 
 editor of The Eton Chronicle of October 27, 1864, signed 
 " Ophelia " : " Sir, it strikes me forcibly that the histrionic 
 interests of the school are neglected. It is true that 
 isolated houses perform plays, . . . but nothing at all 
 equivalent to the world-renowned and never-to-be-for- 
 gotten celebrity of the 'Westminster Play,' an institution 
 looked forward to by many every year. Let the Mathe- 
 matical School be prepared for the purpose. Let a play 
 worthy of the school and the occasion be enacted. Why. 
 should the school be content with broad farces and 
 miserable comedies from the French ? Let Etonians aim 
 higher — Shakespeare is a worthy subject to try upon. Let 
 present Etonians form a histrionic club, and on the boards 
 of the Mathematical School act ' Hamlet,' or some such 
 light and easy subject (! !) " And in the Chronicle's Leader 
 of October 26, 1865, reference is made to this letter, and the 
 idea contained therein endorsed and amplified, the editor 
 concluding with these words : " If anything is to be done, 
 it must be done quickly. Surely there is some one who 
 has a turn for such things, and who would not mind the 
 
ACTING AT ETON 215 
 
 trouble which it would involve to bring the matter to 
 perfection. In supporting the idea of forming a company 
 in the school, we certainly do not mean to cry down the 
 theatricals in the houses, which are a great source of 
 amusement to all those concerned in them." 
 
 It was, then, on finding my own ideas on the subject 
 thus endorsed by what might be considered the organ of 
 public opinion in the school, that I ventured to sound the 
 Head Master on the subject, and readily obtained his 
 permission to form a School Company and produce a School 
 play ; the only conditions being that, for educational pur- 
 poses, one of the plays acted should always be a French 
 classic, and that any English play produced should also 
 be a "classic"; and the Mathematical School having 
 been not only very kindly lent, but actually prepared for 
 the purpose by the late Rev. S. Hawtrey, on the 12th 
 December 1867 was produced Moliere's play of " Le 
 Bourgeois Gentilhomme," with the following cast : — 
 
 Monsieur Jourdain Mr. F. Tarver. 
 
 Madame Jourdain A. C. Tufton. 
 
 Lucile R. T. W. Ritchie. 
 
 Cleonte Hon. J. A. de Grey. 
 
 Dorimene Hon. H. S. Finch-Hatton. 
 
 Dorante Hon. M. E. Finch-Hatton. 
 
 Nicole H. G. Willink. 
 
 Covielle , . . . R. Russell. 
 
 Un Maitre de Musique Hon. J. A. de Grey. 
 
 Un Maitre k Danser . . . . F. W. Cornish, Esq.^ 
 
 Un Maitre d'Armes R. A. Dobree. 
 
 Un Maitre de Philosophic . . . W. H. Tarver, Esq. 
 
 Maitre Tailleur W. H. Onslow.^ 
 
 T^ T • rr. •„ ( Lord Naas. 
 
 Deu.x Laquais et gar^ons Tailleurs . . . -j j,^ Dashwood. 
 
 Le Grand Mufti A. C. James, Esq. 
 
 Dervis, Turcs, ( Messrs. J. CARTER, Onslow, Dashwood, 
 
 &c. &c. ( Cartwright, Mangles, and J. C. Tarver. 
 
 ^ Now Vice-Provost of Eton. ^ Now Earl of Onslow. 
 
2i6 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Of the performance the Chronicle speaks in terms which 
 it would ill become me to repeat, but I must record my 
 own appreciations of the really admirable manner in 
 which the boys (none of whom, with the exception per- 
 haps of Tufton, had had any peculiar advantages of obtain- 
 ing a correct French accent) performed the various parts 
 assigned to them. For the incidental music, led by Mr. 
 James, as the Grand Mufti, we did not employ that 
 composed by Lulli for the delectation of " Le Grand 
 Monarque," and which to modern ears would have had 
 little charm, nor did we stoop to the " burlesque " airs of 
 our own time, but with the assistance of Dr. Hayne, then 
 Precentor and Musical Instructor, and of Mr. Cornish, we 
 adapted well-known opera airs to the words that had to 
 be sung in the "Ceremony," and so obtained a "great 
 success." That the plays in private houses did not suffer 
 from the introduction of a " School play," is evident from 
 the fact that in the course of the same month {i.e. 
 December 1867) there were performances at the Rev. C. 
 C. James's on the 7th and 9th, at the Rev. W. Wayte's on 
 the loth, and at Miss Evans's on the nth. I have not 
 been able to obtain the casts of these two last-men- 
 tioned performances, but from the Chronicle I learn that at 
 Mr. James's they acted " The Chimney Corner " (by H. T. 
 Craven, Esq.) and "A Phenomenon in a Smock Frock," 
 the various characters in these two plays being sustained 
 by T. Wood, G. Blane, J. Lister Kaye, M. D. Jefferson, F. E. 
 Temple, F. Newcome, H. B.Walker, R. D. Lane, and Doyne. 
 
 On December 10, 11, and 12, 1868, there were three 
 performances in the Mathematical School, where the stage 
 had been considerably enlarged by the removal of the two 
 pillars in front. On December loth the performance was 
 " after four," and the Lower boys were admitted, and to the 
 
ACTING AT ETON 
 
 217 
 
 two subsequent performances, on the evenings of December 
 nth and 12th, the whole of the rest of the school were 
 admitted (in relays). At one of these H.R.H. Prince 
 Leopold was present. The casts were as follows : — 
 
 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM." 
 
 With Music by Mendelssohn. 
 
 Theseus . 
 
 Hippolyta 
 
 Lysander . 
 
 Philostrate 
 
 Oberon . 
 
 Titania 
 
 Puck 
 
 First Fairy 
 
 Second Fairy 
 
 Third Fairy 
 
 Fourth Fairy 
 
 Peas-blossom 
 
 Cobweb . 
 
 Moth 
 
 Mustard-seed 
 
 Bottom (and Pyramus) 
 
 Quince 
 
 Flute (and Thisbe) 
 
 Snug (and Lion) 
 
 Snout (and Wall) 
 
 Starveling (and Moonshine) 
 
 . C. J. Ottaway. 
 F. D. Newcome. 
 . F. H. Rawlins. 
 
 C. W. Bell. 
 
 . H. B. Walker. 
 
 . H. A. Tufnell. 
 
 C. F. Oliphant. 
 
 . W. Hawtrey. 
 
 J. H. Blakesley. 
 
 F. B. Greenwood. 
 
 W. C. Cartwright. 
 
 S. G. Moon. 
 . H. E. Bowman. 
 
 E. M. Eyre. 
 . E. B. Layard. 
 
 . A. G. TiNDAL. 
 
 Hon. F. Parker. 
 . S. R. Murray. 
 W. M. Compton. 
 . F. Churchill. 
 M. L. Macnaghten. 
 
 This was followed by Moliere's play of 
 
 "LE MARIAGE FORCE." 
 
 Sganarelle F. Tarver, Esq. 
 
 Geronimo Earl OF Elgin.i 
 
 Alcantor H. T. Hope. 
 
 Aicidas R. A. Dobree. 
 
 Panerace W. H. Tarver, Esq. 
 
 Marphurius '. '. '. '.*... W. H. Onslow.^ 
 ^ J H. Eyre. 
 
 Deux Egyptiennes | W. Cartwright. 
 
 Un Page Hon. C. Harbord. 
 
 ' Viceroy of India, 1898. 
 
 2 Earl of Onslow, formerly Governor of New Zealand. 
 
2i8 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 The Eto7t Chronicle of December 15, 1868, gives a very 
 flattering notice of the above performance, which want of 
 space precludes the possibiHty of inserting here. 
 
 On Thursday, 9th December 1869, at 3.30 P.M., for the 
 Lower boys, and on Monday and Tuesday, December 13th 
 and 14th, at 7.30 P.M., for the rest of the school, the last 
 of the school performances took place in the Mathematical 
 School, as before. The plays selected were Sheridan's 
 " Critic " and Moliere's " Bourgeois Gentilhomme," with the 
 following casts : — 
 
 "THE CRITIC." 
 
 Puff C. C. Thornton. 
 
 Dangle F. H. Rawlins. 
 
 Sneer E. F. Alexander. 
 
 Sir F. Plagiary F. A. Currey. 
 
 Mrs. Dangle R. Ritchie. 
 
 Under Prompter H. B. WALKER. 
 
 Whiskerandos W. C. HiGGlNS. 
 
 Earl of Leicester B. T. S. Coleridge.1 
 
 Sir C. Hatton M. L. Macnaghten. 
 
 Sir W. Raleigh J. C. Tarver. 
 
 Governor Hon. A. T. Lyttelton. 
 
 Beefeater Hon. F. Parker. 
 
 Lord Burleigh E. H. BURROW. 
 
 Tilburina C. A. Whitmore, 
 
 Confidant S. R. Murray. 
 
 First Niece T. Bagot. 
 
 Second Niece Hon. H. Tracy. 
 
 First Sentinel A. Courthope. 
 
 Second Sentinel E. F. R. Gould. 
 
 Followed by 
 
 "LE BOURGEOIS GENTILHOMME," 
 reduced to three Acts, and cast as follows : — 
 
 Monsieur Jourdain F. Tarver, Esq. 
 
 Madame Jourdain S. E. Dawson. 
 
 Lucile G. R. Tufton. 
 
 ^ Son of the late Lord Chief-Justice, and now Lord Coleridge. 
 
ACTING AT ETON 219 
 
 Cleonte H. Willink. 
 
 Nicole C. F. Oliphant. 
 
 Covielle Hon. F. Parker. 
 
 Un Maitre de Musique H. A. Perry. 
 
 Un Maitre a Danser . . . . F. W. CORNISH, EsQ. 
 
 Un Maitre d'Armes Hon. G. Harris.^ 
 
 Un Maitre de Philosophic , . . , H. Tarver, Esq. 
 
 Un Maitre Tailleur R. Ritchie. 
 
 tAhve du Maitre k Danser E. Conant. 
 
 First Laquais S. Dashwood. 
 
 Second Laquais W. C. Higgins. 
 
 "CEREMONIE TURQUE." 
 
 Le Grand Mufti A. C. James, Esq. 
 
 ler Turc Chantant S. R. Murray. 
 
 _ ^ , ( Messrs. Lyttelton, Dashwood, 
 
 Dervis et Turcs Dansants ) higgins, Macnaghten, and 
 
 etChantants. . .; | Alexander. 
 Deux Pages . . T. Bagot and Hon. H. Hanbury Tracy. 
 
 For comments on the above performances I must again refer 
 my readers to the Eion Chronicle of December 16, 1869, 
 
 This, then, concludes our chapter on Eton theatricals ; 
 for although there may have been some subsequent 
 clandestine performances in private houses, of which Mr. 
 Arthur Bourchier may be able to tell us something, they 
 practically ceased to be a " School institution " ; and indeed 
 there may have been very good reasons for bringing them 
 to a close, the principal one, to my thinking, being, that as 
 the female parts were of a necessity generally assigned to 
 younger boys, it brought them into a, perhaps to them- 
 selves, enviable but certainly undesirable prominence ; but 
 that Eton theatricals have been productive of "some 
 good," I think we have sufficient proof in the success 
 obtained on the London stage by such old Etonians as 
 Charles Kean, the brothers Hawtrey, W. G. Elliot, A. 
 
 1 Now Lord Harris, and formerly Under-Secretary for War, Under-Secretary 
 for India, and Governor of Bombay. 
 
220 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Bourchier — cum multis aliis. And I cannot bring my 
 chapter to a close without recording that some of the 
 pleasantest hours I spent as an Eton master were those 
 which I devoted to coaching for the Fourth of June speeches 
 and the theatricals, which were amply rewarded by the 
 most painstaking efforts on the part of my pupils, efforts 
 which, if bestowed on the admirable instruction which I 
 used to shower upon them in school hours, would have 
 made them one and all perfect French scholars. 
 
X 
 
 AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 
 
 By LIEUT.-COLONEL NEWNHAM-DAVIS 
 
 YOUR joker would say that amateur actors are con- 
 stantly found in foreign parts at home. The 
 foreign parts to which I am going to refer are, however, 
 some of our great foreign possessions, and I will tell, as 
 well as I can, of the amateur histrions who live and have 
 their being in Asia and Africa, and of the important clubs 
 which have grown up in some of the larger towns in the 
 uttermost parts of the earth. 
 
 Simla, the summer capital of India, the town lying 
 on a pine-covered horseshoe amidst the tumble of minor 
 mountains that are the advance guard of the Himalayan 
 snows, is the Mecca of amateur actors abroad, and the 
 Simla Amateur Dramatic Club is probably the best 
 equipped amateur club in the world. Its beginnings, 
 however, were small enough. In the days after the Mutiny, 
 when the Viceroy of the time first began to go yearly 
 from Calcutta to Simla for the summer, there were 
 theatricals at the Commander-in-Chief's house — for Lady 
 Mansfield was very fond of the drama — and elsewhere ; 
 but the Viceroy, Sir John Lawrence, looked askance at 
 theatricals, and the A.D.C., if indeed it existed then, had 
 not received the impress of Viceregal favour which is 
 necessary at Simla to make any amusement current. 
 
222 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 It was not till the seventies and the palmy days of Lord 
 Lytton that the Club gave promise of becoming the 
 important factor in the gaieties of Simla that it is to-day. 
 
 The first Simla Nantch Gurh, as the natives call the 
 theatre, was always spoken of as being " down the khud." 
 It was a whitewashed barn of a place, a hundred yards 
 or so down the hill, with the native bazaar in close 
 proximity, owned by a Mr. Goad, who occupied the one 
 box, and in the pride of ownership could look down upon 
 the Viceroy and Commander-in-Chief sitting in the stalls. 
 " Plot and Passion " and the " Ticket-of- Leave Man," put 
 on the stage in 1876, are two of the earliest plays that I 
 can find trace of as having been played. In the former. 
 Captain Morton, who has just completed his term as Adju- 
 tant-General in India, and who, by the way, is half-brother 
 to the editor of this volume, played Fouche, a character 
 with which his name became much associated, and Gal- 
 braith, the General who has been winning laurels in the 
 Soudan, "Joey" Deane, C. Marshall, Arthur Prinsep, 
 M'Call, nicknamed " Jackall," A. F. Liddell, all of whose 
 names are or were household words in India, took parts. 
 The " Ticket-of- Leave Man " was produced for the benefit 
 of Rosa Cooper, a professional actress who had played 
 with Phelps. 
 
 The next year (1877) brought forth an operetta which 
 would have interested Mr. Frank Burnand and Sir Arthur 
 Sullivan. It was a version of the " Contrabandista," with 
 some very original dialogue. The words and music of 
 the songs had fallen into the hands of the A.D.C., but no 
 libretto. Val Prinsep, the artist, who was in India at the 
 time to paint his great picture of the Durbar, came to 
 the Club's aid, and with the songs to guide him wrote an 
 original libretto, following the lines he thought the author 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 223 
 
 must have taken. The A.D.C. in this season (1877) 
 produced an original comedy, " The Passing Cloud," by 
 Val Prinsep, and their ranks were strengthened by the 
 advent of the lady who now plays on the English stage 
 under the nom de theatre of Madame San Carolo. " Bwab " 
 made an appearance in " Society," one of the plays pro- 
 duced during the year ; and Lord " Bill " Beresford, who 
 was to do so much later to aid the A.D.C, was the 
 Irishman in the Owl's Roost scene. 
 
 These were the days that dwellers in Simla with long 
 theatrical memories always talk of as the " Riddell and 
 Liddell time." They were both young officers on the 
 Viceregal staff then ; now the former is the trusted 
 business manager to the Kendals, the latter a light of 
 the Stock Exchange, one of Her Majesty's Gentlemen- 
 at-Arms, and a star of the yearly performances of the 
 " Windsor Strollers " ; and Lord Lytton, the Viceroy, 
 encouraged theatricals unreservedly. The theatre was 
 redecorated, three boxes built for the three great powers 
 of Simla — the Viceroy, the Commander-in-Chief, and the 
 Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab; and the season of 
 1878 commenced with the production of the first Lord 
 Lytton's drama " Walpole," the rehearsals of which were 
 superintended by the Viceroy. It is an old-fashioned 
 play, dealing with Jacobite plots, and written in rhymed 
 Alexandrine verse. Report says that some of the actors 
 found the lengths of verse anything but easy matter to 
 commit to memory ; but then, a Viceregal stage-manager 
 does not appear every day. This was not the only play 
 produced under the direction of the Viceroy, for at 
 Calcutta during one of the winter seasons "The School 
 for Scandal " was rehearsed under the Viceregal eye. It 
 was no doubt an invention of the enemy ; but those who 
 
224 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 were inclined to gird at the Viceroy for his love of 
 gorgeousness, declared that he could never superintend 
 a rehearsal until an especially resplendent sofa, all gilding 
 and yellow satin, had been placed facing the stage, and 
 His Excellency duly enthroned thereon. 
 
 A period of wars followed ; the news of the death of 
 Cavagnari arrived at Simla during one of the A.D.C. per- 
 formances ; and the fortunes of the Club ebbed, for nearly 
 all the men who should have played or paid were away in 
 Afghanistan. There came a dire day when the A.D.C. 
 owed two years' rent of the theatre and had not the 
 wherewithal to pay. Lord " Bill " Beresford came to the 
 rescue. He was military secretary to the Viceroy, and 
 was the guiding spirit of all race-meetings and gymkhanas 
 in the summer capital, but he cheerfully took a new burden 
 on his shoulders. He made an arrangement as to the 
 rent ; the resources of Peterhof were brought to bear to 
 aid the theatre ; the wars ceased, and the men swarmed 
 back to Simla ; little suppers after the performances, to 
 which each actor was entitled to ask a guest, became so 
 popular, that the competition to be allowed to play, even 
 as a super, was keen, and Hobday and his burlesques 
 sprung into prominence. Major, then Captain, Hobday was 
 one of Lord Roberts's aides-de-camp, and could not only 
 write very witty doggerel, but was a clever burlesque actor 
 and an excellent stage-manager. A burlesque, put upon 
 the stage regardless of expense, became one of the events 
 of the A.D.C. season ; the fairest of Capua's daughters 
 sang in the chorus; and the art of stage-dancing was 
 much cultivated. Elaborate scenic effects were attempted, 
 and one at least of the burlesques played almost as long 
 on its premiere as a Drury Lane pantomime does. 
 
 To come to more modern times, of which I have per- 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 225 
 
 sonal knowledge. When, in 1 890, I first set foot in Simla as 
 an unpaid Attache in the Intelligence Department, the Town 
 Hall, a grey stone mediaeval castle, with a red roof that 
 leaked on to the floor of the ballroom, and the Gaiety 
 Theatre tucked away in the basement, stood on the crest 
 of the " nek " which joins Jakko to the long line of hill on 
 which the rest of Simla stands, and the old Nantch Gurh 
 had effaced itself by means of fire, a remnant of blackened 
 walls " down the klud " being all that was left of it. 
 
 Some stone arches, slightly reminiscent of a cathe- 
 dral cloister, shaded the stage-door and the entrance for 
 the public. The stage-door led directly on to the stage, 
 there being one or two steps to go down, which a new- 
 comer, blinded by the sudden transition from blazing 
 sunshine to gloom, generally fell down. The stage was 
 small, being about the size of one of those of the smaller 
 Strand theatres. The dressing-rooms, up aloft, were long, 
 comfortless apartments, with white walls through which 
 the damp sweated. A gallery crossed the stage at its far 
 end, and a number of cupboards in this gallery held the 
 " wardrobe " of the theatre — a very good one, from which 
 any costume-piece could be handsomely clothed. On 
 brackets projecting over the stage were rolled " back- 
 cloths," and in the cellars below the stage were the 
 " wings " and built-up scenes — an admirable assortment, 
 for the A.D.C. was lucky enough to have in Mr. M'Cracken 
 an amateur scene-painter who was, and is, a fine artist, 
 and who, happily for the Club, liked the broad work 
 of scene-painting. The row of arches which formed a 
 balcony above the cloisters was enclosed with old scenery 
 when there was a performance, and it was there that we 
 supped. The lights on the stage and in the house were 
 kerosene lamps. The foyer, into which the public entrance 
 
 P 
 
226 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 led, the theatre shared with the Freemasons, whose lodge 
 was reached through it. There was a frequent clashing 
 of dates between lodge meetings and theatrical perform- 
 ances. We talked of the convenience of the Viceroy and 
 Commander-in-Chief being consulted ; the Freemasons 
 fell back upon Solomon and Hiram of Tyre. Stalls on 
 a steep rake, and behind them a ring of boxes, the three 
 boxes in the centre being those of the Viceroy, the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief, and the Lieutenant-Governor ; a dress 
 circle, with boxes at either side, and a gallery stretching 
 far back behind it — such was the Gaiety Theatre, Simla, 
 when I first saw it. Lord Roberts, who is very fond of the 
 theatre, was the President of our Club ; the municipality 
 were very lenient as our landlord ; our funds were kept in 
 a flourishing state by the letting of the boxes and stalls by 
 Mrs. Corstorphan, a dear old lady, who kept a " reposi- 
 tory " at the end of the big bazaar ; and the affairs of the 
 Club were managed by a committee of four, who met once 
 a week, one of them, as honorary secretary, keeping the 
 books. Members of this committee changed, and honorary 
 secretaries came and went. Some of the names that recur 
 to me as having been on the committee are those of 
 " Joey " Deane, M'Cracken, Percy Holland, G. Williams, 
 Yeatman Biggs (who died through overwork and dysentery 
 during the Tirah campaign), and Gerald Morton. 
 
 During the summer the A.D.C. played on an average 
 five important pieces, each running for three nights, and 
 a dozen or so comediettas put on at matinees and supple- 
 mented by variety " turns." Nothing came amiss to us, 
 from Goldsmith, Pinero, and Haddon Chambers down to 
 the lowest depths of three-act farce. India is a country 
 in which piracy of plays is rampant, and as the A.D.C. 
 went to the fountain-head and paid for the plays they 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 227 
 
 produced, managers and authors were kind to the Club. 
 Mr. Pinero in particular always had a keen interest in 
 the A.D.C., and sent out to them his plays in manuscript 
 as soon as they were produced at home. The one play that 
 he did not send out, for he considered it unsuited to ama- 
 teurs, was " The Profligate." At a period later than that 
 I am writing of the amateurs did play " The Profligate," 
 and proved Pinero to be right, for Simla did not like it. 
 
 Strange to relate there were never, or hardly ever, 
 any quarrels in the corps dramatique, the reason not 
 being, I fancy, that we were made of different clay from 
 other amateurs, but that the supply of actors and actresses 
 was greater than the demand, and that a leading lady 
 inclined to assert herself too much knew if she was asked 
 to send back her part that there were two or three other 
 ladies anxious and competent to take it. There is a tale 
 still remembered of a bouquet presented to the wrong 
 lady at the close of a performance of " Caste," and the 
 trouble that came of it, but it would not be wise to re-tell 
 it. The Deanes, Mrs. George Williams, Mrs. Little and 
 her daughter (the latter now a charming actress on the 
 London stage), Mrs. Wheeler, Mrs. Fortescue Porter, 
 Mrs. Harry Stuart, Percy Holland, C. de C. Hamilton, 
 Hunter Weston, Yeatman Biggs, were the stars of the 
 dramatic side ; while in musical pieces, the direction of 
 which were in the safe hands of Major H. Clarke, Miss 
 Ribenthrop, Miss Collen, and Miss Halliday made special 
 successes. ^ 
 
 It was not only in the Gaiety Theatre that the dramatic 
 plant was reared, for both at Snowdon, the Commander- 
 in-Chief's house, and at Barnes' Court, the Lieutenant- 
 Governor's official residence, there were small stages, and 
 both Lady Roberts and the Lieutenant-Governor generally 
 
228 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 included theatricals amongst their yearly entertainments. 
 At the Viceregal Lodge a stage was especially built, and 
 scenery and a drop-scene painted, that theatricals might 
 be one of the series of entertainments which Lord and 
 Lady Lansdowne offered to Lord Harris, then Governor 
 of Bombay, and Lady Harris when they visited them at 
 Simla. 
 
 A record of Simla theatricals would be incomplete if 
 I did not refer to some proposed pastoral performances 
 which could not be held in the open air. The occasion 
 was a series of representations of " A Midsummer Night's 
 Dream," the profits of which were to go to Lady Roberts's 
 pet charity, the " homes in the hills for nurses and 
 hospitals for sick officers." The K.O.S.B.'s sent their 
 string band to Simla to play Mendelssohn's music ; all the 
 stars of the A.D.C., musical and dramatic, were in the 
 cast ; and all the prettiest ladies in Simla worked hard at 
 their dances and music as the Fairies. The dates for the 
 performances had been fixed for the end of September 
 and the beginning of October, when the rains should, by 
 all rules, have ceased, and the lawn and grassy terraces 
 of Peterhof, kindly lent by the Financial Secretary of the 
 time, had been turned into a level, grassy stage, with altar 
 and temple and seat of state, under a velarium, and arbours 
 and thickets, faced by a semicircle of seats. In the re- 
 sponsible post of stage-manager I had drilled the chorus 
 into exactitude in their dances, but not into silence, for 
 nothing in the world could keep thirty-two Simla ladies 
 silent for two hours. All that was wanted was the fine 
 weather. Day after day those interested in the perform- 
 ances watched fresh banks of clouds sailing up from the 
 plains, and at last in despair the open-air performances 
 had to be abandoned, and '* A Midsummer Night's 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 229 
 
 Dream " had to be played in the ballroom of the Town 
 Hall, a hall the echo in which made hearing very difficult. 
 
 Of course any professionals travelling in India cast 
 eyes upon the amateur dramatic paradise of Simla, and a 
 clause in our lease obliged us to put the theatre at the 
 disposal of other companies so long as this did not 
 interfere with the A.D.C. performances. Small companies 
 of professional players did occasionally come to Simla, 
 were leased the theatre for a time, and were helped by 
 the amateurs ; but Simla society did not take kindly to 
 these invasions. The A.D.C. performances, good, bad, or 
 indifferent, were recognised social functions, and were as 
 much part of Simla life as the birthday ball or the races 
 at Annandale. No professionals managed to make their 
 performances a necessity of Simla life, and accordingly 
 went down the hill, as a rule, saying unjustifiably hard 
 things of the amateurs. 
 
 The A.D.C. still flourishes exceedingly ; the boxes are 
 put up to auction now at the beginning of each season, 
 and the income of the Club has increased. The theatre 
 has been redecorated, and shines resplendent in salmon- 
 pink, light green, and gold ; the positions of the boxes have 
 been rearranged, electric light introduced into every part 
 of the theatre, a green-room built, the dressing-rooms 
 made habitable, a paid secretary secured, and a box office 
 opened at the theatre. Fritz Ponsonby, Baden Powell, 
 and Wilkinson have lately made successes on the side 
 of the sterner sex, while Mrs. Wheeler has been adding 
 to laurels already gained. "The Crusaders" and "The 
 Geisha" mark the high-water mark of the comedy and 
 musical performances of late years. 
 
 I have dwelt thus at length on the doings of the Simla 
 A.D.C, because it is an example of the pitch of efficiency 
 
230 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 to which an amateur organisation can be brought abroad ; 
 but all over India, notably at Poonah, Mhow, Meerut, 
 Calcutta, and Lucknow there are centres of attraction for 
 amateurs. Calcutta shone at one time by the excellence 
 of its amateur renderings of Gilbert and Sullivan's operas, 
 stage-managed generally by Mr. Nicol, a very clever 
 amateur ; and I remember that at a dinner-party the 
 hostess as a pleasant item of information told Mr. W. S. 
 Gilbert, newly landed, that two of his pieces — both, need- 
 less to say, pirated — were being performed in the city of 
 palaces. What Mr. Gilbert's answer was I did not catch. 
 At the Saturday Night Club, a little " cock and hen " insti- 
 tution, there were constantly theatricals on a small scale. 
 
 There have always been in India certain amateurs 
 who have established a club, and as often as not built a 
 theatre, in whatever station they have been stationed in. 
 Colonel and Mrs. Moore-Lane are perhaps the brightest 
 examples of this, and Quetta, Poonah, where they joined 
 forces with General and Mrs. Pottinger, Murree, Mhow, 
 Bombay — all had to thank them for exceptionally good 
 performances. Colonel Moore-Lane would, but for the ill- 
 ness of his wife, have carried out the biggest purely amateur 
 tour ever attempted. The Bath School for officers' 
 daughters was at that time a charity which attracted a 
 great deal of attention in India, and Colonel Moore-Lane 
 — who was then a captain — arranged to take the com- 
 pany of amateurs he had collected round him on tour 
 through all the big cities of India, playing " My Milliner's 
 Bill," "The Parvenu," and "Creatures of Impulse," the 
 surplus over expenses — and the tour would have paid 
 well — going to the Bath School, Unfortunately after the 
 first performances at Poonah Mrs. Moore-Lane fell ill, 
 and the tour had to be abandoned. 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 231 
 
 It was at Poonah, I believe, that Colonel Moore-Lane 
 and his company had rather a trying experience. Some 
 kind-hearted lady had suggested that the school children 
 should be allowed to come to the dress rehearsal. 
 Colonel Moore-Lane, being a kindly soul, and also 
 knowing what a splendid audience school children make, 
 consented willingly. He was surprised, however, to 
 find, instead of the hundreds of smiling white faces he 
 expected to see, row upon row of grave little copper- 
 coloured visages, the little Indian children from the 
 missionary schools. The harder he and his company 
 worked to raise a laugh, the graver and graver this audi- 
 ence grew. They had been brought up to regard every 
 sahib with the greatest respect, and the more ridiculous 
 the sahibs on the stage made themselves, the more cause 
 the little brown scholars found for not being drawn 
 into anything so disrespectful as a laugh. It was at 
 Poonah, too, though not at these particular performances, 
 but at some given in a private house, that a good-natured 
 soldier discovered that a prompter's life is not altogether 
 a happy one. He had volunteered to prompt, just as 
 he would have volunteered for any other dangerous duty, 
 and though he knew nothing about the duties of a 
 prompter, he set to work reading out the lines at the 
 wings, and following the play as best he could. The 
 leading comedian said horrible things to him under his 
 breath, the heroine tried to kill him by a glance, the 
 asides of the villain to him were worse than all the swear- 
 words the authors had put into his part. The audience, 
 who appreciated the situation, adjured him to speak up, 
 and in kindly response he did read a bit louder. When 
 the curtain dropped he was surprised to find that there 
 was something more than a coldness shown towards him 
 
232 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 by all the members of the company, and the hostess of 
 the evening, who evidently thought that he had dined 
 liberally before coming to the house, withered him by 
 an inquiry as to whether he had had all that he wanted. 
 The poor fellow mopped his brow. " Madam," he 
 replied, with absolute truth, " all that I have had up 
 to the present is unlimited abuse." 
 
 Major Hobday was another star of the dramatic 
 firmament who lighted the sacred lamp of burlesque 
 wherever he went. I have written of his advent in Simla, 
 and at Poonah also he played with the greatest success. 
 He there, as the Moore-Lanes before him, was assisted 
 by General and Mrs. Pottinger and their daughters, and 
 a happy marriage united two of the amateur dramatic 
 dynasties of India. 
 
 General Yeatman Biggs did for Meerut what the 
 Moore-Lanes did for Quetta, gave the station a theatre, 
 complete with scenery and accessories, and started a club 
 on a sound financial basis. 
 
 To turn to the Far East. Next to Simla, the best 
 organised club that I have found in the uttermost parts of 
 the earth was the Hong-kong Amateur Dramatic Club. 
 
 The early days of amateur theatricals in Hong-kong 
 were scarcely palmy. The first " Victoria Theatre " was 
 above a go-down in Wanchai, Queen's Road, East. The 
 only way of getting into this theatre was by some very 
 steep wooden stairs outside the building, and the whole 
 place was odorous of what is known as " Singapore 
 cargo " — damaged rice, fish maws, &c. The present Ama- 
 teur Dramatic Club began life in i860, when the first 
 " Theatre Royal Mat-shed " was erected, where now stands 
 the east wing of the City Hall. It was a perfect bijou 
 inside, but a most ungainly-looking edifice outside. The 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 233 
 
 plans were drawn by the late Charles Murray, son of 
 the well-known Edinburgh actor and manager. It was 
 made entirely of bamboo mats and light planks, all lashed 
 together with strips of rattan, not a nail being used. The 
 corridors and passages were decorated with fire-buckets 
 kept full of water and bill-hooks. The theatre was pulled 
 down each year when the summer heats stopped the 
 gaieties of the town, and rebuilt, generally on a new site, 
 every winter. The last site of the mat-shed was where 
 now stands the " married quarters " of the barracks. 
 
 The performances before the A.D.C., as at present 
 constituted, opened in November i860 belong to the 
 heroic period lost in the mist of years. A Colonel who 
 never spoilt a good story by a too scrupulous adherence 
 to truth used to tell me various tales of the days when 
 he was the manager of the theatre. His company rose 
 to the height of grand opera, and his tenor was a gunner 
 in the battery quartered in the town. The man was, un- 
 fortunately, addicted to drink, and the excitement of the 
 coming performances generally drove him to stimulants. 
 Therefore he, with his own consent, was always put as 
 a prisoner in the guard-room for three days before a 
 performance, marched under escort to rehearsal and to the 
 performance, and only released, with carte blanche to take 
 the best that the canteen could afford, after he had bowed 
 to the audience at the fall of the curtain. There was 
 another tale of a Chinese scene-painter who painted palm- 
 trees all of the same thickness, all plumb upright, and 
 each with the same number of leaves — but, as I have 
 said, the Colonel's stories belonged more to the field of 
 romance than of history. 
 
 The first performance of the Hong-kong Amateur 
 Dramatic Club was of " Still Waters Run Deep," with 
 
234 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Attwell Coxon — whose name is writ large in the libro d'oro 
 of Hong-kong theatricals — as Hawksley, and an exception- 
 ally good Potter in Robert Watmore. The names of some 
 of the men who did good amateur work in those days 
 were : C. Murray ; Arthur Twiss, R.A. ; Pooley ; E. H. 
 Pollard ; K. D. Tanner, 99th ; Bisset Snell, 99th ; Taylor, 
 5th Battalion Light Infantry ; Alex. Roger ; Wingfield ; 
 M'Leod ; Henry Murray. 
 
 Two peculiarities the Hong-kong Amateur Dramatic 
 Club had. One was that all the actors adopted noms de 
 theatre; for there was an idea, an unfounded one I believe, 
 that the typans, the heads of the big Hongs, might object 
 to seeing the names of the gentlemen in their houses in 
 print on a theatrical programme. Therefore Coxon became 
 Hockey on the bill of the play, and so on. The other 
 peculiarity was that no ladies appeared on the Hong-kong 
 stage until 1879, the women's parts being all played by 
 men. The Esther Eccles of G. Caldwell was remembered 
 and talked of in the days when I was quartered at Hong- 
 kong as having been a very remarkable performance. 
 Burlesque was the trump card of the Hong-kong Amateur 
 Dramatic Club in the pre-ladies' days, and the " Field of 
 the Cloth of Gold " was put upon the stage with a splendour 
 that was never dreamed of at the Strand Theatre, a splen- 
 dour that plunged the A.D.C. into debt for a considerable 
 period. In E. Beart the A.D.C. had an exceptionally 
 clever low comedian, so good indeed, that he would have 
 taken a high position in any professional company in 
 the days W'hen burlesque was still played. His Widow 
 Twankay in " Aladdin " was an exact reproduction of a 
 Sampan woman ; and in a performance given by the 
 Choral Society, a friendly rival of the A.D.C, of " Pina- 
 fore," he convulsed the house with laughter by his make- 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 235 
 
 up and manner as Sir Joseph Porter, being an exact repro- 
 duction in every particular of the Governor, Pope Hennessy, 
 who at that time was intensely unpopular. The Governor 
 was not in the theatre, though he afterwards asked Beart to 
 lunch at Government House, and laughed very heartily over 
 the photographs of Sir Joseph Porter ; but the Lieutenant- 
 Governor, General Donovan, was, and it was said that the 
 finest performance ever seen in the Hong-kong theatre was 
 the self-command he exhibited in not even smiling when 
 everybody else in the house was roaring with laughter. 
 
 When, in 1882, I was quartered at Hong-kong, the mat- 
 shed days were long past, and the theatre occupied one 
 wing of the Town Hall. It was a fine roomy building 
 inside, with stalls, pit, and a broad dress circle. It was said 
 to have owed its magnificence to the grand old days when 
 Dent's and Jardine's, two of the great Hongs, competed as 
 to which should be the most magnificent and munificent. 
 In racing and in every other form of amusement the two 
 houses were rivals. If one gave a fountain to the town, 
 the other " went one better " by founding a city hall, and 
 the competition on the turf culminated when one house 
 bought a Derby winner to run on the race-course in the 
 Happy Valley. Those magnificent days are gone. Jar- 
 dine's is still a power in the land, but there was no Dent's 
 when I was in Hong-kong. 
 
 In 1880 and 1881 the Hong-kong Amateur Dramatic 
 Club had given two performances, which were as good as 
 any amateur performances ever given. The plays were 
 ''New Men and Old Acres " and "The School for Scandal." 
 Mrs. Philip Bernard, who subsequently came to London 
 and played as a professional actress, acted the part of the 
 heroine in each play delightfully, and had very strong 
 support in Mrs. Hockey, Mrs. Chervau, and Mrs. Wood- 
 
236 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 bine — to give them their noms de theatre. Coxon, Beart, 
 and Young were amongst the men who played with 
 success. 
 
 During the time that I was in Hong-kong, "School" 
 and " She Stoops to Conquer " were the successes of the 
 A.D.C. seasons, and there was a performance of "The 
 Wedding March," which was very extraordinary. "The 
 Eccentricity " had been rehearsed with the greatest care, 
 money had been lavished on the costumes and scenery ; 
 but the day before the performance H. Sommerset, the 
 Adjutant of the Buffs, who was to have played Wood- 
 pecker, fell ill. A professional in a travelling troupe 
 volunteered to take the part at twenty-four hours' notice, 
 and at first was fairly firm in his words. The eccentricity 
 towards the close of the piece was, however, not that 
 contemplated by Mr. W. S. Gilbert. The play became 
 a sort of " go-as-you-please " contest, and when the cur- 
 tain came down the audience wondered what it had all 
 been about. 
 
 In later years at Hong-kong comic opera has flourished 
 exceedingly, for the secretary of the Hong-kong Club 
 who succeeded E. Beart was, and is, a clever comedian, 
 with a very good voice. 
 
 At Shanghai and some of the other treaty ports 
 amateur actors flourished. I have no personal know- 
 ledge of their doings, but the papers used to be very 
 complimentary to the Shanghai amateurs in their criti- 
 cisms on the Robertson plays which were put on the 
 tage. 
 
 In Japan, British amateur acting took a firm hold. 
 There was in Yokohama a fine old actor, who had played 
 with all the great men of the last generation both in 
 America and England, and who had finally drifted into 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 237 
 
 a haven of rest, a little inn near the race-course. He 
 was a tower of strength as a stage-manager, and a per- 
 formance of " The School for Scandal " done under his 
 management was surprisingly good. A performance of 
 "The Mikado," of which three-quarters of the cast were 
 amateurs, was probably the strangest perversion of that 
 popular opera ever made. The occasion was the visit to 
 Yokohama of the remnant of a travelling opera company. 
 The amateurs rallied to the rescue, and "The Mikado" 
 was rehearsed day and night by the hemficiaires and their 
 recruits. A scene with a profusion of real wistaria for 
 wings and flies was improvised, and all Anglo-America 
 in Yokohama had taken tickets, when the unforeseen 
 occurred. The Mikado's government had a word to say 
 as to an opera with such a title being performed in Japan, 
 and the players — amateur and professional— were told 
 that the opera could not be performed unless the title 
 was changed and all reference to "The Honourable Gate" 
 expunged. The company was equal to the occasion, and 
 the opera of "Three Little Maids from School" was per- 
 formed for the first and last time upon any stage. 
 
 In the Golden Khersonese, the dreamy land of the 
 Straits Settlements, which dozes on the Equator, amateur 
 theatricals did not flourish in the eighties, when I knew 
 Penang and Malacca and Singapore well. At Penang the 
 merchants and civil servants subscribed to build a stage 
 in the new Town Hall. The stage was built, and, as I had 
 once daubed paint on canvas under the instruction of 
 Mr. Perkins, by universal consent I was designated as the 
 man to paint a curtain. Whether I had forgotten the 
 elements of "priming," or what went wrong, I do not 
 know, but the view across the Penang Harbour, looking 
 towards the Kedah Hills, which I put on canvas, was 
 
238 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 plastered so thick with paint, that all the prospective 
 amateur actors agreed that it would crack if it was 
 pulled up. The situation was accepted, the curtain was 
 left down, and there were no theatricals during the two 
 years I was quartered at Penang. 
 
 Singapore now has, I believe, a fine theatre ; but in 
 the days of my subalternhood a long room under the 
 Town Hall, with barred windows, the smell of a dungeon, 
 and a rickety stage, was the theatre which travelling 
 companies hired, and then called the amateurs to their 
 assistance. The amateurs were lazy, and would always 
 sooner pay to see somebody else act than act themselves 
 — an unusual characteristic in amateurs. In earlier days, 
 1856-59, when the theatre was a long mat-shed at the 
 foot of Fort Canning, which was then Government House, 
 the amateurs were more energetic, and " Helping Hands," 
 "The Prisoner of War," "The Critic," with E. J. Leve- 
 son, Barkley Read, Davidson, Mansfield Goss, W. Adam- 
 son, H. W. Wood, will still be in the memory of old 
 Singaporeans. 
 
 At the Tanglin Club, a charming little building on the 
 outskirts of Victoria, the town of Singapore, where every 
 Saturday all the good fellows in the island used to gather 
 together to play bowls, there was a little stage, and a 
 comedietta preceding a dance was a very favourite enter- 
 tainment for some kind hostess or host to give. "Joe" 
 Miller was a low comedian of note, and on the walls of 
 the club were photographs of Colonel and Mrs. Moore- 
 Lane, the former in an impossible tall hat, as the hero 
 and heroine of " Sweethearts," showing that those mis- 
 sionaries of the amateur drama had at one time or another 
 set their seal upon the place. During the time that I was 
 in Singapore we never aspired higher than " Cut Off with 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 239 
 
 a Shilling" and "Withered Leaves," which made an excuse 
 for some very pleasant rehearsals, but did not deserve any 
 comment as producing any exceptional talent. 
 
 South Africa has never, to my knowledge, supported 
 any amateur dramatic club that could be compared to 
 those of Simla or Hong-kong. Here and there some 
 enthusiastic amateur has gathered a company together, 
 which always disbanded itself with all speed on the 
 departure of the bright particular star, and the profes- 
 sionals who occasionally raided the country from Eng- 
 land, Australia, and America were often glad enough of 
 amateur help. At the Cape, in the seventies, Sir Henry 
 Cunninghame's smart young aide-de-camp, who has now 
 blossomed into Sir Francis Grenfell, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., 
 organised burlesques, and painted a very pretty drop- 
 curtain, taking the motif from a willow-pattern plate. 
 About the same time the 13th Light Infantry were doing 
 some very good amateur work in Natal, and a perform- 
 ance of " Caste," in which Mrs. Kemmis, who has joined 
 the professional ranks, and is well known on the London 
 stage, played Esther, is still talked of in Pietermaritzburg 
 as being the best amateur performance ever seen there. 
 The critics in the local papers quite out-Heroded them- 
 selves on this occasion, and not content with dealing out 
 double-barrelled adjectives all round, they hailed a clever 
 young lady, who was making her first appearance on any 
 stage in the character of Polly, as being "better than 
 Mrs. Bancroft." The Theatre Royal, Pietermaritzburg, in 
 which the amateurs played, was a large naked room, with 
 a stage at one end ; but this was an improvement on the 
 drill shed, which was what the colony was accustomed to 
 in its earlier days. The men of the old 20th, a regiment 
 which stayed so long in Natal that the War Office was 
 
240 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 believed to have forgotten its existence, were the principal 
 performers in the drill-shed days ; but every regiment that 
 went to South Africa developed theatrical tendencies. 
 Perhaps the quaintest regimental performance ever given 
 in Africa was one organised by the Gordons at Newcastle, 
 Natal, just after the Boer war. " Rob Roy " was the 
 play, and the Gordons, as indeed most Highland regiments 
 do, played a version of their own, learnt by word of 
 mouth, scorning books as being misleading. A hut of 
 straw and other light material had been run up to form a 
 theatre, and when the hero thundered out " Ye have not 
 yet subdued Rob Roy," the roof collapsed, the sides fell 
 in, and Rob Roy was subdued, and the play ended at one 
 and the same time. 
 
 Whether Oom Paul encourages amateur theatricals in 
 Pretoria now I do not know ; but during the period that 
 the Union Jack waved over Government House there one 
 attempt at least was made to give a theatrical performance. 
 Those of us who were the movers in the enterprise held a 
 consultation, and after lifting our eyes as high as Robert- 
 son, we came at the end to a modest selection in " Ici on 
 Parle Fran9ais." Even then our available ladies were too 
 few to fill the parts, and a son of Colonel Weatherley, 
 who met his death so bravely in the Zulu war, was put 
 into petticoats. The performance never became an 
 accomplished fact. Secocoeni in the northwest of the 
 Transvaal, and Gassibone in the south-east, must have 
 had a spite against amateur actors ; for on the day on 
 which the dress rehearsal was to have taken place news 
 came that these two chiefs were giving trouble, and it was 
 " boot and saddle " for us, not sock and buskin. 
 
 Kimberley was the South African town in which 
 amateur acting flourished the most, and the head of the 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 241 
 
 amateurs there was the late Mr. " Barney " Barnato. If 
 instead of making him a millionaire fate had decreed that 
 he should make a living by the stage, he would have drawn 
 a big salary. His appearance at either of the theatres — 
 for Kimberley boasted two zinc-roofed edifices called 
 theatres — was a sure draw, and the professional com- 
 panies, to whom Kimberley was in the seventies the 
 El Dorado that Johannesburg has become in the nineties, 
 used always to induce him if possible to play some char- 
 acter. " Barney " played Othello and lago alternately 
 with Fairclough, the American tragedian ; but Mathias, in 
 " The Bells," was his favourite part. He played it scores 
 of times, and always filled the theatre. M'Closky, in the 
 " Octoroon," was another of Mr. Barnato's favourite char- 
 acters, and of one of his appearances in that character 
 there is a story told. 
 
 There was a clever young lady amateur who frequently 
 acted with " Barney." In this particular performance she 
 was the Zoe to his M'Closky. One of the many ad- 
 mirers of the young lady's beauty and talent had secured 
 a seat in the front row of stalls, and followed the closing 
 scene of the third act with ever-increasing excitement. 
 When the auctioneer, registering M'Closky's bid, came to 
 his final sentence, " Is there any other bid ? For the first 
 time, twenty-five thousand — last time ! " the enthusiast in 
 the stalls leapt to his feet. " Twenty-seven thousand ! " he 
 shouted. " You may be a millionaire, but you don't buy 
 that girl." It is sad to have to end the story by narrating 
 that the father of the young lady waited for the enthusiast 
 outside the theatre, and smote him violently for compro- 
 mising his daughter in this manner. 
 
 There was a good deal of punching of heads incidental 
 to amateur acting at Kimberley in those days. There was 
 
 Q 
 
242 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 a well-known dentist who sometimes trod the boards, 
 and his enemy, probably a rival amateur, would sit in the 
 front row of the stalls and laugh during all the pathetic 
 scenes. At last the dentist could stand it no longer. He 
 leapt over the heads of the orchestra, hit the laugher a 
 violent blow, saying, "That will teach you to laugh in 
 the wrong place," and then, much relieved, climbed back 
 on to the stage and proceeded with his part. 
 
 " Barney " himself was quick enough to put up his 
 hands. It so happened that a critic in one of the local 
 papers said of his Othello that it was reminiscent of 
 the Ethiopians on Margate Sands. The criticism was re- 
 sented, and " Barney " struck the critic, as he thought, but 
 picked out the wrong man. The real writer of the article, 
 who was looking on, discovered himself. " You would 
 never criticise me in such base terms," said " Barney." 
 " Wouldn't I ? " said the offender. " I only used those 
 because I could think of none worse." There was no 
 more bloodshed, however. 
 
 The same critic, who was a well-known mining man, 
 and amused himself by writing as an amateur, once ex- 
 pressed himself in pungent terms as to the talent of a 
 violinist who played a solo at one of the amateur perform- 
 ances. On the day on which the criticism appeared in 
 print the critic's friends dropped in one by one to his 
 office to tell him that the violinist was going to " go " for 
 him, and had taken up a commanding position for that 
 purpose. The critic, who was a small man, thought if 
 he was to be " gone for " it had better occur before as small 
 an audience as possible, and sallied forth at the hour 
 when there were the fewest people about. The aggrieved 
 violinist was ready for him, but the critic, to his surprise, 
 found that when he fell he was on top. The police court 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 243 
 
 was the scene in which the second act was played, and the 
 violinist complained to the magistrate that the critic had 
 bitten his finger. The critic's defence was that he had a 
 strong dislike to resin, and that if the violinist put a finger 
 into his mouth his teeth would naturally close. A fine of 
 _^5 inflicted on the violinist closed this incident of amateur 
 criticism. 
 
 The Kimberley amateurs took themselves very seriously 
 in those days. There was much rivalry at one time between 
 the two theatres, the Royal and the Lanyon, and Mr. Barnato 
 and his following of amateurs were warm supporters of 
 the Royal. Not only did he and other millionaires spend 
 their nights in pasting throughout the town posters of the 
 Royal over those of the Lanyon, but he subsidised a paper, 
 The Mining Gazette, to fight the Royal's battles in print. 
 A grand amalgamation, " Barney's " usual remedy, was the 
 end of the dispute. 
 
 General Digby Willoughby was an amateur who, play- 
 ing in Natal and Kimberley, was a star whose radiance 
 only paled before " Barney's " tragic efforts. The General 
 (who at that time was, I fancy, only a captain, not having 
 as yet led the troops of Her Majesty of Madagascar to 
 victory) had this advantage over the millionaire, that he 
 could sing. But he did not always sing, for I can recall 
 a performance of " Ben Bolt " in which, when the General 
 came upon the stage as the hero, there was a Macready 
 pause which lengthened into an undoubted "dry up." 
 Then Ben Bolt strode down to the footlights. "Ladies 
 and gentlemen," he said, " I am very sorry, but I have 
 forgotten every word." 
 
 Of the managers who utilised the services of the 
 amateurs there was no one who knew the art of tickling 
 their vanity as did Captain Disney Roebuck, who for a 
 
244 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 time had a clear field of operation in the Cape and Natal. 
 " Still Waters Run Deep," with himself as John Mildmay, 
 was his cheval de battaille in all cases of need, and many 
 were the amateur Hawksleys and Mrs. Sternholds whom 
 he coached. He had a curious temper, and many stories 
 were told of his autocratic methods. De mortuis, &c., but 
 I may be permitted to tell the tale of Disney Roebuck and 
 the French horn player. Various versions of the tale are 
 told of other men ; but I hold that mine is the only legiti- 
 mate and original version. One of Gilbert and Sullivan's 
 pieces had been put into rehearsal — either at Cape Town 
 or Kimberley — and Roebuck, superintending matters from 
 the front, saw one of the French horn players sitting par- 
 ing his nails. He was down on him at once, and asked 
 him why he was not playing. The man explained that 
 he had so many bars' rest. "You are discharged," said 
 the Captain. " I pay men to come here and play, not 
 to rest." 
 
 The best-paying amateur performance ever given in 
 South Africa was one of " Trial by Jury " played by 
 amateurs at Kimberley. The surplus proceeds were to 
 be devoted to the needs of the wounded in the Russo- 
 Turkish war. The expenses were heavy, but the sum of 
 ^400 net was handed over to the charity. 
 
 Before leaving the subject of Kimberley and its ama- 
 teurs, I must tell the story of the Boer and the train, 
 which, if it has nothing to do with amateur acting, has a 
 great deal to do with amateur play-going. The railway 
 in the days I am writing of had not progressed farther 
 towards Kimberley than Wellington, and the Boers in the 
 Free State and the Transvaal had never seen a steam- 
 engine. A melodrama was being played at Kimberley, 
 the sensation scene in which showed a train crossing the 
 
AMATEURS IN FOREIGN PARTS 245 
 
 stage. The fame of this reached as far as Bloemfontein, 
 a two-day journey by ox-waggon from Kimberley, and an 
 old Boer who wished to see the sight inspanned his oxen, 
 and with his vrow started for Kimberley. He arrived on 
 Saturday morning, the last day on which the play was to 
 be performed, and going early to the theatre took stalls 
 for himself and his wife. The rest of the day he spent 
 going from store to store and bar to bar, telling everybody 
 of the wonderful sight he was going to see in the evening. 
 Amongst the people in whom he confided was the cham- 
 pion practical joker of the mining town, and the joker 
 determined that the Boer should not see the wonderful 
 steam-engine, so he too went to the box-office and took 
 a seat immediately behind those secured by the Boer. 
 He confided his coming joke to one or two of his 
 friends in order that he might have an audience, and 
 they went to the theatre to see what was going to happen. 
 The Boer and his wife sat stolidly through the first 
 scenes of the play. At last came the train scene with 
 its tunnels at each wing. The unconscious hero or 
 heroine was put upon the line, the lights changed from 
 red to green, and the advancing " chug chug " of the 
 engine grew and grew in intensity. Just as the steam 
 gushing out before the engine came from the wings 
 the Boer received a resounding bang on the head from 
 behind, and he and his wife looking round, found the 
 practical joker full of apologies for his clumsiness. They 
 turned their heads again ; but, alas ! the train had 
 passed and vanished, and it was a disappointed old Boer 
 who inspanned and set out back on his forty-eight-hour 
 journey to Bloemfontein, while the wicked joker rejoiced 
 much over his successful wickedness. 
 
 To jump from Continent to Continent, from Africa to 
 
246 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 America, I have to plead entire ignorance as to amateur 
 actors and their doings in Canada — I have no personal 
 experience, and so cannot write on the subject. The 
 West Indies are a stronghold for amateurs, and the name 
 of Colonel Kelly is still remembered there as a very 
 successful organiser ; but here again I cannot speak from 
 experience. The Barbadoes at one time had such a repu- 
 tation for amateur acting that the performances at the 
 theatre used to be advertised in New York to induce 
 travelling millionaires from the States to make a stay in 
 the islands of sunshine ; but here again I am at fault for 
 want of personal experience ; and the same apology for 
 ignorance must serve in the case of Australia and New 
 Zealand. 
 
 In conclusion, may I thank the good fellows from two 
 Continents who have come to my assistance and have 
 jogged a defective memory ? 
 
XI 
 THE WESTMINSTER PLAY ^ 
 
 By M. L. GWYER 
 
 EVEN before the time of Queen Elizabeth, who is 
 always recognised as the Royal Foundress of St. 
 Peter's College, Westminster, a school existed near the 
 Abbey, at which Latin plays both of Plautus and Terence 
 were acted yearly, as indeed seems to have been the 
 custom at most schools of the period, as well as at 
 Colleges of Oxford and Cambridge, where statutes are to 
 be found enjoining the practice. Dr. Nowell, who was 
 lappointed Head Master in 1543, is mentioned as having 
 introduced the reading of Terence to improve the Latin 
 style of the day ; while the earliest English comedy extant, 
 avowedly formed on the model of those of Plautus and 
 Terence, was written about 1550 by Nicholas Udall, then 
 an usher at Westminster. But Elizabeth, when she 
 founded and endowed the school anew, ordained by statute 
 that a play should be acted every year, as follows : — 
 
 De cotncediis et liidis in Natali Domini exhibendis. 
 " Quo iuventus maiori cum fructi tempus Natalis Christi terat et cum 
 actioni turn pronunciationi decenti melius se assuescat, statuimus ut 
 singulis annis intra duodecim post festum Natalis Christi dies vel postea 
 arbitrio Decani, Magister et Praeceptor simul latine unam, magister 
 choristorum anglice alteram comoediam aut tragediam . . . agendam 
 curent," 
 
 1 I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to the editors of the Ltmis alteri 
 Westmonasterienses and to Mr. P'orshall's " Westminster School." 
 
 247 
 
248 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 which being translated runs : 
 
 Concerning Comedies and Plays to be performed at Christmas. 
 
 " In order that the young may spend Christmas-time with greater profit 
 and obtain a better famiharity with graceful gesture and pronunciation, 
 we ordain that every year within twelve days after Christmas or after- 
 wards at the discretion of the Dean, the Headmaster or Under-master 
 shall jointly see that one play in Latin, and the Master of the choristers 
 that a comedy or tragedy in English ... be acted." 
 
 A fine of ten shillings was to be imposed on the party 
 whose negligence was the cause of the omission. There 
 also occurs in an old account of the charge of the revels 
 in 1564: "For certeyne plays by the gramer skole of 
 Westmynster and childerne of Powle's, wages and diet for 
 officers, taylers, mercers ; and other provisions viijl. vjs. 
 viijd." No record remains of the plays of those days, the 
 earliest prologue extant having the date of 1704. Terence 
 is pre-eminently the favourite of the Westminster boards ; 
 up to i860 Plautus had only appeared on six occasions. 
 The " Ignoramus," a modern Latin play by Ruggles, of 
 Clare Hall, and Congreve's " Morning Bride " have been 
 acted five times and once respectively. There is at the 
 present time a regular cycle of plays, acted in rotation 
 year by year, consisting of the " Trinummus " of Plautus, 
 and the " Andria," " Adelphi," and " Phormio " of Terence 
 in the order named. The play is acted by the Queen's 
 scholars on the last Thursday, Monday, and Wednesday 
 of the Christmas or play term. It is preceded by a pro- 
 logue spoken by the captain dressed in Court dress, and is 
 followed by an epilogue. The prologue was originally 
 merely an introduction to the play, containing references 
 to the more important events of the past year. It is now 
 conventionally restricted to subjects connected more nearly 
 with the school alone, a restriction which in some ways is 
 
THE WESTMINSTER PLAY 249 
 
 not altogether for the good : for instance, the writer of 
 the prologue is deprived of all opportunities such as 
 that of which Dr. Liddell made such exquisite use in his 
 threnody upon the Duke of Wellington, which formed the 
 sole subject of his prologue. But it is to the epilogue that 
 the audience give their whole and undivided attention. 
 Originally a dialogue between two or more characters, it 
 has now assumed the functions of a Latin revue, a skit on 
 prevailing foibles and fashions, on politics, foreign or 
 domestic, of the day ; the whole cast take part, and with 
 the same names and characteristics, are transferred bodily 
 into nineteenth-century costumes and manners. Extracts 
 from more modern prologues and epilogues shall be given 
 lower down. 
 
 The whole is acted in the college dormitory, a long 
 lofty room which runs the whole length of the building, 
 and measures 160 feet from end to end. Here about five 
 weeks from the end of term a work of destruction begins ; 
 cubicles are abolished pro tern., and a stage is erected at 
 one end fitted with scenery, with the two houses indispen- 
 sable to Roman comedy on either side. The back scene is 
 a beautiful painting of Athens, with the Acropolis in the 
 centre, designed in 1857 by Professor Cockerell, R.A., 
 himself an old Westminster. The pit is immediately in 
 front of the stage, and behind a gallery is built right up to 
 the ceiling. The whole theatre when full may hold from 
 five to six hundred spectators, without counting old 
 Westminsters, who come and stand in crowds in all the 
 gangways and every available space. Visitors are now 
 made as comfortable as circumstances permit ; but it can 
 have been no light thing to sit through a Westminster 
 play in the early years of the century, when hard benches 
 only were available, and light was supplied by flaring 
 
250 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 tallow candles. This, however, the editors of the Ltisus 
 alteri Westmonasterienses assure us was the case. Still more 
 quaint must have been the appearance of the actors them- 
 selves, dressed in frockcoats of the latest fashion or (in 
 the case of the minor characters) in the liveries of footmen 
 and servants. It is fair to say that they did but follow the 
 example of all London theatres of that period, and those 
 who did not consider it absurd in the case of Garrick 
 could scarcely be expected to be over-critical in the theatre 
 at Westminster. 1839 saw a change, however, when Dr. 
 Williamson, then Head Master, introduced Greek costumes 
 very much as worn at the present day. There is a con- 
 ventional dress according to the character. The old men 
 wear long white tunics reaching to the ground, with 
 palliums of different colours. The young men appear in 
 short tunics (often, it is to be feared, mistaken by the 
 ladies for petticoats, who regard the characters with in- 
 creased interest as representatives of their own sex) with 
 palliums of red or blue, the red being always assigned to 
 the less effeminate of the two — an invidious but only 
 possible method of discrimination between the usual 
 Terentian pairs. 
 
 To recount all the honoured names which are to be 
 found among the casts of the various plays it would be 
 necessary to give a list of nearly all the famous Queen's 
 scholars who have been at Westminster. A few perhaps 
 will suffice. Naturally enough in some cases there is no 
 actual proof that they acted, as regular lists of the casts are 
 not extant much before 1750 ; but as most of the persons 
 mentioned held high places in the school, it is practically 
 certain that they did. Such are John Dryden the poet. 
 Bishop Trelawney (one of the famous seven bishops), 
 John Locke the philosopher, Nicholas Brady, the composer 
 
THE WESTMINSTER PLAY 251 
 
 of the metrical version of the Psalms, Zachary Pearce, 
 Dean of Westminster and Bishop of Rochester ; the Earl 
 of Mansfield, perhaps the most famous of English judges, 
 spoke the prologue in 1722; while Elijah Impey and 
 Warren Hastings entered College together in 1747. Then 
 we find the names of Robert Lloyd, the poet, and George 
 Colman the elder in the same cast. In 1725 Charles 
 Wesley acted Davus in the " Andria," and Richard Robin- 
 son, afterwards Primate of Ireland, that of Chremes. In 
 the present century the names are perhaps not quite so 
 numerous, but we may notice those of Sir Robert Philli- 
 more and of Sir Walter Phillimore, lately appointed one of 
 the Judges of Queen's Bench. 
 
 Others there are who have gained distinction in other 
 branches of life. E. C. Burton and W. G. Rich rowed in 
 the last Westminster eight that beat Eton in 1845, and 
 Rich stroked the Oxford eight against Cambridge for three 
 years in succession, while W. G. Armitstead, who acted in 
 1848-51, was afterwards Captain of the Oxford Cricket 
 Eleven, while others there are whose more recent exploits 
 forbid their names being mentioned in a sketch which pro- 
 fesses to treat of a past heroic age. 
 
 Notices of the acting are not very common, but there 
 are a few exceptions, notably that of George Lewis, whose 
 acting in the " Ignoramus " in 1730 was so much admired 
 that he went by the name of Ignoramus Lewis for the rest 
 of his life. We are also told that in 1764 Garrick was so 
 pleased with the Davus of John Eckersall that he made 
 him a present of the freedom of his house. In a letter of 
 Atterbury, Dean of Christ Church, to Trelawney, Bishop of 
 Winchester, dated February 24, 161 1, occurs the follow- 
 ing : — " I spent the evening in seeing ' Phormio ' acted at 
 the College Chambers, where, in good truth, my lord, Mr. 
 
252 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Trelawney (the bishop's son) played Antipho extremely well, 
 and some parts he performed admirably. Your lordship 
 may depend upon it that, in whatsoever place he stands, he 
 shall go first of the election to Oxford." Trelawney was 
 elected head, and must have considered the labour he 
 devoted to his part as well expended. 
 
 No account of the play would be complete without a 
 reference to the " Cap," a peculiarly Westminster institu- 
 tion. On the last two play nights, after " God save the 
 Queen " had been played, the old Westminster who is in 
 the chair calls for a cap, and college caps are passed round 
 by the captain, into which are put contributions to defray 
 the expenses of the play, which are often heavy. Many of 
 those who are unable to be present themselves at play- 
 time never fail to remember their own acting days, and 
 their presents to the cap form a large proportion of the 
 whole. It is on record that in 1834 King William the 
 Fourth was present, and before leaving the theatre pre- 
 sented ;^ioo to the cap. 
 
 We have said that there is a cap on the last two nights 
 only. This is because the first night (the ladies' night) is 
 usually considered, perhaps rather ungallantly, as more or 
 less of a dress rehearsal. No prologue is spoken, nor was 
 the epilogue produced till recent years, when the strain of 
 sitting out the comedy itself, without anything in the way 
 of an after-piece which all could understand and appre- 
 ciate, was barely compensated in the eyes of the audience 
 by the excellence of the acting, however good that might 
 be. " Gentlemen of the Press," however, are still requested 
 to defer the publication of both prologue and epilogue in 
 their various journals till after the third night, and the 
 conservative Times refuses to give even a critique till after 
 the second performance. An anecdote in connection with 
 
THE WESTMINSTER PLAY 253 
 
 this custom may be of interest. Sir Edwin Arnold, repre- 
 senting the Daily Telegraph, was once present on the first 
 night, and committed to memory the text of both the 
 epilogue and prologue while they were delivered on the 
 stage ; then, while walking back to the office of the paper, 
 he rendered them into English couplets, the Latin and 
 English versions appearing the following day in the Tele- 
 graph — a truly remarkable feat, which we believe to be 
 quite authentic. 
 
 A few words as to the choice and coaching of the cast 
 may not be out of place. A few days before the mid-term 
 holiday the setting-up takes place. There is a good deal 
 of competition for the various parts, which are decided by 
 the Head Master and the Master of Queen's scholars, the 
 latter of whom also undertakes all the coaching. It was 
 once the custom to depend largely on outside help to 
 instruct the actors, but the plan had many disadvantages, 
 and the teaching has been entirely domestic for many 
 years. It is not too much to say that by far the greater part 
 of the success obtained by plays for the last ten years has 
 been due to the careful coaching and indefatigable energy 
 of the present Master of Q.SS. In spite of the demands 
 on his time, he invariably succeeds in producing a cast of 
 a high and uniform level of excellence, and in worthily 
 continuing the best traditions of Westminster acting. The 
 epilogue is not learnt till within a day or two of the 
 first play-night ; but naturally its macaronic couplets are 
 much more easily committed to memory than the Teren- 
 tian senarii. 
 
 Let us attempt to describe a Westminster play-night. 
 The whole of the inmates of the College are pressed 
 into service, and perform various offices. Some stand at 
 different barriers to take tickets, others dispense pro- 
 
254 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 grammes, others conduct ladies to their seats, and have 
 often to soothe the wrath of husbands and brothers, for 
 the ladies sit by themselves in seats of honour, and the 
 gentlemen take their place in pit or " gods," and not 
 seldom resent the separation. One boy is deputed to 
 supply Gentlemen of the Press with necessary refresh- 
 ments — a responsible position this, for critics are but 
 mortal, and Latin plays are often dry. Up among the 
 " gods " sit two seniors, rod in hand, who lead the claque^ 
 and signify the points for applause by waving their canes. 
 The clapping begins when the Head Master enters the 
 dormitory to the strains of " See the Conquering Hero 
 comes," and continues till he and his party are seated. 
 The captain then comes forth from behind the curtain, 
 makes his bow, and recites his prologue, dressed, as has 
 been said above, in Court dress, with bands. After this the 
 play itself, with all its traditional points heartily applauded, 
 the claque being generally quite out of it. The waits 
 between the acts we fear strangers find abnormally long, 
 but there are few old Westminsters who would see them 
 curtailed. It is a general meeting of old friends and 
 acquaintances, for one is sure to meet most of one's school 
 contemporaries on one of the three nights. 
 
 Then comes another break, and the curtain rises on 
 the epilogue ; while the audience settle themselves down 
 to see all the jokes, and laugh accordingly. 
 
 It is very rare indeed for an epilogue to hang fire ; the 
 spectators want to be pleased, and do not fail to be so. 
 Finally, when the last " Floreat " has been said, " God 
 save the Queen " played, and the " cap " circulated round 
 the theatre, there is a rush for the stage, handshakings and 
 congratulations are exchanged, and mothers and relatives 
 express their pride at having recognised their sons in their 
 
THE WESTMINSTER PLAY 255 
 
 strange dresses. It is all very enjoyable, to none more so 
 than to the actors themselves ; to those whose last play 
 it is, a tinge of regret is added, while those who have 
 another year look forward to another triumph. And 
 thus the lights are lowered, and the play is over for 
 another year. 
 
 Some few extracts from prologues and epilogues of 
 more or less recent date may be of interest as showing 
 the character of most of them. Of the prologues, two 
 will suffice. The first, dated 1838, is on Her Majesty's 
 recent coronation. 
 
 PROLOGUS IN PHORMIONEM. 
 Henry R. Farrer, Captain. 
 
 Quern nos praeterito ludum intermisimus anno 
 
 Communis vetuit dum leviora dolor, 
 Hunc iterum tractare iuvat, nobisque theatri 
 
 Annua consueto tempore cura redit. 
 Interea summas sensit res Anglia verti, 
 
 Virgineamque iterum sceptra tenere manum. 
 Id quibus auspiciis, quoque accidit omine, dicat 
 
 Vox populi unanimem testificata fidem ; 
 Dicat et ille dies quo nuper in aede sacrata 
 
 Regia gemmatum frons diadema tulit. 
 Vidimus hue alacri studio concurrere mundi 
 
 Quot gremio heroas maximus orbis alit. 
 Quin etiam audiimus strepitus populique faventes, 
 
 Clamorem insolitis surgere ad astra modis. 
 Hinc dum, fortunae felicia dona fatentes, 
 
 Fudimus ingenua simplicitate preces, 
 Ut pietas et casta fides, utque optima regnet 
 
 lustitia et toto quidquid in orbe boni est : 
 Fas etiam solitum nobis sperare'favorem 
 
 Quaeque banc fovit adhuc Regia cura, domum. 
 Dumque piis manes animis veneramur Elizae, 
 
 Quaeque dedit nobis haec loco cava, manum, 
 Usque suis itidem Victoria praesit aluminis, 
 
 Protegat et veteres, altera Eliza, lares. 
 
256 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 A year ago you marked our absent Play ; 
 Our common griefs had chased our joys away, 
 Here we again present it : here we prove 
 Our annual custom and our annual love. 
 Meantime a change of monarchs holds the land ; 
 Once more the Sceptre decks a maiden's hand. 
 With what good omen this event befell, 
 The common voice of loyalty may tell. 
 So shall the day when in our hallowed shrine 
 Her brow received the diadem of her line. 
 'Twas at this spot, hasting with eager feet, 
 Ourselves we saw earth's greatest heroes meet. 
 Hence then, confessing fortune's gift so fair, 
 We pour in simple confidence our prayer ; 
 That piety and faith without a stain. 
 Justice and all that's good begin their reign ; 
 That we again may hope that grace to share 
 Which aye has nursed us with its fostering care. 
 And while we reverence still our good Queen Bess, 
 Who founded this our home of happiness, 
 May our new Queen our patroness become. 
 And guard, Elissa's equal, this our home ! 
 
 The next is part of that of 1898, and celebrates Her 
 Majesty's Diamond Jubilee. Curiously enough, the play 
 is again the " Phormio." 
 
 PROLOGUS IN PHORMIONEM. 
 
 Vobis quod dicam prae pietate, prae fide, 
 Hue Regium congressis in collegium, 
 Scholaris ipse Regius, qua vos ego 
 Laetari, si quern et alium, praecipue scio, 
 Haec anni praebet optimi felicitas. 
 Vivat Regina ! nostras ea regno recens 
 Avito in templo, sella in regali sedens, 
 Audivit ipsa voces : certe exaudiet 
 Easdem nunc eadem resonantes fide. 
 " Vivat Regina" quotiens hie clamantibus 
 Acclamavere parietes nostrae domus ! 
 Qui clamavere, tanto annorum ex ordine, 
 Quot cari ex illis conticuerunt ! quot sui 
 Luxere ademptos iuvenes, seniores, senes ! 
 
THE WESTMINSTER PLAY 257 
 
 Sed universi populi pollentes preces 
 Hoc evicere nobis, ut sexagiens 
 Liceat Reginam, feriis sollemnibus, 
 Pietate iusta, amore vero prosequi. 
 
 Gathered within our Royal school you prove 
 
 Once more your piety and loyal love. 
 
 Surely Queen's scholars lack not words to-day ! 
 
 The year itself dictates — and we but say. 
 
 The year's felicity a theme can give 
 
 Of joy wherein we claim prerogative. 
 
 Long live the Queen ! we cried, and still we cry ; 
 
 We hail'd her earliest hour of majesty. 
 
 When she besought the benison divine, 
 
 Throned in the Abbey of her ancient line. 
 
 Ah ! could these walls but speak, they would proclaim 
 
 How oft that cry has echoed still the same. 
 
 Could they not tell of many, young and old, 
 
 (Dear hearts to us) whom death and silence hold. 
 
 Whose cry was heard ? Omnipotence hath will'd 
 
 Theirs and a nation's prayer alike fulfilled. 
 
 Hence as the year once more brings round the Play, 
 
 Duty commands — and does not love obey ? 
 
 And now for a few epilogue extracts, which shall all 
 be of recent date save one, which, bearing as it does the 
 date 1805, the Navy League at least will surely have 
 made familiar : 
 
 Fungi 
 Anglia confidet munere quenque suo ! 
 
 Here we have Batter sea Park : 
 
 An matutinus vicos Batterque marina 
 Aequora pneumaticis dum vorat ille rotis 
 
 Cyclopedem sequitur Cylopes comitata virago 
 Captivumque tenet nympha bifurca virum. 
 
 Does he spend all his mornings a la mode 
 Riding a bicycle down Albert Road ? 
 Or else inside the Park at Battersea, 
 Where lady cyclists flock and take their tea, 
 Where many a man, if there be truth in rumours. 
 Has fallen a victim to a girl in bloomers? 
 
 R 
 
258 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 A certain Eastern potentate may still be remembered : 
 
 I nunc ! quid cessas ? non es Shahzada ! 
 
 Hence ! away ! 
 You've no Sh-hz-d- to prolong your stay. 
 
 To a person who has just been birched the following 
 remark is made : 
 
 Reprime te tangatque locos Homocea dolentes ! 
 The popular conception of the motor car : — 
 
 Monstrum horrendum, informe, ingens : non fumus ademptus ; 
 Motor currus hie est. 
 
 Demipho {an Afrikander) here appears on the stage 
 
 and announces he is come to obtain damages. He is 
 
 asked : 
 
 Davus. Quantum ergo petitis? 
 
 Deni. Modo milia mille librarum. 
 
 Davus {aside). Paulo ut reddatur vult spoliare Petrum ! 
 
 Chremes (a ruined farmer — now a politician) takes 
 occasion soon after to remark : 
 
 Sum Moderatus homo, non Progressivus, et ipse 
 Curabo ut nequeas bis dare verba "Globo" ! 
 
 A certain pink journal was much flattered by the 
 above couplet. 
 
 We refrain from comment on the pun a Rontgen 
 rays photograph calls forth : 
 
 Infortunati nimium sua si bona norint ! 
 
 The epilogue of 1897 was full of good things, and 
 deserves to be quoted in full. As space forbids we 
 append a few of the best points. 
 
 Lesbonicus (a spendthrift) is asked how he will make a 
 living. He replies, "by writing a Royal Ode," which calls 
 forth the quotation {sic) : 
 
 Nescio quid majus nascitur Austinide 
 
THE WESTMINSTER PLAY 259 
 
 To which he rejoins : 
 
 Ranjitsinhji librum scripsit ; cur non ego carmen ? 
 
 The following will perhaps be recognised : 
 
 Laudabunt alii clarum Rhodon et Matabeles 
 
 Ferratasque tuas, o Buluvaio, vias ; 
 Occupet Hessiculum scabies ! Criticus mihi nil est Africus. 
 
 Lesbonicus proceeds to play cricket and makes a big 
 hit, on which it is prophesied that : 
 Jessopus alter eris. 
 
 The next remark of his uncle was, we fear, made 
 before the close of the last test matches in Australia : 
 
 Non defensoribus istis 
 Anglia eget : plorant jam domiti Antipodes. 
 
 The " mailed fist " thus appears : 
 
 " Care Henrice, manu armata, si forte necesse est 
 
 Fac ferias pro me, pro patriaque. Deus 
 Si volt, sic poteris circum tua tempora laurus 
 
 Texere. Tum frater, " Rex Domine omnipotens, 
 Majestate tua sacrosanctissime semper 
 
 Hoc evangelium discet ab ore meo 
 Qui volt, qui non volt. Saeclorum in saecla serene, 
 
 Maxime Rex ! Hoc, Hoc, Hoc, resonate ! " 
 
 A reference to Klondyke brings forth the aphorism : 
 
 Quid non mortalia pectora cogis, 
 Auri sacra fames ! 
 
 The reply is apt : 
 
 Est ibi dira fames — 
 Sed non solum auri ! 
 
 There's thirst and hunger — of another kind ! 
 
 Piper Findlater — or Milne — shall be the last : 
 
 Gordona Montanum nunc aequiperabimus ilium 
 Qui modo Dargai saucius insonuit. 
 
 The Gordon Highlander I'll equal quite, 
 
 Who played when wounded on Dargai's height. 
 
26o AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 These quotations are sufficient to show the general 
 scope and characteristics of Westminster epilogues. It 
 goes without saying that they are the most popular part 
 of the programme. Yet it is not the epilogue alone or 
 the drama itself alone that is the great attraction of the 
 play, nor even the acting, which is not always of the 
 highest class ; for it is clearness of enunciation rather than 
 gesture that is cultivated, as indeed befits a classical 
 performance. Rather is it an indescribable charm, the 
 outcome of the tradition of centuries, which appeals of 
 course to Westminsters first, but also to all in a measure 
 who have had the privilege of witnessing the performance ; 
 a charm that causes year after year a large and distin- 
 guished audience to listen with attention and applaud 
 generously from the first lines of the captain's prologue to 
 the last " Floreat " of the ever popular epilogue. 
 
 Floreat. 
 
XII 
 
 THE GREEK PLAYS AT BRADFIELD 
 COLLEGE 
 
 By "SENTINEL" 
 
 BRADFIELD College, Berks, was the first of the Public 
 Schools, as it has been one of the most successful 
 and original, in reviving interest in the Greek drama 
 among English literati. 
 
 In 1882 the " Alcestis" of Euripides was attempted at 
 Bradfield on a comparatively humble scale, the scene of 
 the representation being the College dining-hall. The 
 Warden,^ who had just assumed the reins of office at 
 the College, was the leading spirit of the reproduction. 
 Struck with the effect produced on scholarship by the 
 visual presentment of the Greek drama, he determined 
 to follow the example of Oxford University, where the 
 " Agamemnon " of -^schylus had been recently performed, 
 and the co-operation of Mr. F. R. Benson (now the well- 
 known actor), Mr. W. L. Courtney (now editor of the 
 Fortnightly Review), and others who had taken part in that 
 representation, was invited towards putting on the stage 
 the beautiful story of " Alcestis " — a story more suited to 
 the taste of a modern audience than the more ambitious 
 tragedy of the older poet, and immortalised by the genius 
 of Browning in " Balaustion's Adventure." 
 
 ^ t.e. The Rev. H. B. Gray.— Ed. 
 
 361 
 
262 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 The Warden himself undertook the thankless role of 
 Admetus, while Mr. Benson acted Apollo, and Mr. 
 Courtney portrayed Hercules. The rest of the cast was 
 composed of Bradfield masters and boys. The result 
 was a triumphant success, and proved that without infring- 
 ing on ordinary work a Greek play could be produced in 
 a Public School, under the control of one dominating 
 influence, far more easily than in the less restrained 
 atmosphere of a university. 
 
 Those who were privileged to witness the performance 
 realised that the Bradfield boys were " one play to the 
 good " (to quote the language of a Greek Professor), and 
 that the dead language had at length spoken with a living 
 voice to the world of scholars. 
 
 The example of Bradfield was followed by other 
 Public Schools — Cheltenham, Uppingham, Leamington, 
 and Edinburgh Academy — though spasmodically, and with- 
 out any particular order of procedure. But it was reserved 
 for Bradfield once more to break out into original methods. 
 
 In 1888 an old and disused chalk-pit just outside the 
 College grounds came into the Warden's hands. He 
 immediately conceived the idea of converting it into a 
 Greek theatre, on the model of those existing in the best 
 times of the Attic drama. 
 
 With the aid of his boys, and afterwards with the help 
 of more skilful workmen, he cut into the solid chalk ten 
 tiers of seats, while he shaped the orchestra on the model 
 of that at Epidaurus, in the Peloponnese — i.e. a complete 
 circle or proper dancing place, such as existed when the 
 Attic drama was little more than a series of Hymns to 
 Dionysus, interspersed with a monologue or dialogue 
 between actors (from a temporary platform), introduced 
 to give breathing time to the chorus. 
 
GREEK PLAYS AT BRADFIELD 263 
 
 The type of the theatre at Epidaurus was chosen, 
 because it was the only one on the mainland of Greece 
 which had escaped the alterations introduced by the 
 Romans ; for that people, after conquering Achaia, having 
 no chorus in its own drama, found the complete circle 
 unnecessary, and little by little invaded and cut olif the 
 dimensions of the original orchestra by pushing forward 
 their stage. 
 
 The stage buildings at Bradfield had to be left more 
 entirely to the imagination and discretion of the revivalist, 
 since the remains of the ancient Greek structures are of 
 an extremely scanty description. The form decided on 
 at Bradfield was that of a Greek temple, to which indeed 
 the original ancient buildings must have been very similar. 
 The material was of wood, as was no doubt that of the 
 earliest structures, the result being excellent for acoustic 
 purposes. 
 
 In June 1890 Bradfield College, thus furnished, pro- 
 duced under unique conditions its first open-air Greek 
 play, the " Antigone " of Sophocles. " For the first 
 time," said the journals of that date, " since the downfall 
 of the Greek stage a Greek drama has been produced 
 under conditions exactly identical with those of ancient 
 times." All the players and all the chorus were either 
 Bradfield masters or boys. 
 
 The Warden himself took the part of Coryphaeus ; the 
 heroine Antigone and the tyrant Creon were Sixth Form 
 boys, the former being now the Tutor of an Oxford College. 
 
 No outside help was asked for, and none was needed. 
 Even the music, in the severe Dorian Modes, was com- 
 posed by the Precentor of the College. A single instru- 
 ment was used to accompany the choric songs, the 
 musician (Rev. L. de Brisay) performing on the clarinet 
 
264 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 — the instrument most nearly approaching the flute of 
 the ancient Greeks. 
 
 There were many reasons for choosing the "Antigone." 
 It is perhaps the most perfectly constructed of all the Greek 
 tragedies extant. The principal character is conceived in a 
 spirit of such sublimity, refinement, and self-sacrifice, that 
 it has become the ideal female type in fiction for all time. 
 And at Bradfield, for the first time since Athenians flocked 
 to the theatre of Dionysus to hear with a sort of religious 
 awe the contests of their great tragedians, there was heard 
 by hundreds of modern spectators this greatest and most 
 pathetic of all tragedies in an open-air theatre, the pro- 
 portions and acoustic properties of which Pericles might 
 have envied. 
 
 The enthusiastic reception which was accorded to the 
 "Antigone" impelled Bradfield to attempt a more ambitious 
 effort in 1892. In the June of that year the "Agamemnon" 
 of -(Eschylus was played, and again the cast was com- 
 posed exclusively of Bradfield masters and boys. 
 
 The musical part of the performance was strengthened 
 by the introduction of the harp, which, in the skilled 
 hands of the Welsh harpist Aptommas, gave colour and 
 emphasis to the thinner tones of Mr. de Brisay's clarinet. 
 This time the production was helped by the experienced 
 eye and hand of Mr. George Hawtrey, who devoted much 
 time and thought to the stage accessories. His influence 
 introduced perhaps too modern a touch at times, though 
 it doubtless helped the dramatic action, which requires 
 in this most tragic of all the dramas to be gradually 
 worked up to its climax. As a pageant the " Agamemnon " 
 is by far the most impressive of all the productions of 
 ^schylus, though it lacks the sublimity of Sophocles's 
 "Antigone," and the tender pathos of Euripides's "Alcestis." 
 
GREEK PLAYS AT BRADFIELD 265 
 
 Clytemnestra, in the person of Mr. C. M. Blagden, the 
 same Sixth Form boy who acted as Antigone two years 
 before, and Cassandra, a part which was interpreted by 
 Mr. E. d'A. WilHs, were the leading characters in the 
 play, and were acted in a way which was quite marvellous 
 in schoolboys. 
 
 Three years elapsed before the next performance, 
 which was the " Alcestis " of Euripides, and June 1895 
 witnessed the repetition of the play which had been 
 so humbly put on the Bradfield stage thirteen years 
 before. 
 
 The development in 1895 was a great one. 
 
 Mr. C. F. Abdy Williams, whose knowledge of the 
 principles of ancient Greek music is probably not sur- 
 passed by many, if any, musicians in England, had come 
 to Bradfield as Director of the Music of the College, 
 attracted partly by the fame of its Greek plays. 
 
 The Warden and Mr. Williams determined on no less 
 bold a move than the reproduction of the ancient flutes 
 found at Pompeii, and now in the Museum at Naples, and 
 the manufacture of the ancient citharae, and the stringing 
 of them on the ancient Greek principles. 
 
 It was, however, one thing to reproduce the instru- 
 ments, quite another to teach boys to play them with 
 effect. The Warden's efforts in this direction also, how- 
 ever, were crowned with success. Nine instrumentalists 
 (the number of the Muses) were ready in the middle of 
 June to accompany the choric songs. 
 
 The music was written by Mr. Williams. Dr. Gray 
 again took his former part of Admetus, and two Sixth 
 Form boys, now at Oxford, acquitted themselves more 
 than creditably in the difficult parts of Alcestis and 
 Hercules. Five thousand spectators on four days wit- 
 
266 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 nessed this remarkable production, which for magnifi- 
 cence of weather, as well as for the excellence of the 
 acting, carried away the palm even from its two pre- 
 decessors. 
 
 The success of the three above-mentioned perform- 
 ances established the reputation of Bradfield in this 
 combined domain of scholarship and dramatic repre- 
 sentation. 
 
 The question came before the authorities whether the 
 three years' cycle should be henceforth adopted. This 
 was decided in the affirmative, and the next date was 
 fixed for June 1898. 
 
 Another question also arose. Should the representa- 
 tions be confined to the three plays already acted, one 
 from each of the three tragedians, or should they go 
 further afield and attempt to break fresh ground ? After 
 much consideration it was definitely decided to take 
 the former course. First, on account of the necessity 
 of a male chorus, while many of the other possible plays 
 involved female choruses. The ** Electra " of Sophocles 
 was rejected for this reason. Secondly, on account of 
 the paucity of plays, of which the plots were suitable for 
 modern audiences. The " GEdipus Tyrannus " of Sopho- 
 cles was abandoned on this ground. Thirdly, on account 
 of the fact that some plays, which satisfied the two above- 
 named conditions, were impracticable, because the dra- 
 matic action ceased half way through. The " Ajax " of 
 Sophocles was a case in point. Henceforth, therefore, 
 Bradfield was to be known for its cycle of three plays, 
 played triennially in the following order : — 
 
 The "Antigone" of Sophocles. 
 The " Agamemnon " of yEschylus 
 The " Alcestis " of Euripides. 
 
GREEK PLAYS AT BRADFIELD 267 
 
 The play of June 1898 — the "Antigone" of Sopho- 
 cles — will be so fresh in the minds of our readers, that 
 little need be said about it here. The Warden had, in 
 the previous winter and spring, however, executed a 
 great, almost a herculean task, which deserves mention. 
 He doubled the size of his auditorium by cutting out 
 several thousand tons of chalk, and making thereon eight 
 more tiers of gradually increasing circles, so that the 
 whole was capable of seating more than two thousand 
 spectators. The citharae had also undergone a change, 
 by the fact that the neck of the instruments were removed, 
 thus bringing them exactly to the archaic form. The chorus 
 and actors were again all Bradfield masters and boys, 
 with the exception that Antigone and Ismene were played 
 by ladies " connected with the College," whose Greek 
 scholarship was as undeniable as was the purity of their 
 accent and their dramatic powers. In adopting this 
 course the authorities followed the precedent of both 
 Universities ; and whatever criticism may be brought to 
 bear on the innovation, may with equal force be main- 
 tained against the acting of Shakespeare's heroines by 
 women on the modern stage. If it be true that women 
 never acted in the dramas of Sophocles, it is equally 
 true that the female parts in Shakespeare's times and 
 plays were undertaken not by ladies, but by boys from 
 the choirs of St. Paul's Cathedral and other " singing 
 places." If it be unclassical for a lady to play Anti- 
 gone, it is equally heterodox for Miss Ellen Terry or 
 Mrs, Beerbohm Tree to represent Ophelia. But the 
 fact is, that though a Public School boy of ability 
 could act, and act well, the parts of Clytemnestra and 
 of Alcestis, it is well nigh an impossibility for him 
 to enter into the complex feelings and position of 
 
268 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 an Antigone, if it be true, as we believe, that " the 
 struggle of conflicting duties in the single personality of 
 Antigone is the chief motive of the play." Hov^ the lady 
 who acted the part conceived it, most of our readers may 
 have had an opportunity of realising in June last. 
 
 In summing up this brief review of the Bradfield 
 plays, it may be interesting to note how much more 
 statuesque and simple the acting of the ancient Greek 
 drama must have been than modern scenic repre- 
 sentation. 
 
 First, all that we call " tragic " was done behind the 
 scenes. Messengers simply came forward to recite the 
 tragedies which had taken place within. 
 
 Secondly, there was no " perspective " in ancient 
 tragedies when acted. They may be contrasted with 
 modern plays, as statuary may be compared with 
 painting. ^schylus, Sophocles, and Euripides carved 
 for representation, as it were, single figures standing 
 " nakedly " against the background, with no subsidiary 
 groups around them. In modern plays, on the other 
 hand, the principal characters form merely the fore- 
 ground ; the background is shaded off into " attendants, 
 soldiers, and crowds." There is perspective everywhere. 
 
 This is perhaps what strikes the spectator, or rather 
 the auditor (for we go to "hear" a Greek drama, not 
 to " see " it), more than anything else when he goes into 
 the Bradfield Theatre, and sits in the open air, rejoicing 
 in the clear sky, and sheltered from the wind by the trees 
 which fringe with green the white soil above the topmost 
 seats, while the birds in the branches from time to time 
 join in the chorus, and the " unrehearsed swoop of the 
 swallow " almost fails to make us remember that we are 
 not in the home of Sophocles, "the fairest home in the 
 
GREEK PLAYS AT BRADFIELD 269 
 
 land of goodly steeds, the white Colonus, where the 
 clear-voiced nightingale most loves to sing, amid towers 
 that know no heat of sun, no blast of storm." 
 
 It does good to any man to go and listen to a Greek 
 play at Bradfield. 
 
 [Since this chapter was written the " Antigone " of Sophocles 
 has been acted at Bradfield, and owing to the great success 
 thereof, five representations were given. At the kind invitation 
 of the Warden I was present at the last of these — my first experi- 
 ence of a Greek play — and it will long remain in my memory. 
 From the moment the closed doors of the Temple opened, at 
 the sound of the trumpet, and the Herald descended the steps 
 bidding us welcome, until the last of the Chorus disappeared 
 up the wooded lanes flanking the side of the theatre, the illusion 
 was maintained. The acting struck me as very intelligent and 
 earnest, and in one or two cases specially good. The style adopted 
 by the different actors was that of dramatic declamation. The only 
 two who departed from this method were the Messengers, who spoke 
 their Greek in a more modern tone. This produced an excellent 
 effect, and made a good contrast. Directly these announcers of 
 news appeared, it seemed quite natural that they should speak in a 
 different manner to the other characters, serving thus to grip the 
 audience and produce the necessary dramatic effect. To single out 
 any particular impersonations from a general all-round excellence, I 
 should mention the Antigone of Mrs. Gray and the Creon of Mr. 
 J. H. Vince. These two practically bore the weight of the tragedy 
 on their shoulders, and were quite admirable. I was much struck, 
 too, with the stage-management of Mr. C. de M. la Trobe. The 
 characters moved easily and at the right time, and the chorus 
 groupings and changes were all picturesque and well thought out. 
 
 But what was most noticeable throughout the performance was 
 the guiding hand of the Warden, who has superintended every pro- 
 duction at Bradfield, and to whom belongs the honour that these 
 Greek plays now evoke such general interest. Mr. Abdy Williams's 
 chorus music, too, written in the Greek mode, was very musicianly 
 and interesting. 
 
 Altogether a delightful day. — Ed.]. 
 
270 
 
 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 THE "ANTIGONE" OF SOPHOCLES. 
 
 DRAMATIS PERSONS. 
 
 Creon . . . {King of Thebes) . . J. H. ViNCE. 
 
 Haemon . . . (Son 0/ Creon) . . . C. G. Ling. 
 
 Tiresias . . . . (A Seer) . . S. T. Sheppard. 
 
 Sentinel A. M. C. NiCHOLL. 
 
 First Messenger L. Starev. 
 
 Second Messenger T. B. Layton. 
 
 Antigone . . . {Daughter of CEdipus) . Mrs. H. B. Gray. 
 
 Ismene ) < {Sister of Antigone)) Mrs A. Bellin. 
 
 Eurydice j ' \ { Wife of Creon) y 
 
 CHORUS OF THEBAN SENATORS. 
 Coryphaeus H. H. PiGGOTT. 
 
 G. R. Barker. 
 G. A. W. Booth. 
 
 F. J. Browell. 
 U. Cawley. 
 
 A. F. Gardiner. 
 
 L. F. GOLDSMID. 
 
 G. M. Hamilton. 
 
 J. T. Hayton. 
 T. H. F. Johnson. 
 A. B. D. Lang. 
 H. R. Latham. 
 J. L. Martin. 
 R. Master. 
 G. A. Simmons. 
 
 MUT^ PERSONS. 
 C. G. Ling and E. L. Warman, Heralds. 
 
 ^ 
 
 J. S. Armstrong 
 G. M. Clark 
 G. S. Freeman 
 H. F. Hodges 
 
 A. G. P. Rigby 
 
 B. T. Heathcote 
 T. H. M. Phillips- 
 Conn 
 
 Flutes : J. R. Fox, J. E. Gardiner, A. S. Hoare, A. J. F. Hood. 
 Lyres: C. F. Abdy Williams, H. C. Burnett, A. C. Cooper, 
 A. H. Loughborough, A. C. Mourilyan. 
 Stage-manager : C. de M. la Trobe. 
 
 'Soldiers. 
 
 ) Watch- 
 j men. 
 
 R. B. Herbert 
 G. K. Leach 
 
 J. C. HiGGINS 
 
 A. A. L. Parsons 
 Z. N. Brooke 
 
 A ttendants 
 on King. 
 
 A ttendants 
 on Queen. 
 
 Tiresias's 
 Boy. 
 
XIII 
 COUNTRY HOUSE ACTING 
 
 By LEO TREVOR 
 
 UNDER this heading my friend the editor has asked 
 me to write a short chapter on my recollections and 
 experiences as an amateur actor. He also requested me 
 to be " chatty ^ and anecdotal," and I breezily consented. 
 But it is one thing to be chatty and anecdotal in a com- 
 fortable smoking-room about 11.30 P.M., and another to 
 sit in front of a sheet of fair white foolscap at 11.30 a.m. 
 cudgelling your brains for reminiscences, and totally — 
 I might almost say " anecdotally " — at a loss for a single 
 one. To add to my difficulties I have never kept pro- 
 grammes or newspaper cuttings, partly I fear from chronic 
 and constitutional sloth, and partly because I am unable 
 to take an active interest in the mildly tolerant criticisms 
 of the local press. They are so unsatisfying and dis- 
 appointing ; and yet there was a time — ten years ago — 
 when the arrival of a country newspaper containing an 
 account of some recent performance in which I had taken 
 part made my heart beat quickly. 
 
 But custom soon staled their invariable monotony. 
 There was so little said about the artists, and such a 
 generous space allotted to an inventory of the provincial 
 magnates in the front of the house, a few lines to ex- 
 
 ^ I feel sure the word used was "conversational." — Ed. 
 271 
 
272 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 plain the plot of the piece represented, and three-quarters 
 of a column devoted to a description of the furniture 
 (" kindly lent by our esteemed fellow-townsman Councillor 
 Wardroper of High Street "), and a long panegyric on 
 the " floral decorations, which were in the competent 
 hands of Alderman Gardener, J. P., of the Nurseries, Towns 
 End." After stating that " Lady Anastasia Smith did all 
 that was possible with the part of Esther, and that Mr. 
 Leo Trevor played the drunkard Eccles as though to the 
 manner born," the article would conclude with the vaguely 
 comprehensive statement that " the other ladies and gentle- 
 men of the caste " (caste with an " e " invariably) " gave 
 equal satisfaction in their respective roles," and a perfect 
 avalanche of thanks to Lieutenant-Colonel Burnisher, 
 25th (Volunteer) Battalion of the Royal Muffineers, for 
 so kindly permitting the magnificent band of the regiment 
 to discourse sweet music from the orchestra during the 
 somewhat lengthy waits between the acts. 
 
 This may be good, sound journalism from a commercial 
 point of view, but I feel sure that Mr. WiUiam Archer will 
 agree with me when I say that it is not dramatic criticism 
 in its highest sense. 
 
 When I said I never kept programmes, I ought 
 to have made a reservation. I have a programme 
 before me as I write, which is one of my most treasured 
 possessions. It was printed two years ago at Biarritz 
 by a French firm, on the occasion of a performance of 
 " Sweethearts " that Mrs. Willie James and I gave at the 
 Casino in aid of " Les Petites Soeurs de Charite." It is 
 libellously reported among my friends that my hand- 
 writing is not so distinct as might be wished, and a kind 
 lady. Miss Blanche Forbes, to whom I showed the draft 
 of this programme, generously offered to copy it out in 
 
Mrs. W. James. 
 
 From a phoiogi aph. 
 
COUNTRY HOUSE ACTING 273 
 
 her own fair, lucid hand, " in order that the foreigners 
 should have no possible excuse for errors and misprints." 
 I accepted gratefully, and it was with a feeling of perfect 
 confidence that I applied myself to the perusal of the 
 proof a few hours afterwards. 
 
 I reproduce the document below as an example of 
 the marvellous faculty possessed by continental peoples 
 for mastering the intricacies of foreign tongues. 
 
 CASINO, BIARRITZ, 
 
 April 3ND at 8 clock. 
 
 "SWEETEART S," 
 
 By W. S. Gilbert. 
 
 IN 2 ACTS 
 
 Mr. Henry Spreedbrow .... Dr. Leo Trevor. 
 Wilcow (a gardenera) .... Mr. Mamwaring. 
 Jenny Morticolli Mrs. William Jam. 
 
 The cast of the second act was fairly correct, but 
 concluded with this astounding and dismally prophetic 
 announcement: "An interval of thirty jeers is supposed 
 to elapse between Acts I. and II." 
 
 Why the degree of " Doctor " was bestowed on me, 
 why " Wilcow (a gardenera) " should be introduced in the 
 place of " Wilcox, a gardener," who figures in Mr. Gilbert's 
 original, and how the combined efforts of France and 
 Scotland contrived to transform " Jenny Northcote " into 
 " Jenny Morticolli," are secrets only known to the printer 
 and Miss Forbes ! I need hardly say that Mr. Gilbert 
 never contemplated such an interval as is suggested above, 
 but had merely arranged for the lapse of thirty years 
 between the first and second acts. 
 
 S 
 
274 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 The performance was eminently successful, and we 
 made a handsome profit for the "little sisters." Mrs. 
 James played excellently, and was particularly good in the 
 second act — a rather uncommon occurrence with most 
 people who appear in this charming little play. There 
 was the same objection to my playing Spreadbrow that 
 there was to Mr. Tracy Tupman going to the Fancy Dress 
 Reception " in a green velvet jacket with a two-inch tail " 
 — I was " too old and too fat " ; but there was no one else 
 to do it, and I got through all right, while Mrs. Willie 
 made a great hit. 
 
 Of all the clever ladies I have acted with in country 
 houses, I consider Mrs. Charles Crutchley, Mrs. William 
 James, and Miss Muriel Wilson quite at the top of the tree. 
 There are many other clever actresses in the amateur 
 ranks, but these three, each in different ways, possess 
 something which to an actress is beyond price — a dis- 
 tinct style and individuality of their own. Is there any- 
 thing so distressing to watch as an amateur actress (or for 
 the matter of that, a professional one) giving an earnest, 
 slavish, but inaccurate imitation of a great artist in some 
 part that her personality has made peculiarly her own ? 
 If the imitation is bad, the result is a dead failure ; and 
 even when it is good, it only causes us to regret the 
 absence of the great original. Mrs. Crutchley's perform- 
 ances are not merely recollections of our leading actresses. 
 Her voice is flexible and sweet, and though not very 
 powerful, is capable of many intonations ; in pathetic 
 scenes she produces a little sort of tearless sob, which is 
 extremely effective, and perfectly original. Her comedy is 
 not really so good, in my humble opinion, as her pathos, 
 and I have no very vivid recollection of anything but her 
 dancing in the Guards' Burlesque, which I believe my friend 
 
COUNTRY HOUSE ACTING 275 
 
 George Nugent has already done honour to in another 
 part of this volume ; but given a part to suit her, there 
 are few actresses, amateur or professional, who com- 
 mand the sympathies of an audience so completely as 
 Mrs. Charles Crutchley. 
 
 Mrs. Willie James has not had Mrs. Crutchley's experi- 
 ence, but, considering the little she has acted, her success 
 is really remarkable. She is an admirable mimic, and one 
 of the few instances of a mimic achieving success on the 
 stage. Both she and Mrs. Crutchley played Mrs. Boswell 
 in my little play, " Dr. Johnson " (afterwards produced at 
 the Strand), and it is in no spirit of dissatisfaction with the 
 professional ladies that I speak, when I say that the part 
 was never so well rendered in London as it was at Dover 
 and West Dean. Mrs. James, though a most painstaking 
 rehearser, will never accept instructions from the stage- 
 manager without receiving chapter and verse for the 
 various movements and " business " required. It is not 
 enough for her to know that " they always did it like 
 that in London ! " She wants to know the " why " and 
 " wherefore," and that is why her performances are 
 always intelligent and interesting, though occasionally lack 
 of experience will prevent her making an effect which she 
 has carefully planned and practised. Her acting last year 
 at Chatsworth, in a sketch called a " Backward Child," 
 was a wonderfully clever bit of work. 
 
 What I suffered on that occasion I shall not readily 
 forget. The playlet in question is a short dualogue be- 
 tween a governess and an overgrown tomboy — " one of 
 those small misguided creatures who, though their intel- 
 lects are dim, are one too many for their teachers." I 
 had seen Mrs. James act it with her sister, and had offered 
 to play the Governess for her at some future time, but 
 
276 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 had later decided not to do so, as I have an uncontrollable 
 antipathy to "female impersonators." But Mrs. James's 
 acting as the Schoolgirl had got talked about, and one 
 " off " night, when Miss Muriel Wilson and Count Mens- 
 dorff were going to do a dualogue, ** La Souri " (and very 
 well they did it), Mrs. James came to me and said the 
 Prince of Wales had asked her to act something with 
 me to lengthen the programme. I got into my corsets 
 and skirts — I hadn't any petticoats (an omission that 
 was remarked on audibly from the front of the house) 
 — feeling very uncomfortable. If there had been none 
 but strangers in front I wouldn't have cared, but you 
 don't want people you know to see you make a fool of 
 yourself ; and I'll wager my soul that nothing makes a 
 healthy-minded man feel so helplessly idiotic as a pair of 
 stays and a skirt. By good luck, however, the audience 
 laughed till they cried, and the whole piece went splen- 
 didly. Mrs. James's make-up for this part was one of the 
 most extraordinary transformations that I have ever seen, 
 and her method of attaining it simplicity itself. She put 
 on a child's frock and let down her hair, and lo ! time 
 stood still, and she looked fourteen again. Two days 
 later we played " His Little Dodge," and the Prince, 
 taking the greatest interest in the corps dramatique, attended 
 several rehearsals, and on more than one occasion H.R.H. 
 made suggestions as to action and business that were of 
 the greatest assistance. The last of my trio. Miss Muriel 
 Wilson, makes every bit as effective a picture on the 
 stage as she does off — which is rather an uncommon 
 coincident, for, as a rule, a really pretty girl is seen to 
 far greater advantage in the light of day than in the glare 
 of our old-fashioned and barbarous footlights. Of her 
 natural talent as an actress there can be no doubt. She 
 
Miss Muriel Wilson. 
 
 From a photograph. 
 
COUNTRY HOUSE ACTING 277 
 
 has a manner and method completely her own, and her 
 movements are wonderfully easy and graceful. I have 
 seen her play many parts, and only once remember her 
 unsuccessful. That was a couple of years ago at Tranby 
 Croft, when she good-naturedly consented to act Lady 
 Pettigrew in the " Parvenu." It wasn't that she didn't 
 understand the words ; it wasn't that she couldn't speak 
 the lines ; it was merely because it was simply impos- 
 sible to make her look like a faded old woman of sixty I 
 We put on her a grey wig, and she looked like a young 
 girl "whose hair had gone white in a single night," as 
 tradition and the Family Herald would have you believe. 
 We tried her in a red wig. She looked rather younger 
 than she did in her own hair. We " painted her face and 
 tired her hair " in twenty different ways, but not a suspicion 
 of Jezebel appeared. Charles Colnaghi confessed himself 
 beaten. Tuplin, the Clarkson of Hull, was in despair. 
 " I can do nowt wi' er," he confessed despondently ; but I 
 encouraged him to fresh efforts, and he tried again. This 
 time he interlaced Miss Muriel's face with heavy Indian 
 ink wrinkles and crow's-feet of richest sepia, but it was 
 useless. Her bright eyes and fresh cheeks peeped out 
 from behind his handiwork, like the face of a fair prisoner 
 behind a grating, and Tuplin, the artist, was beat. 
 
 Miss Wilson's acting in "Kitty Clive " was certainly 
 one of the cleverest things that the amateur stage has 
 ever seen ; and though I personally prefer her in " Mrs. 
 Hilary Regrets," her delivery of the big speech in "Kitty" 
 (which Miss Irene Vanbrugh, the creator of the part, has 
 often assured me is a most trying ordeal) showed excep- 
 tional thought and ability. 
 
 Talking of "Mrs. Hilary" reminds me of a rather amus- 
 ing theatrical " sell " which we were enabled to play off 
 
278 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 on some of " our kind friends in front." At the end of 
 this play, when Dr. Power has succeeded in getting rid of 
 all the unwelcome guests by the somewhat unconvincing 
 expedient of telling them that they will be thirteen at 
 dinner, he timidly avows his love for the fascinating 
 widow, and the following dialogue ensues : — 
 
 Mrs. Hilary {softly). Why don't you call me Blanche. 
 
 Power {passionately). I'll call ye Blanche till your black in the face. 
 
 Now it occurred to me that if my fair companion would 
 alter her line and say, " Why don't you call me Muri — " 
 and stop, covered with bashful confusion, that the com- 
 promising nature of the slip would call forth much unholy 
 joy on the other side of the footlights, and we should have 
 the satisfaction on ours of knowing that the clever people 
 in front had been sold. 
 
 Mrs. Hilary aided and abetted me in my criminal design, 
 and the roar of ribald laughter that went up as she begged 
 me to call her " Muri," and hurriedly hid her face in her 
 hands, was a sound never to be forgotten. Luckily two 
 or three others were in the joke, or we should never have 
 succeeded in persuading the scoffers in the audience that 
 they had been " taken on." 
 
 I am afraid this paper is resolving itself into an 
 " appreciation " of three clever and attractive women, and 
 that I am not treating my subject with the solemnity and 
 respect due to the present high position of Amateur 
 Dramatic Art. But really it is difficult to be solemn 
 when our thoughts wander back into past theatrical 
 experiences. The days that were so successfully satirised 
 in " The Pantomime Rehearsal " are passed ; indeed, I 
 always thought the fun a little out of date even when 
 this clever entertainment was first produced. In my 
 
COUNTRY HOUSE ACTING 279 
 
 theatrical experience, extending over a period of thirteen 
 years, I have never seen a member of an amateur com- 
 pany throw down his or her part and refuse to act. But 
 I have seen it done at a rehearsal on the professional 
 stage ! I have never heard an amateur author grind his 
 teeth and swear volubly before the ladies of the cast, but I 
 heard a professional author do that only a few days since. 
 Wild horses shall not drag from me his name, but I heard 
 him do it all the same. On the whole, I think we amateur 
 artistes are rather a maligned lot. It is not necessary for 
 a man to be a hopeless muff before he takes to acting. I 
 hear such stories of our self-esteem, our airs and graces, 
 of the jealousies and tantrums of the ladies, of the conceit 
 and bad temper of the men. 
 
 But is there much authority for such rumours? I 
 know several amateur actors who do not fancy themselves 
 endowed with the tragic power of Sir Henry Irving or 
 the comedy of dear old Mr. Toole. They play cricket, 
 and shoot, and golf, and hunt, and come down to ten 
 o'clock breakfast quite clean and fresh, just like any one 
 else. They do not tell disparaging stories of each other, 
 or give you reminiscences of how "they knock 'em at 
 Derby," or talk about " floats " or " flies " or " backings " 
 or "Tee pieces" or "borders"; oh no! they go on just 
 like ordinary mortals, and you might spend a week with 
 them before you discovered that they ever did any acting 
 at all. I am told that there are others, earnest students 
 of their art, whose behaviour is quite the reverse of what 
 I describe ; but I flee from these as I would from the 
 plague, and know little of their manners and customs 
 except by hearsay. I am also fortunate to number 
 among my acquaintances several ladies who can act 
 together without desiring each other's immediate death 
 
28o AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 or humiliation, and who would, even if you filled their 
 tea-cups with vitriol, carefully abstain from throwing a 
 drop ! I do not expect these statements to be believed ; 
 I know how useless it is to combat popular opinion. I 
 do not say these things expecting to make converts, but 
 merely to ease my conscience. 
 
 In the choice of plays and the method of mounting 
 them, country-house theatricals have made enormous 
 strides during the last few years. We seldom hear now 
 of " Money " or " The Lady of Lyons " being played on 
 a stage eight feet by six ; and yet my dear old friend Sam 
 Brandranv has often assured me that such performances 
 were of frequent occurrence in the late sixties and early 
 seventies. On these occasions history tells us that both 
 the costumes and the scenery were made at home, and 
 the actors and actresses, who were also invariably local 
 products, frequently made their first appearance on any 
 stage in one of these standard works. But a close 
 examination of old newspaper cuttings leads me to believe 
 that our fathers and mothers caused the local press the 
 same mild quiescent satisfaction, that is all we succeed in 
 exciting with all the gorgeous scenery and correct dresses 
 of modern times. I cannot help thinking though that 
 the " Lady of Lyons," on a stage eight feet by six feet, 
 with home-made dresses and rudimentary scenery, must 
 have been indescribably funny, and that we show our 
 good sense nowadays when we confine ourselves to 
 dualogues and three-part pieces for the drawing-room, 
 and leave the more ambitious efforts for the Corn Ex- 
 change or Town Hall. Of course in very large houses 
 such as Chatsworth, Craig-y-Nos, West Dean, or Tranby 
 Croft, where you have perfect bijou theatres fitted with 
 electric light, with scenery painted by excellent artists. 
 
COUNTRY HOUSE ACTING 281 
 
 where you can get night and morning effects, and where 
 properties and furniture are of the best, the amateur is in 
 clover, and really gets a fair chance of showing what he 
 can do. If with all these assistants to his art he cannot 
 make a hit before one of those friendly audiences, let him 
 give up acting and take to manly sports- -say spillikins or 
 dominoes. 
 
 In concluding these fugitive notes and recollections, 
 my thoughts naturally turn towards many friends with 
 whom I have been associated in country house perform- 
 ances. Of these the professional stage claims many — 
 Arthur Bourchier, Allan Aynesworth, Holman Clark, 
 " Scrobbie " Ponsonby, and Rosslyn were all amateurs 
 in my time. Alan Mackinnon, Jeffcock, George Nugent, 
 and Dick Bromley-Davenport still remain on the side 
 of the angels — I mean the amateurs. And there was 
 one — a greater than any of these, who has made 
 his final exit and last appearance on this or any other 
 stage — my dear friend Charlie Colnaghi. Poor little 
 Charlie ! he was the best all-round actor that I ever 
 saw, and the most faithful comrade a man ever had. He 
 was, as was said of the greatest actor of all time, "An 
 abridgment of all that was pleasant in man " ; and if 
 his death did not " eclipse the gaiety of nations," there 
 was many a country house made sadder by his loss, and 
 one at least in which the memory of his sweet, gentle 
 personality will never pass away. 
 
XIV 
 THE CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 
 
 By W. YARDLEY 
 
 APOLOGIA 
 
 BY way of preface, I venture the remark that I honestly 
 doubt if any of my colleagues engaged on the 
 collaboration and compilation of this immortal work have 
 had a more hopelessly impossible task than that which 
 I undertook in a moment of greater amiability than 
 prudence. 
 
 I am compelled by force of circumstances to endeavour 
 to work a miracle, a species of conjuring trick that has 
 apparently become impossible of accomplishment in these 
 matter-of-fact days. To put the case as briefly as possible, 
 I have practically undertaken to pour out a magnum into 
 a half-pint glass, a feat which I have hitherto never seen 
 performed satisfactorily by anybody, unless perhaps by the 
 consumer, if not especially thirsty. 
 
 In short, I have been obliged to try to place on record 
 the doings of the oldest and most celebrated body of 
 amateur actors, established in the year 1842, and extend- 
 ing to the present year of grace, 1898, within the com- 
 paratively (if not extremely) narrow limits of some forty 
 pages of print — more or less. 
 
 It is obvious that I have attempted an impossibility, 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 283 
 
 for no approach to justice towards the splendid work of 
 such an unique coterie of amateur actors as the world- 
 renowned body of "Old Stagers" could be done in a 
 space of lesser limits than could be afforded by this entire 
 volume of amateur records. 
 
 Even then I doubt if substantial justice could be done 
 to the subject in such narrow confines ; but I must leave 
 it at that, or my " apology " for the foolhardiness of my 
 undertaking must perforce outrun, in proportion, the all 
 too meagre details to which I have had the temerity to 
 boil down the overwhelming stock at my disposal. 
 
 The Original Inception of "O. S." 
 
 In the year 1841 a notable cricket match was played 
 at Canterbury between Kent and England, on the loth of 
 August and two following days, on the ground of the 
 East Kent Cricket Club, known as the " Beverley " Ground, 
 in which match England proved victorious by scoring 
 163 and 56 to Kent's 114 and 31. 
 
 This was a return duel to one which occurred pre- 
 viously in the same year at Lord's Cricket Ground, on 
 which occasion Kent had proved the victor over England 
 by 54 and 91, against the adversaries' 31 and 44. 
 
 The stakes, according to the historians of that period, 
 were for a thousand guineas (presumably five hundred 
 guineas a side), the sort of thing we have not been in the 
 habit of experiencing within this latter half of the century, 
 in which honour and glory appear to be sufficient incen- 
 tive to cricketers, without the introduction of the money 
 element. But I fancy the majority of those large stakes 
 were " only on paper." 
 
 So great a success attended the match at the Beverley 
 
284 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Ground, Canterbury, when close on 5000 spectators were 
 present, that the brothers John and W. de Chair Baker, 
 who had the interests of Kent cricket deeply at heart, 
 consulted the Hon. Frederick Ponsonby (subsequently the 
 Earl of Bessborough) as to the possibility of establishing an 
 annual meeting at Canterbury, with the pleasant object in 
 view of combining cricket by day with theatricals at night. 
 This evidently suited the views of the Hon. F. Pon- 
 sonby, who was celebrated, even in those comparatively 
 early days, for his love of the drama and his histrionic 
 prowess as an amateur, for he promptly gathered around 
 him a remarkably strong " posse " of amateur actors with 
 whom he had been most successfully associated erstwhile, 
 and the autumn of 1842 inaugurated the establishment 
 of the " Old Stagers," whose performances have continued 
 at Canterbury with unbroken success up to the present 
 time. 
 
 The Constitution of "O. S." 
 
 As a matter of fact the " Old Stagers " were not con- 
 stituted as such until the tenth year of their appearance 
 at Canterbury. No doubt the innate modesty of all 
 amateur actors militated against their styling themselves 
 " Old Stagers " until their existence had run into double 
 figures, but to all intents and purposes " O. S." actually 
 sprang into existence in 1842. 
 
 It must be remembered that at the outset of their 
 career the originators of " O. S." were in the main 
 cricketers, who devoted themselves indefatigably to the 
 game during the day, and found comparatively little 
 time for rehearsals. Scenes were rehearsed in corners 
 of the cricket field or in the dressing tent, at any odd 
 moments that were available. Nothing but the inde- 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 285 
 
 fatigable energy of youth, combined with an intense love 
 for theatricals, could have kept the ball a-rolling when 
 once started. 
 
 The following are the Rules of the " Old Stagers," with 
 the various alterations that have been made in them from 
 time to time : — 
 
 Rules of the "Old Stagers" 
 
 At a Meeting of the Old Stagers held at the Fountain Hotel, 
 Canterbury, on August the 19th, 1850, the following revised Rules 
 were agreed to : — 
 
 Rule I. 
 
 That the Club shall consist of twenty-five actual Members, and 
 that no person shall be eligible for Election until his second ^ (con- 
 secutive) attendance at a Canterbury Season, provided he shall have 
 been present twice in the course of four years. 
 
 Rule II. 
 
 That any Member absenting himself from the August Annual 
 Meeting for three consecutive years shall be placed on the list of 
 Absenthree Members, but^ that on again attending, he shall be 
 reinstated as an actual Member at the first vacancy. 
 
 Rule III. 
 
 That the Club-Room be reserved for Old Stagers only, and that 
 no Stranger be therein admitted, unless his name, with that of five 
 actual Members, be entered in the Visitors' Book. 
 
 Rule IV. 
 That the Books and Archives of the Old Stagers be entrusted to 
 the care of the Hon. S. Ponsonby. 
 
 1 The word "consecutive" added at a Meeting of " Old Stagers," August 15, 
 1862. 
 
 ^ The words after "but " ordered to be struck out, and the following words 
 inserted in their place — "shall not thereby forfeit any of the privileges of Old 
 Stagers." 
 
286 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Rule V. 
 That a Candidate for Election must be proposed, seconded, 
 and unanimously elected at a Meeting of no less than seven 
 actual Members, during the Annual gathering. 
 
 Aumst 15, i860. 
 
 Rule VI. 
 
 That a Musical Foundation be erected and affiliated to Old 
 Stagers, subject to the Rules of the Society, to which the Members 
 of the Band shall after the usual two years' attendance be eligible. 
 
 The Musical Old Stagers shall possess all the Rights and 
 Privileges of the Society, with the exception of that of voting on 
 the Election of actual Members, or on the alteration of the Rules 
 of the Society. 
 
 The number of the Musical Old Stagers is to be limited to ten. 
 
 August 15, 1862. 
 
 The word " consecutive " was ordered to be added to Rule I. as 
 to eligibility of Candidate. 
 
 August II, 1869. 
 
 The following alteration of Rule II. was carried : " That the words 
 after ' but ' be struck out, and the following words inserted in their 
 place—* shall not thereby forfeit any of the Privileges of Old Stagers.' " 
 
 August 1 880. 
 
 With reference to Rule I., it was ruled, that although a person 
 may have been present at two consecutive Canterbury Seasons, he 
 was not eligible unless present at the present Season. 
 
 August 3, 1887. 
 
 Resolved : That in view of the numbers of actual Members of 
 Old Stagers who have retired from active service at Canterbury, 
 excepting with the knife and fork, a Shelf be provided for actual 
 Members who may volunteer to repose thereon, and who shall not 
 thereby forfeit the Privileges of Old Stagerdom. 
 
 By no means the least interesting feature in connection 
 with the " Old Stagers " is the following list of " Noms de 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 287 
 
 Theatre " adopted at various times by all who have been 
 in any way connected with the Club itself : — 
 
 " NoMS DE Theatre " used at Canterbury 
 O. S. Performances 
 
 Adolphus, O A. K. Oom .... Deceased. 
 
 Archer, Capt W. P. Bolland . . . Deceased. 
 
 Banjo, Benjamin .... Sir A. Webster. 
 
 Barchester, Alington . . C. Trollope. 
 
 Baddun, Reglar .... Col. J. Goodden. 
 
 Bartey,W A. B. Mitford . . . | Now Freeman Mit- 
 
 Benfiglio, Signor . . . . L. Benson. 
 
 Biffin, R. W R. W. Keate .... Deceased. 
 
 Biddulph, H. E B. Butler. 
 
 Boeuf, Baron de . . . . A. Bourchier. 
 
 Brooke, Lord H W. P. Bolland . . . Deceased. 
 
 Brun, Monsieur le . . . Bruno Holmes. 
 
 Burley, E E. Balfour Deceased. 
 
 Balsamo di Anizzidi . . . H. D. Stewart Powell. 
 
 Centreson, Head . . . . B. C. Stephenson. 
 
 Cade, Lowther R. ... J. W. Lowther. 
 
 Charles, S C. Seymour • • • • ? t~, 
 
 Conway, Sir G C. Seymour . . . . ) 
 
 Cokeupon, Mr Hon. A. Lyttelton. 
 
 Courtley, W W. Yardley. 
 
 /-.,^TT^ TT/-J i NowRt. Hon. Lord 
 
 Cultor, Horty H. Gardner . . . . < ^ 
 
 ( Burghclere. 
 
 Cropland, Sir C C. Ellison Deceased. 
 
 Curls, C H. Fellows. 
 
 Cuthbert, C C. Ellison Deceased. 
 
 Chancellor W. E. Goschen. 
 
 Checquers W. E. Goschen. 
 
 Dalby, E E. H. Hartopp. 
 
 Dalby, W W. Hartopp .... Deceased. 
 
 Deede, Acton W. H. Leese. 
 
 Dilly, Sir Daffydown . . W. M. Rose. 
 
 T^ c- T /- /- T5 4^- 1 (Afterwards Rt. 
 
 Doe, Sir J G. C. Bentinck . . . < ^^ 
 
 i Hon.; deceased. 
 
 Doe, Sir F F. C. Bentinck. 
 
 Eagle, The Gt. Bald . . Hon. R. Grimston • • > p, 
 
 Eagle, Sir Solomon . . . Hon. R. Grimston . . i deceased. 
 
288 
 
 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 :} 
 
 Edwards, E Hon. E. C. Leigh, 
 
 Esrom, Count and Countess C. R. Morse . . 
 
 Evans, E E. E. Hartopp. 
 
 Evans, W W. Hartopp . . 
 
 Eyot, L W. G. Elliot. 
 
 Parkins, Fredo .... A. Farquhar. 
 Felice, Sig. R. S. V. P. . N. Wanostroght 
 
 Felix, N N. Wanostroght 
 
 Fogg, Dodson W. Fladgate. 
 
 George, P George Ponsonby . . 
 
 Gentiluomo, Sig. Nuovo . G. Nugent. 
 Goodlittle, Gustavus . . A. Ricardo. 
 
 Graves, Paul Palgrave Simpson . . 
 
 Gurney, Gilbert .... Hon. and Rev. J. Leigh. 
 
 Gucini, Capitano .... A. Gooch 
 
 Guernsey, G. de . . . • G. du Maurier . . . 
 
 Hardinge, H H. Stracey. 
 
 Hall, Hams, Hon. J. Adderley. 
 
 Heavysides, H H. Fellows. 
 
 Hoe, Haigh W. H. Hay. 
 
 Hopper, Clod Claud Ponsonby. 
 
 Hozier, E. V. E Mercer Adam. 
 
 Jacques, J J- H. Ponsonby. 
 
 Jardineros, Don das . . . Dundas Gardiner. 
 
 Justocorpo, Signer . . . N. Wanostroght 
 
 Knox, Hon. T T.K.Holmes . 
 
 Knox, John, jun Q. Twiss. 
 
 Kitts, Newton K. Pemberton . 
 
 Lane, Lincoln S. Brandram . . 
 
 Lafite, Monsieur . . . . H. S. Ponsonby. 
 
 Lilytop G. R. Ponsonby. 
 
 Littlejohn, John .... J. Bidwell . . • 
 
 Lively, Sir Deadly . . . C. R. Morse . . 
 
 Loraine, J J- L- Baldwin . 
 
 Lovelace, Hon. E. . . . Hon. E. C. Leigh. 
 
 MacUsquebaugh . . . . C. Drummond. 
 
 MacFingon A. Mackinnon. 
 
 Meerschaum, Herr . . . F. Clay 
 
 Mecum, Vade A. Wade. 
 
 Michael, B M. G. Bruce . . . . 
 
 Montagu, Aug A. Spalding. 
 
 Naghi, Col C. P. Colnaghi . . 
 
 Noakes, John Tom Taylor . . . 
 
 Nuneham, de Col. Newnham-Davis, 
 
 Deceased. 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 Deceased. 
 Deceased. 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 Deceased. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 289 
 
 O'Howl, The J. C. O'Dowd. 
 
 Olde, Lawrence . . . . Sir W. Young. 
 
 Oldjohn, John J. Bidwell Deceased. 
 
 Ost, Twiliver Q. Twiss. 
 
 Pippin, Ribstone . . . . K. Pemberton . 
 
 Peachie, K K. Pemberton . 
 
 Pearson, F Hon. F. Ponsonby 
 
 Perceval, H Gen. Sir H. P. de Bathe 
 
 Phitz R. A. FitzGerald 
 
 Pootra, Brahma . . . . E. Hartopp. 
 
 Podger, E E. Tredcroft . . , 
 
 Quintin, F Q. Twiss. 
 
 Ready, Capt. R.N. . . . Hon. F. Ponsonby. 
 
 Richards, A A. Ricardo. 
 
 Rind, C C. Peel 
 
 Roe, Hon. R Hon. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 Late Earl of Bess- 
 borough. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 Late Earl of Bess- 
 borough. 
 
 Deceased. 
 ( Late Earl of Bess- 
 ( borough. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 F. Ponsonby 
 
 Roper, Bell A. J. Tassel. 
 
 St. Gomm, Motcomb . . E. H. Whitmore, 
 
 Sawe, C. E C. C. Clarke. 
 
 Sauvage, Frere .... W. Wilde. 
 
 Schrymper, M. de . . . F. H. Whymper 
 
 Scrobbs, Herr Eustace Ponsonby, 
 
 Sharp, A A. Cecil Blunt 
 
 Smith, Promiscuous ... A. Wigan Deceased 
 
 Storer, Herr Rea .... J. Allen Deceased 
 
 Smith Family j ^very one employed 
 
 ( on Stage. 
 
 Twist, Oliver . . . . Q. Twiss. 
 
 Tyme, Mr. Mark . . . . G. Nugent. 
 
 Tyme, Mr. Beat .... Claud Nugent. 
 
 Viret, Semper H. Vernon . . 
 
 Villars, Chepstow . . . T. G. Cooper. 
 
 Waggs, C C. Weguelin . . 
 
 Wiggs or Wiggins, C. . . C. Weguelin . . 
 
 Whitehead, Hon. S. . . . Hon. S. Ponsonby 
 
 Williams, Mathew . . . W. Mathews. 
 
 Windsor, Gobelins de . . J. B. Westropp. 
 
 Wright, Hall Sir C. Hall. 
 
 Wye, W W. Yardley. 
 
 Wobbles, Colley . . . . E. Balfour . . 
 
 Young, John J J. Bidwell Deceased 
 
 T 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 Now Sir S. Pon- 
 sonby-Fane. 
 
 Deceased. 
 
290 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 " NoMs DE Theatre " used at Canterbury " O. S." 
 Performances which I have not been able 
 TO identify. 
 
 Burgh, F. de 
 
 Buckstone, C. J. 
 
 Coverley, Sir Roger de. (No one in particular.) 
 
 Cust, C. 
 
 Dove, H. 
 
 Dunck, Mein Herr von. (No one in particular.) 
 
 Marquecy, E. „ 
 
 Munchausen, Baron. „ 
 
 Scott, The Great. „ 
 
 Stick, Mr. Mahl. 
 
 Vavasour, H. de. 
 
 Anecdotes of " O. S." 
 
 The anecdotes of the " Old Stagers " are neither so 
 voluminous nor so attractive as might be expected. 
 With regard to their voluminosity, the cause is that no 
 records of them have been kept in the ponderous tomes, 
 to which I have had unlimited access by the kind courtesy 
 of the Hon. Sir Spencer Ponsonby-Fane, G.C.B., to 
 whom I am mainly, if not entirely, indebted for such 
 information as I can only too sparsely offer. 
 
 Concerning their attractiveness, it is, after all, purely 
 a matter of opinion ; but I had hoped to have captured 
 a great deal more that was both witty and interesting. 
 However, the fact remains, that despite the presence on 
 many brilliant occasions of some of the most brilliant 
 wits of their various periods, comparatively little that is 
 genuinely humorous can be set down to their credit. 
 
 This is undoubtedly due to the fact of autre temps 
 autre mceurs, more especially with regard to the difference 
 
Mr. Augustus Spalding. 
 
 From a photograph by Barraud. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 291 
 
 between *' old time " and " up to date " methods, both in 
 anecdotism and journaHsm. 
 
 Augustus M. Spalding told me, when the late Tom 
 Taylor played in " The Wreck Ashore " he conceived that 
 a great effect might be obtained at the end of the play 
 (when he had to be shot), if he were to crush a mulberry 
 upon his forehead to give the appearance of a suddenly 
 received wound. He accordingly carried throughout the 
 piece a mulberry nestling in the palm of his hand. He 
 completely ruined the dresses of the ladies with whom he 
 had to act, and when, at the end of the play, the cue was 
 given for the shot, the call-boy or property man was not 
 at his post ; the shot was not fired, so Mr. Addison, the 
 stage manager, rang down the curtain without giving 
 Tom Taylor legitimate opportunity to crush the crimson 
 berry on his brow. He poured forth a torrent of abuse, 
 at which Mr. Addison grew angry. Tom Taylor seized 
 Spalding's arm and walked off, exclaiming, " Bah ! Addi- 
 son doesn't understand Canterbury ! " 
 
 Spalding on one occasion played a practical joke on 
 the late George Bentinck. At the conclusion of some 
 performance, Spalding advanced, insisted upon breaking 
 the rules of the "'Old Stagers" (which expressly forbid 
 the making of speeches), delivered a long panegyric on 
 the rare qualities of Bentinck, and finally presented him 
 with a cup that had been until that moment concealed 
 by a napkin. It turned out to be a china mug, with "A 
 Present for a Good Boy " written upon it in gold letters. 
 No one enjoyed the joke less than George Bentinck. 
 
 In one of the Canterbury epilogues a crocodile had to 
 appear upon the stage. The part was cast and re-cast 
 several times. The representative of the firm of Nathan 
 strove hard to obtain reliable information as to by whom 
 
292 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 the part would be ultimately played. Apparently he was 
 misinformed, for when on the night Spalding (who was 
 finally entrusted with the role) called to Nathan's man, and 
 said, "Where the devil is my crocodile's dress?" the at- 
 tendant burst into beads of perspiration, and exclaimed, 
 " Gracious goodness, Mr. Spalding ! we've had the croco- 
 dile cut down for Mr. Twiss ! " 
 
 In "The Ticket-of-Leave Man," in the year 1885, 
 Jim Dalton and Melter Moss after Act i. do not reappear 
 until the middle of Act iii., an interval of an hour and a 
 half. J. D. has a different costume and make-up in each 
 of the three Acts in which he appears. The theatre being 
 very hot, the actor who played Jim Dalton thought it 
 would freshen him up were he to get into his own clothes 
 and get some fresh air outside for a portion of the inter- 
 val. As he was passing through the green-room on his 
 way out, Melter Moss, who was unable to remove his 
 make-up, owing to the time occupied in adjusting his 
 Jew's false nose, jealously asked J. D., "Where the 
 d-d — 1 are you going ? " and when told, was moved to 
 anger, being compelled to remain in the theatre all the 
 time. In the fourth Act (the public-house scene), where 
 he has to utter a strong denunciatory speech, his nose 
 partially gave way and wobbled. This tickled the audi- 
 ence ; the Jew got nervous, and the speech went for 
 nothing. (Jim Dalton was played by Q. Twiss, and 
 Melter Moss by Gooch.) 
 
 In this same scene the navvies were played by some 
 men from the barracks, led by Arthur Bourchier, who 
 was astonished, when he came on, to find at the table 
 eight instead of six navvies, the number which had been 
 present at rehearsal. The two new navvies being realistic 
 artists, at once proceeded to show their conception of 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 293 
 
 their characters by making use of some of the most 
 emphatic language possible, of course only audible on 
 the stage. Bourchier, being in charge of the navvies, 
 and supposing the *' supers " to be two of the men requi- 
 sitioned for that purpose from the barracks, threatened 
 to report them for their misconduct to their superior 
 officer, which threat was received by them with jeers, 
 none the less effective because they were delivered with 
 apparently additional emphasis in a telling undertone. 
 The " navvies " in question incontinently bolted downstairs 
 as soon as the scene was over. The undaunted Bourchier, 
 however, pursued them with alacrity, and discovered, to 
 his chagrin in the first place, and ultimately to his amuse- 
 ment, that they were two of the very most prominent of 
 the very elder members of " O. S.," whose names could 
 not be torn from me with red-hot pincers. 
 
 I forget whether it was at Canterbury, but I rather 
 think it was — and anyway the anecdote will excuse itself 
 I fancy — that dear old Palgrave Simpson, who was nothing 
 if not realistic both in conception and execution, came to 
 the final rehearsal, and casting his eagle eye over the 
 scene, exclaimed in accents of unfeigned horror, " IVhat ! 
 What ! WHAT ! Gracious goodness ! Lor' a'mighty ! 
 Here we are supposed to be starving, and the blithering 
 idiot of a scene-painter has painted a ham and pickles on the 
 back-cloth / " 
 
 Another anecdote relating to Palgrave, on the same 
 lines somewhat as that previously related about Tom 
 Taylor, is quite as authentic. He also had the concep- 
 tion of realistic effect by the timely use of a ripe mul- 
 berry, and had got a lovely specimen of the fruit awaiting 
 him on his dressing-table. When in need of it he entered 
 his dressing-room just in time to catch his best of friends. 
 
294 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 Jack Clayton, eating it ! ! Tableau ! Swear words, 
 &c., &c. 
 
 There was a very amusing episode in one of the 
 comparatively latter-day epilogues, when young Freddy 
 Bentinck, made up excellently as an old grumpy specta- 
 tor, caused a sensation by objecting to the supposed loss 
 of the script of the epilogue, which was found on his 
 person by a policeman (bogus, of course), played by 
 Claude Ponsonby. Quintin Twiss conceived a humorous 
 notion which he speedily carried into execution, for he 
 requisitioned a real policeman to actually arrest young 
 Bentinck when he had been thrown out of the theatre 
 by the sham " bobby," and it was not without a con- 
 siderable deal of dubiousness on the part of the " Simon 
 Pure " in the shape of the local guardian of the peace 
 that Bentinck escaped from acquaintance with the interior 
 of the " lock-up." 
 
 A little tale about Morse, who was known as "The 
 Chevalier Esrom." He was playing in the farce " Grim- 
 shaw, Bagshaw, and Bradshaw." The extent of his role 
 was to appear at the finish and exclaim, " I'm Brad- 
 shaw ! " With the re-7I/orsg-less-ness for which he was 
 famous, he must needs ejaculate, " I'm 5a^-shaw ! " But 
 he was not that individual, as Twiss explained to the 
 puzzled audience in lieu of Maddison Morton's ordinary 
 *' tag." Morse was always disappointing if not wrong. 
 
 On one occasion, in the course of some piece, Tom 
 Taylor got off one of his practical jokes upon Hartopp, 
 who had to drink a draught " without heel-taps " to show 
 the glass was empty. As is frequently the case at other 
 amateur shows besides those of the " Old Stagers," there 
 was nothing ready for Hartopp. Tom Taylor, more 
 than equal to the occasion, found a pewter containing, 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 295 
 
 of all horrible drinks, the dregs of porter. To these he 
 added the thickish contents of an ink-bottle. " Topps " 
 Hartopp, who was nothing if not an artist (on the stage 
 at all events), polished off the contents of the tankard 
 without turning a hair, and before he could make a wry 
 face Tom Taylor ejaculated with consummate gusto, " See 
 how he enjoys the exhilarating fluid !" 
 
 In 1886 several London managers who had come 
 down to Canterbury " came on " in the club scene in 
 " Cyril's Success." Amongst them were Charles Wyndham 
 and Edgar Bruce. The former, despite his elaborate 
 " make-up," was sure of recognition by the audience. 
 Naturally, some one, whose name must not be mentioned, 
 suggested an idea to E. B. Norman, who was the stage 
 manager that year, to arrange matters so that Our Best 
 Light Comedian should be placed on the stage all the 
 time with his back to the audience. The situation had at 
 all events the pleasure of variety for Charles Wyndham. 
 
 The Sociability of "O. S." 
 
 I doubt if any club in the world ever could hold a 
 candle to the " O. S." for sociality and sociability. Such 
 fun as always existed in the many amusing episodes that 
 occurred in days gone by, concerning the performances, 
 is not a patch upon the fun that exists now, and has 
 existed far more exuberantly and exhilaratingly in the 
 past, in the " Old Stager " Rooms at the far-famed Foun- 
 tain Hotel. 
 
 I shall never forget my first introduction to that 
 mystic palace of delight. The Friday night when that 
 terrible bugbear " The Epilogue ! ! ! " has been scrambled 
 through, and the throes, agonies, apologies, congratula- 
 
296 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 tions, appreciations, and (very seldom) condemnations 
 have been given, received, believed, or doubted, as the 
 case may be, has always proved the brightest spot in the 
 brightest week of the season. 
 
 After a plain but substantial supper comes the real 
 fun of the week. On the occasion to which I refer I 
 had the honour of being introduced as a guest (many 
 years before I had the further honour of becoming a 
 full-fledged " O. S.," in propria persona), by my old friend 
 and school -fellow of now over forty years' standing, 
 Cecil Clay. 
 
 His brother, Fred Clay, one of the most eminent of 
 our English composers, had produced during that week 
 "The Bold Recruit," of which he had written the music 
 to the lyrics of B. C. Stephenson, a subsequent friend 
 and collaborator of mine. What fun we had, to be 
 sure ! Songs, imitations, recitations (not long, but full 
 of wit and pith), and everything to make us jolly and 
 happy. 
 
 And the fun on that Friday night! "William Tell" 
 was the subject of the " extempore." Well I remember it. 
 My old dead and gone friend, Captain Alfred Thompson, 
 stage-managed the "impromptu," and right well was it 
 done. With Freddy Clay and Arthur Sullivan at the piano 
 no greater treat could be imagined. Why don't we live 
 for ever, all of us, and have annual recurrences of such 
 delights ? 
 
 The next year brought Canterbury its chef-d'ceuvre, 
 the immortal " Cox and Box," founded upon the already 
 vigorous "Box and Cox" of Maddison Morton, but ren- 
 dered now imperishable to fame with the happy lyrics of 
 F. C. Burnand, and the deathless music of Arthur Sullivan. 
 The latter came down to manipulate the harmonium, and 
 
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CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 297 
 
 dear old Freddy to " spank the Joanna," and a more per- 
 fect accompaniment to any light musical piece could not 
 be conceived or executed. 
 
 " There are others " (as the Comedy Merchant says in 
 the piece somewhere) also. Poor Charlie Colnaghi and 
 " Scrobby " Ponsonby have done most artistic and amus- 
 ing pleasantries there. 
 
 Has not Charlie Clarke shown himself equally adept 
 at light finger work with watches and banjo-strings ? 
 
 In fact, what talent, including the inimitable imitations 
 of Tom Cooper, has not been seen in the " Old Stager " 
 Rooms during the Canterbury Week, on the part of ama- 
 teurs, and even of the brightest and best of professionals, 
 who have at various times been the welcome guests of the 
 " Old Stagers." 
 
 To give full justice where it is due ; to make so much 
 even as a mild attempt at recognition of the talents of the 
 very flower of amateur histrionship, that has been the 
 leading feature of the Canterbury " Old Stagers," would 
 prove to be the proverbial work of supererogation of 
 " painting the lily or gilding refined gold." 
 
 Records of *' Old Stagers " 
 
 The foregoing words indicate, or ought to indicate, 
 clearly enough that I am absolutely unequal to the her- 
 culean task of recording the unapproachable deeds of 
 the "Old Stagers" with anything in the neighbourhood 
 of real justice. 
 
 I therefore take shelter behind a bare skeleton record 
 of their work, which is one of which any body of indi- 
 viduals with their souls in a set purpose may well be 
 proud, if not even vain. 
 
298 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1842 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Rivals," "The Poor Gentleman," "Too Late for Dinner," 
 
 and " Othello Travestie." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 H. Ellison, Tom Taylor, M. Bruce, C. G. Taylor, C. Bentinck, Captain 
 
 Baker, Hon. S. Ponsonby, T. Thackeray. 
 Mrs. Nisbett, Miss J. Mordaunt, Miss Engeham, Miss Williams. 
 
 A Prologue and Epilogue were both written, as well as 
 spoken, by Tom Taylor. 
 
 1843 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Critic," "Othello Travestie," " Bombastes Furioso," "A Roland 
 for an Oliver," and " High Life below Stairs." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 C. Ellison, R. Keate, Tom Taylor, Capt. Archer, J, L. Baldwin, W. de 
 
 St. Croix, M. G. Bruce, Hon. F. Ponsonby, R. Garth, E. Hartopp, 
 
 E. Bayley, Hon. S. Ponsonby, T. Wythe. 
 Miss Sidney, Mrs, Tayleure, Mrs. Walter Lacy. 
 
 1844 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Haunted Inn," "Sylvester Daggerwood," "Two in the Morning," 
 " The Rent Day," " Shocking Events," " Esmeralda." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 G. C. Bentinck, Tom Taylor, E. Hartopp, Hon. S. Ponsonby, R. W. 
 Keate, E. Dewing, H. Brown, Hon. F. Ponsonby, Count Esrom, 
 Lord H. Brooke, C. Randolph, C. Wilson, C. G. Taylor. 
 Miss J. Mordaunt, Mrs. L. S. Buckingham, Miss Grey, Mrs. Tayleure. 
 There was a short Prologue by Lord Bessborough. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 299 
 
 1845 
 
 PLAYS 
 " The Wreck Ashore," " The Captain of the Watch," " The Beulah Spa," 
 "Why did you Die?" "The Original," "Amateurs and Actors." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Hon. J. Percival, Sir George Conway, T. Taylor, E. Dewing, T. K. 
 
 Holmes, F. Pearson, C. G. Taylor, C. Morse, G. C. Bentinck, Lord 
 
 H. Brook, E. Hartopp, H. de Vavasour, F. de Burgh, J. George. 
 
 Miss Pearson, Miss Mordaunt, Miss Binns, Mrs. A. Wigan. 
 
 A brief Epilogue written by T. Taylor. 
 
 1846 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Comfortable Lodgings," " You can't Marry your Grandmother," 
 
 " Kill or Cure," " The Thimble Rig," " The Prisoner of War," 
 
 "The Loan of a Lover," "Twice Killed." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 R. W. Keate, Hon. Richard Roe, Hon. Claude Lyon, M. G. Bruce, J. L. 
 Baldwin, E. Hartopp, C. E. Ellison, Sir John Doe (Bart.), E. George, 
 C. G. Taylor, J. Leslie, W. Pickering, Hon. C. Lyon, E. Morton, 
 Hon. R. Grimston, F. W. Commerill. 
 
 Miss J. Mordaunt, Mrs. A. Wigan, Mrs. Garthwaite, Miss E. Messent. 
 
 There is no record of any Prologue or Epilogue. 
 
 1847 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Dream at Sea," "A Match in the Dark," "The Sentinel," 
 
 " Married Life," " The Windmill," " The Carnival Ball." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 M. G. Bruce, W. Bolland, J. Leslie, John Doe, H. Mansfield, E. Hartopp, 
 
 Hon. H. Percival, John Noaks, G. Goodlittle, C. Morse, C. Ellison, 
 
 Henry Dove. 
 Miss J. Mordaunt, Mrs. Garthwaite, Mrs. A. Wigan. 
 
 There was an original Epilogue, but its title and the name of the 
 writer are not recorded. 
 
300 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1848 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "Charles XII.," "Why don't she Marry?" "Kill or Cure," "Naval 
 
 Engagements," " A Day Well Spent," " The Prince and Pedlar." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 John Noakes, Hon. R. Grimston, Hon. C. Lyon, H. Fellows, C. Cuthbert, 
 A. Mynn, Lord Henry Brooke, John Doe, E. Hartopp, J. Leslie, 
 Hon. Richard Roe, J. Biffin, Hon. H. Percival, C. Morse, J. Loraine, 
 A. Richards, C. Randolph. 
 
 Miss Garthwaite, Miss Mordaunt, Mrs. Garthwaite, Mrs. A. Wigan. 
 
 Epilogue by T. Taylor. 
 
 1849 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Law for Ladies," " X. Y. Z.," " The Beulah Spa," " Robert Macaire," 
 
 " Turning the Tables," " The Master's Rival." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Hon. Thomas Knox, R. W. Biffin, E. Hartopp, Lord H. Brooke, M. 
 Bruce, P. George, Hon. H. Percival, Sir Charles Cropland (Bart.), 
 the Chevalier Esrom, John Noakes, A. Mynn, Hon. R. Roe, Hon. S. 
 Whitehead, John Doe. 
 
 Mrs. Caulfield, Mrs. A. Hughes, Mrs. A. Wigan, Miss Mordaunt. 
 
 Epilogue by O. Adolphus. 
 
 1850 
 
 PLAYS 
 " Killed, Wounded, and Missing," " The Follies of a Night," " Fighting 
 by Proxy," " Pleasant Dreams," " Used Up," "The Bengal Tiger," 
 "The Unfinished Gentleman." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 O. Adolphus, E. Evans, Sir Charles Cropland, Hon. R. Roe, Chevalier 
 Esrom, Hon. S. Whitehead, S. Charles, Hon. H. Percival, J. Noakes, 
 O. Smith, A. Mynn, J. Loraine. 
 Miss Engeham, Miss Mordaunt, Mrs. Caulfield, Mrs. A. Wigan, Miss 
 Marston. 
 
 Epilogue written by J. Noakes. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 301 
 
 1851 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "Hearts are Trumps," "John Dobbs," " Deaf as a Post," "Not a bad 
 Judge," "A Nabob for an Hour," "The Lottery Ticket." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Hon. S. Whitehead, Hon. Richard Roe, John Doe, Sir Charles Cropland, 
 
 J. Noakes, E. Evans, H. Percival, T. Knox, Chevalier Esrom, A. 
 
 Mynn, J. Loraine. 
 Mrs. A. Wigan, Mrs. Caulfield, Miss Cathcart, Miss Marston. 
 
 Epilogue written by T. Taylor. 
 
 1852 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Simpson & Co.," " Raising the Wind," " Comfortable Service," " The 
 Spitalfields Weaver," " Tom Noddy's Secret," " The Mummy." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 John Doe, Richard Roe, A. Smith, B. Smith, John Noakes, Hon. 
 
 S. Whitehead. 
 Miss Jenny Marston, Mrs. Caulfield, Miss Engeham, Miss Leclercq, Mrs. 
 
 A. Wigan. 
 
 An original Epilogue ; writer not recorded. 
 
 1853 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Spring Gardens," " A Dream of the Future," " A Trip to Kissengen," 
 " The Bengal Tiger," " Boots at the Fountain." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 John Noakes, Hon. Richard Roe, Sir Chas. Cropland, Hon. John Doe, 
 
 Hon. S. Whitehead, A. Mynn, T. Knox, E. Evans, A. Smith, 
 
 B. Smith, J. B. Loraine. 
 Mrs. Wigan, Miss Marston, Mrs. Caulfield, Miss Engeham. 
 
 Epilogue, "Time Baffled" ; writer not mentioned. 
 
302 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1854 
 
 PLAYS 
 "The Housekeeper," "Handsome is as Handsome Does," "Pleasant 
 Dreams," " Sweetheart and Wives," " Beards or Tails," 
 " Barefaced Impostors." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 The characters were played by the usual performers, and included — 
 Mrs. Wigan, Mrs. Caulfield, Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Miss Elwen 
 Turner, Miss Marston. 
 
 1855 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Helping Hands," " A Desperate Game," " Twice Killed," " Prison and 
 
 Palace," "Dr. Dilworth," "The Blighted Being." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 These were the usual, assisted by the numerous and talented 
 
 Smith family. 
 
 1856 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Tit for Tat," " Frederick of Prussia," " The Mummy," " The Black 
 Book," " The Camp at Chobham," " The Widow's Victim." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 John Doe, Lieutenant-Colonel Percival, Paul Grave, Hon. S. Whitehead, 
 
 Hon. S. Ponsonby. 
 Miss Reynolds, Miss Marston, Mrs. Melford. 
 
 1857 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Follies of a Night," "Betsy Baker," "Burlington Arcade," "The 
 
 Prisoner of War," "The Jacobite," "Barefaced Impostor." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Hon. S. Whitehead, John Doe, T. Knox, Richard Roe, Paul Grave, 
 
 E. Evans, H. Percival, Chevalier Esrom. 
 Miss Ellen Turner, Miss Milford, Mrs. Keeley, Miss Marston. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 303 
 
 1858 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "A Sheep in Wolfs Clothing," "Done on both Sides," "The Critic," 
 " The Wreck Ashore," " Anything for a Change," " Othello." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Tom Taylor, H. Percival, J. Doe, Hon. S. W^hitehead, P. Grave, J. 
 
 Loraine, E. Evans, Oliver Twist, W. Evans, John Noakes. 
 Miss Woolgar, Miss Conway, Miss Herbert, and Miss Cottrell. 
 
 Epilogue, entitled " Foreign Relations," written by Tom Taylor. 
 
 1859 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Prison and Palace," " Whitebait at Greenwich," " A Thumping Legacy," 
 "A Dream of the Future," "Ticklish Times," "The Original." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Col. de Bathe, John Doe, E. Evans, Hon. S. Ponsonby, Hon. F. Pon- 
 sonby, J. Loraine, Capt. Hartopp, Hon. R. Roe, Hon. S. Whitehead, 
 J. Noakes, Paul Grave, T. H. Knox, Oliver Twist, H. Percival, W. 
 Evans, Baron Munchausen, A. Mynn. 
 
 Miss Bulmer, Mrs. Leigh Murray, Miss Marston, Miss Engeham. 
 
 Epilogue written by Palgrave Simpson. 
 
 i860 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "A Bachelor of Arts," "You can't Marry your Grandmother," 
 
 "Shocking Events," "Charles XII.," "To oblige Benson," 
 
 " The Two Bonnycastles." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 These are the usual, and include — N. Kitts. 
 Miss Marston, Miss Leclercq, and Miss Haydon. 
 
304 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1861 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "Victims," "Who Speaks First," "Grimshaw, Bagshaw, Bradshaw," 
 " Going to the Bad," " Dearest Mamma." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 John Doe, J. Noakes, E. Evans, Oliver Twist, H. Percival, Paul Grave, 
 
 N. Kitts, T. Knox, Tom Taylor. 
 Miss Carlotta and Miss Rose Leclercq, Miss Murray, Miss Selby, Miss 
 
 Smith. 
 
 Epilogue written by J. Noakes. 
 
 1862 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Our Wife," " Tit for Tat," " Lend me Five Shillings," "A Scrap of Paper," 
 " The Sentinel," " Retained for the Defence." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Paul Grave, N. Kitts, Oliver Twist, Hon. R. Roe, W. Dalby, Chevalier 
 
 Esrom, H. Percival, A. Burley, E. Evans, Hon. S. Whitehead, T. 
 
 Knox, John Doe. 
 Miss Carlotta and Miss Rose Leclercq, Miss Murray, Miss Raynham. 
 
 1863 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "Taming the Truant," "Tom Noddy's Secret," "The Goose 
 
 with the Golden Eggs," " Ticket-of- Leave Man," 
 
 " Samuel in Search of Himself" 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 The characters were played by the usual performers, with the exception 
 
 of Hon. S. Whitehead and Richard Roe, who were absent. 
 The ladies engaged were Miss Murray, Miss L. Foote, Miss Kate Terry, 
 Miss Ellen Terry, Mrs. Selby. 
 
 Epilogue written by Tom Taylor. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 305 
 
 1864 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Payable on Demand," "Advice Gratis," "A Regular Fix," 
 
 " Money," " The Illustrious Stranger." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 J. Noakes, H. Hardinge, O. Twist, J. Doe, H. Percival, T. Knox, Hon. 
 
 S. Whitehead, N. Kitts, Hon. R. Roe, E. Evans, Lincoln Lane, C. 
 
 Wiggs, Mons. le de Schrymper, Sir Roger de Coverley, Methuselah 
 
 Smith. 
 Mrs. Leigh Murray, Miss Murray, Miss Kate Terry, Miss Gertrude 
 
 Melvin. 
 
 Epilogue, entitled " Intervention," written by Tom Taylor. 
 
 1865 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Attic Story," "A Dream of the Future," "The Loan of a Lover," 
 
 " The Prisoner of War," " Your Life's in Danger," " To Paris 
 
 and Back for Five Pounds." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 W. Dalby, T. Knox, O. Twist, K. Peachie, R. Burley, H. Percival, John 
 
 Doe, Hon. Richard Roe, E. Evans, C. Rind, Mons. le de Schrymper, 
 
 Hon. S. Whitehead. 
 Miss L. Thorne, Miss Cottrell, Miss Ada Dyas, Mrs. Leigh Murray. 
 
 Epilogue written by W. Dalby, entitled " The General Election." 
 
 1866 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "Orange Blossoms," " Nine Points of the Law," " Deaf as a Post," 
 
 " Still Waters Run Deep," " Why did you Die ? " 
 
 " Urgent Private Affairs." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 W. Dalby, K. Peachie, O. Twist, Hon. Richard Roe, Mons. de le 
 Schrymper, E. Evans, H. Percival, T. Knox, Hon. S. Whitehead, 
 John Doe, Chevalier Esrom, Mein Herr van Dunk. 
 Miss Hastings, Miss Farrer, Miss Palmer, Miss Dyas, and Mrs. St. 
 Henry. 
 
 U 
 
3o6 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1867 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "A Charming Woman," "The Cricket Ball," "Whitebait at Greenwich," 
 
 " My Wife's Second Floor," " Out of Sight," " A Phenomenon 
 
 in a Smock Frock." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 W. Dalby, C. Waggs, John Doe, Oliver Twist, E. Evans, de Schrymper, 
 J. Knox, Hon. R. Roe, Hon. S. Whitehead, H. Percival, Vade 
 Mecum, Head Centreson. 
 
 Mrs. Leigh Murray, Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Miss Duvernay, Miss 
 Susan Galton. 
 
 Epilogue written by W. Dalby, " Our Illustrious Visitor." 
 
 1868 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Meg's Diversion," " Married Life," "A Skilful Practitioner," 
 " The Bold Recruit," " Kill or Cure." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 W. Dalby, Hon. S. Whitehead, John Doe, A. Montagu, J. Knox, H. 
 Percival, M. Jacques, E. Evans, Oliver Twist, Brahma Pootra, A. 
 Sharp, W. Evans. 
 Miss Carlotta Addison, Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Miss Norman, Miss 
 Fanny Holland, and Mrs. Stephens. 
 Epilogue, entitled " Canterbury Races," written by W. Dalby. 
 
 1869 
 
 PLAYS 
 " Hearts are Trumps," " On and Off," " The Flying Column," 
 " A Bachelor of Arts," " Ticklish Times," " Box and Cox ; or, The Long- 
 lost Brothers." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 These were the usual, and included Hon. S. Whitehead (playing Mr. 
 Cox), Mr. Oliver Twist (playing Mr. Box), Mr. Percival (playing 
 Sergt. Bouncer). 
 
 Epilogue written by W. Dalby. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 307 
 
 1870 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " London Assurance," " A Regular Fix," " A Husband to Order," 
 " A Blighted Being," " Cox and Box." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Hon. R. Roe, W. Dalby, C. Waggs, O. Twist, H. Percival, E. Evans, 
 T. Knox, A. Smith, Chevalier Esrom, J. Jacques, J. Doe, Hon. 
 S. Whitehead, Mons. le de Schrymper. 
 Miss Fanny Addison, Miss Constant Brabant, Miss Marion. 
 
 Epilogue, entitled " Eastward Ho ! " written by W. Dalby. 
 
 1871 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Naval Engagements," " Cool as a Cucumber," " A Thumping Legacy," 
 
 " The Rivals," " Going to the Derby." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Lincoln Lane, Augustus Montagu, T. Knox, E. Evans,' Chepstow Villars, 
 Matthew Williams, H. Percival, Hon. R. Roe, Oliver Twist, Hall 
 Wright, Sir Daffydown Dilly. 
 Mrs. Leigh Murray, Miss Fanny Brough, Miss Fanny Addison, Miss 
 Carlotta Addison. 
 Epilogue written by W. Dalby, entitled ''' Competitive Examination." 
 
 1872 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Housekeeper," "Anything for a Change," " My Precious Betsy," 
 " Duchess of Nothing," " Pleasant Dreams," " Box and Cox." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Lincoln Lane, Horty Cultor, Augustus Montagu, Oliver Twist, E. Evans, 
 
 Sir Roger de Coverley, Sir Frederick Doe, Mein Herr van Dunk, 
 
 T. Knox, J. Jacques, Chevalier Esrom, Hon. S. Whitehead, H. 
 
 Percival, John Doe, Hon. R. Roe, Colley Wobbles. 
 Miss Fanny Addison, Miss Fanny Brough, Miss Maud Haydon, Mrs. 
 
 Stephens, the Smith Family. 
 
 Epilogue, entitled " Autumn Manoeuvres," written by W. Dalby. 
 
3o8 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1873 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " New Men and Old Acres," " Retained for the Defence," 
 " The Rent Day," " Out of Sight." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Hon. R. Roe, H. Percival, Sir Frederick Doe, J. Doe, Hon. S. White- 
 head, Lincoln Lane, Horty Cultor, Colley Wobbles, Augustus 
 Montagu, Oliver Twist, J. Jacques, T. Knox, E. Evans, Chevalier 
 Esrom, Ripston Pippin, Signer Benfiglio, A. Cecil. 
 
 Miss Fanny Brough, Miss Carlotta Addison, Miss Sherrington, Miss 
 Lavis, Miss Marlborough. 
 
 Epilogue written by J. Noakes and J. D. Norton. 
 
 1874 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " War to the Knife," " Tears," " Dearest Mamma," " Little Toddlekins," 
 " The Bengal Tiger," " The Two Bonnycastles." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 These are the usual, with the addition of Mr. Black Smith and Mr. Brown 
 Smith. 
 
 1875 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Tit for Tat," " Lend me Five ShiUings," " The Mummy," 
 
 " Handsome is who Handsome Does," " Advice 
 
 Gratis," " To Paris and Back for ^50." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Hon. S. Whitehead, Oliver Twist, A. Montagu, E. Evans, Sir F. Doe, 
 
 W. Evans, W. Courtley, Chepstow A^illars, Chevalier Esrom, Jacques, 
 
 Hon. R. Roe. 
 Miss Carlotta Addison, Miss M. Cooper, Miss A. Wilton, Mrs. Leigh 
 
 Murray. 
 
 An Epilogue entitled "Change of Weather," written by Horty Cultor. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 309 
 
 1876 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Camilla's Husband," " Tom Noddy's Secret," " A Regular Fix," " You 
 can't Marry your Grandmother," " A Family Failing," " Cox and Box." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 These were the usual, and, in addition, Mr. Courtley, Mr. Heigh Hoe, 
 
 Signor Benfiglio. 
 
 Epilogue, " Minus a Manager," written by Horty Cultor. 
 
 1877 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Who Speaks First," " Meg's Diversion," " Your Life's in Danger," 
 " She Stoops to Conquer," " Tears." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 These are the usual, and include C. Waggs and Sir Deadly Lively. 
 
 Epilogue entitled "The South-Eastern Question," written by Horty 
 
 Cultor and W. Courtley. 
 
 1878 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Goose with the Golden Eggs," "A Husband to Order," 
 
 " Whitebait at Greenwich," " The Bachelor of Arts," 
 
 "The Original, "A Party of Pleasure." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 W. Courtley, Haigh Hoe, W. Evans, T. Knox, Lowther R. Cade, 
 Augustus Montagu, F. Doe, O. Twist, H. Percival, Hon. S. White- 
 head, C. C. Sawe, &c. 
 Mrs. Leigh Murray, Miss Compton, Miss Carlotta Addison, Miss 
 Chippendale. 
 
 Epilogue 1 entitled "Tempus Fugit ; or, Harlequin and Eighteen 
 Seventy-Eight." 
 
 1 This Epilogue was a reproduction of the Amateur Pantomime Harlequinade 
 with Spalding as Harlequin, Miss Carlotta Addison as Columbine, W. Wye {i.e. 
 W. Courtley or W. Yardley) as Clown, T. Knox Holmes as Pantaloon, &c. It 
 proved an enormous success. 
 
310 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1879 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Prison of War," "The Wedding March," "A Rough Diamond," 
 " Monsieur Poirier." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Hon. R. Roe, Lincoln Lane, Frederick Doe, Oliver Twist, Augustus 
 Montague, Signor Benfiglio, Sir Lowther R. Cade, W. Evans, 
 Chevalier Esrom, E. Evans, T. Knox, Mons. le Brun, C. E. Lawe. 
 
 Miss Carlotta Addison, Miss Nellie Phillips, Miss Jessie Ryder. 
 
 Epilogue entitled " Weather or No," written by W. Courtley. 
 
 1880 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Our Bitterest Foe," " A Scrap of Paper," " To Oblige Benson," 
 " Lend me Five Shillings," " New Men and Old Acres." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 W. Courtley, Horty Cultor, A. Montagu, H. Percival, O. Twist, F. Doe, 
 
 H. Hoe, T. Knox, E. Evans, L. R. Cade, Cloud Hopper. 
 Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Miss Measor, Miss Ella Dietz, JMrs. Leigh 
 
 Murray, and Mrs. Bernard Beere. 
 
 Epilogue, entitled " Manager Redivivus ; or. Dr. Doe's Elixir," written by 
 Mr. Horty Cultor and Mr. W. Courtley. 
 
 1881 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Hester's Mystery," " Tit for Tat," " A Thumping Legacy," 
 
 " The Charming Woman," " Out of Sight." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Sir F. Doe (Bart.), Clod Hopper, C. C. Sawe, W. Courtley, Oliver Twist, 
 Augustus Montagu, E. Evans, A. Cokeupon, John Doe, T. Knox, 
 H. Percival, Signor Benfiglio, Don das Jardineros, Col. Naghi, 
 F. Godfrey. 
 
 Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Miss Carlotta Addison, Miss Measor. 
 
 Epilogue, "The Comet Here," written by Mr. W. Yardley. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 311 
 
 1882 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Friends or Foes," " Time will Tell," " If I had ^looo a Year." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 W. Courtley, A. Montagu, O. Twist, Capitano Guicini, L. Eyot, E. Evans, 
 
 T. Knox, C. Hopper, F. Doe, R. Roe, J. Doe. 
 Miss Florence Gerard, Miss E. Evelyn, Miss Rose Norreys, and Mrs. 
 
 Leigh Murray. 
 
 Epilogue, entitled " Time Tells," written by W. Courtley. 
 
 1883 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " The Palace of Truth," " Cousin Zachary," " The Parvenu," 
 
 "To Oblige Benson." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 O. Twist, Horty Cuhor, Colonel Naghi, C. C. Sawe, F. Doe, Capitano 
 
 Gucini, Colley Wobbles, T. Knox, E. Evans. 
 Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Miss Louise Willes, Miss Mary Rorke, Miss 
 Adela Measor, and Miss Kate Rorke. 
 
 An Epilogue entitled "The Parcel Post," by Horty Cultor. 
 
 1884 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "The Guv'nor," "After Dinner," "Married in Haste," 
 " Pleasant Dreams." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Frederick Doe, Clod Hopper, II Capitano Gucini, Col. Naghi, Lowther 
 R. Cade, Hams Hall, Regglar Baddun, Herr Rea Storer, Herr 
 Scrobbs, Colley Wobbles, Simon Smith, Oliver Twist, Augustus 
 Montagu. 
 Miss Lucy Roche, Miss Fanny Addison, Miss Lily Fane, Mrs. 
 Copleston. 
 Epilogue, entitled " Sanitas Sanitatum," written by Mr. Horty Cultor. 
 
312 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1885 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "A Lesson in Love," "Betsy Baker," "The Ticket-of- Leave Man." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Clod Hopper, Col. Naghi, Augustus Montagu, II Capitano Gucini, Oliver 
 Twist, Lowther R. Cade, E. Mergency, Herr Scrobbs, Hams Hall, 
 Herr Rea Torrer, The MacUsquebaugh, C. C. Sawe, T. Doe. 
 
 Miss May Mellon, Miss Carlotta Addison, Mrs. Cecil Clay, Mrs. 
 Copleston. 
 
 Epilogue, entitled " Civil Amenities," written by Fr^re Sauvage, Esq. 
 
 1886 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " How Will they Get Out of It ?" " Poor Pillicody," " Cyril's Success." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 II Capitano Gucini, Augustus Montagu, M. le Baron de Boeuf, The 
 MacFingon, Oliver Twist, Herr Scrobbs, Clod Hopper, The Mac- 
 Usquebaugh, Lowther R. Cade, Motcomb St. Gomm. 
 
 Miss Carlotta Addison, Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Miss Lucy Roche, Miss 
 Chester, the Smith Family. 
 
 Epilogue, entitled " Colindia," by Frfere Sauvage. 
 
 1887 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " The Glass of Fashion," " A Regular Fix," " My Friend Jarlet," 
 " Daisy Farm." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Lowther R. Cade, Clod Hopper, II Capitano Gucini, The MacFingon, 
 
 Col. Naghi, The MacUsquebaugh, Motcomb St. Gomm, Herr 
 
 Scrobbs, Oliver Twist, Augustus Montague, M. le Baron de Bceuf, 
 
 M. Gobelins de Windsor. 
 Miss Carlotta Addison, Mrs. Frank Copleston, Miss Adela Measor, Miss 
 
 Lucy Roche. 
 
 Epilogue, entitled " Buffalo Billicosus," written by F. Farquhar. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 313 
 
 1888 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Sent to the Tower," " Confusion," " The Area Belle," "Dearer than Life." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 M. le Baron de Boeuf, II Capitano Gucini, Signor Nuovo Gentiluomo, 
 Oliver Twist, Motcomb St. Gomm, Herr Scrobbs, The MacUsque- 
 baugh, M. Goblins de Windsor, The Great Scott. 
 
 Miss Lizzie Henderson, Miss Ada Houston, Miss Laura Linden, and The 
 Great Bald Eagle and the Smith Family. 
 
 Epilogue, " Confusion worse Confounded," written by Fredo Farkins. 
 
 1889 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Two Roses," " The Tiger," " Good-bye," " Betsy." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 John Doe, Oliver Twist, Augustus Montagu, Frederick Doe, Lowther 
 R. Cade, II Capitano Gucini, Motcomb St. Gomm, Mons. le Baron 
 de Boeuf, The MacUsquebaugh, Signor Nuovo Gentiluomo, The 
 MacFingon, Col. Naghi, Herr Scrobbs, The Great Bald Eagle. 
 
 Misses Laura and Marie Linden, Mrs. Frank Copleston, Miss Isabel 
 EUissen, Miss Ada Sala, and Miss Edith Chester. 
 
 Epilogue, " Eiffels and Trifles," by Fredo Farkins. 
 
 1890 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " My Milliner's Bill," " The Silver Shield," " At Last," 
 " The Money Spinner." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 John Doe, Oliver Twist, Frederick Doe, Chepstow Villars, Herr Scrobbs, 
 Col. Naghi, The MacFingon, The MacUsquebaugh, M. Lafite, 
 Dodson Fogg, The Great Bald Eagle. 
 Miss Annie Irish, Miss Ethel Norton, Mrs. George Canninge, and Miss 
 Laura Linden. 
 
 Epilogue, " Keep it Dark," written by Motcomb St. Gomm. 
 
314 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1891 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "In Honour Bound," " The Paper Chase," " A Thumping Legacy," 
 
 " Nine Points of the Law," " Cox and Box." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 The Hon. S. Whitehead, H. Percival, OHver Twist, Augustus Montagu, 
 II Capitano Gucini, Colonel Naghi, IMotcomb St. Gomm, Lincoln 
 Lane, Herr Scrobbs, Dodson Fogg, The MacUsquebaugh, Signor 
 Nuovo Gentiluomo, M. Lafite, Benjamin Banjo, The Great Bald 
 Eagle. 
 
 Misses Annie Irish, Mary Ansell, Adah Barton, Carlotta Addison (Mrs. 
 Latrobe). 
 
 This was the great jubilee year, the fiftieth anniversary of the original 
 foundation of the " Old Stagers." The attendance was, of course, in the 
 circumstances, unusually large, the list containing no fewer than thirty- 
 seven " Old Stagers," and as many as forty-three guests invited to make 
 themselves free of the " Old Stagers' " Rooms, the total number of eighty 
 being a record. 
 
 In this year the " Old Stagers " held their annual dinner and celebrated 
 their jubilee at the Cafe Royal, on Saturday, August ist, the Saturday 
 before the commencement of the Canterbury Week. This was necessi- 
 tated by the fact that on the Wednesday of the Canterbury Week the 
 " Old Stagers" were entertained by the Mayor of Canterbury. 
 
 There were present at this dinner Lord Bessborough, Sir Spencer 
 Ponsonby-Fane, General Marshall, General Sir Henry de Bathe, Thomas 
 Knox Holmes, J. O'Dowd, J. Lowther, E. Whitmore, C. Drummond, 
 A. F. M. Spalding, Q. Twiss, C. Eccles, C. Ponsonby, C. Colnaghi, E. 
 Ponsonby, Captain Gooch, W. Nicholson, G. Whymper, T. G. Cooper, 
 W. P. Mills, H. Curtis, Arthur Bourchier, N. Cooper, A. Mackinnon, 
 and W. Yardley. 
 
 The Epilogue, "A Jubilee Review," which had been entrusted to 
 the last-mentioned, achieved a record for Canterbury Epilogues, for it 
 was not only written and completed, but actually read after the dinner. 
 It also had the advantage of thorough rehearsal, and went as smoothly 
 as could possibly be. This year, in addition to the fact of its being the 
 jubilee, was marked by the sad circumstance of the death of the popular 
 manager of " O. S.," George Cavendish Bentinck. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 315 
 
 1892 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " The Duchess of Bayswater," "A Show of Hands," " Young Mrs. 
 Winthrop," " The Magistrate." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Messrs. Lafite, MacFingon, Benjamin Banjo, AHngton Barchester, 
 
 Dodson Fogg, Oliver Twist, H. Spence, B. Tyme, Hosier, Gucini, 
 
 Colonel Naghi. 
 Mesdames Carlotta Addison (Mrs. Latrobe), Ethel Norton, Laura Linden, 
 
 Leston. 
 
 The Epilogue, " A Contested Election," was written by Mark Tyme and 
 A. Doubleyou, with music by B. Tyme. 
 
 1893 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Barbara," " The Dancing Master," " On Bail," " The Hobby Horse." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Messrs. B. Banjo, Mac Usquebaugh, MacFingon, De Guernsey, Bar- 
 chester, Chancellor X. Checkers, Scrobbs, O. Twist, Dodson Fogg. 
 
 Mesdames Copleston, May Whitby, Marie Linden, Ethel Norton, 
 Laura Linden, Sarah Smith, and L. von Malachouska. 
 
 The Epilogue, "The Great Drought ; a Midsummer Dream of 93," 
 was written by W. Courtley. 
 
 1894 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " Sixes and Sevens," " Engaged," " Sweet Lavender," 
 " Cool as a Cucumber." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Messrs. Barchester, Kensington Gore, MacUsquebaugh, O. Twist, B. 
 
 Banjo, Colonel Naghi, De Nuneham, John Montague, Baron de Boeuf. 
 Mesdames Lizzie Henderson, Annie Webster, Carlotta Addison, Ethel 
 
 Norton, Rose Nesbitt, Irene Vanbrugh. 
 
 The Epilogue, " On Trial," was written by C. Colnaghi and 
 Lieut-Col. Newnham-Davis. 
 
3i6 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 1895 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " The Professor," " To Oblige Benson," " Liberty Hall." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 Messrs. Col. Naghi, Dodson Fogg, MacUsquebaugh, MacFingon, Bar- 
 
 chester, Oliver Twist, Lawrence Olde, De Nuneham, St. Claverton. 
 Mesdames Carlotta Addison, Lizzie Henderson, Aileen O'Brian, Dora 
 
 de Winton, Ethel Norton. 
 
 The Epilogue, " Change of Air," was written by N. and N. 
 (Naghi and Nuneham). 
 
 1896 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 " My Little Girl," " Hal the Highwayman," " The Passport," " Ours." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 The same as last year, with also Messrs. Acton Deed, Cyril Edgar, 
 
 Charles Berkley, H. Biddulph, and Bell Roper. 
 Mesdames Irene Vanbrugh, Lizzie Henderson, Lena Ashwell, Ethel 
 
 Norton, and Aileen O'Brian. 
 
 The Epilogue, " A Nightmare," by N. and N. 
 (Naghi and Nuneham). 
 
 1897 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "That Dreadful Doctor," "Dream Faces," "The Idler," 
 
 " A Pair of Spectacles." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 
 Messrs. Oliver Twist, The MacFingon, The MacUsquebaugh, Lawrence 
 Olde, D. Nuneham, K. Gore, Bell Roper, Acton Deed, Hall 
 Magniac, Roland Twist. 
 
 Mesdames Carlotta Addison, Irene Vanbrugh, Eveleen Mills, Victoria 
 Addison, Lilian Hingston, Mona K. Oram. 
 
 The Epilogue, " 1947," was written by W. Courtley and De Nuneham. 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 317 
 
 1898 
 
 PLAYS 
 
 "Shades of Night," " Jedbury Junior," " Liberty Hall." 
 
 PERFORMERS 
 jMessrs. Oliver Twist, The MacFingon, The MacUsquebaugh, De 
 
 Nuneham, K. Gore, Bell Roper, Acton Deed, Hall Magniac, Hazard 
 
 Straight, Alexander Jordan. 
 Mesdames Copleston, Sybil Carlisle, Mabel Beardsley, Lizzie Henderson, 
 
 Winifred Fraser. 
 
 The Epilogue, " The Canterbury Ring," a parody on " The Nibelungen 
 Ring," was written by W. Courtley. 
 
3i8 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 EPILOGUE 
 
 In due accordance with the original custom of the " Old 
 Stagers," in which days they had " An Apologist," whose 
 duty it was to make polite excuses to the audience 
 upon any pretext, I commenced this article with " An 
 Apologia." It is quite in the fitness of things, then, that 
 I should conclude it with an " Epilogue," for the Epilogue 
 is a firmly-rooted although early established custom at 
 Canterbury. 
 
 My present Epilogue will consist of a few words on 
 one or two matters which appear to me to call for special 
 comment on my part, in some cases from the point of 
 view of general interest, and in others more on personal 
 grounds. 
 
 I consider, for instance, that a special tribute of 
 recognition is due to Miss Carlotta Addison (Mrs. La 
 Trobe), who has been for so many years identified so 
 intimately with the " Old Stagers " that she virtually, if not 
 indeed actually, has become part and parcel of the club. 
 
 " Sarah," by which soubriquet she is affectionately 
 known by " O. S.," appears to have made her first appear- 
 ance with them in the year 1861, when obviously 
 extremely young, since when, though occasionally absent 
 through force of circumstances, such as engagements of 
 a professional, matrimonial, or domestic nature, she has 
 continued to appear up to and inclusive of the present 
 year. I should imagine that she must have taken part 
 in a considerable majority of the performances given 
 
 by " O. S." in that number of years. This is a record 
 
 318 
 
CANTERBURY "OLD STAGERS" 319 
 
 which certainly calls for notice, however brief, in any 
 epitome of the deeds of " O. S." 
 
 A few words too are due to Mr. C. W. A. Trollope, 
 who for the past consecutive dozen years or thereabouts, 
 has most devotedly and adequately fulfilled the onerous, 
 and at times somewhat thankless, duties of stage manager 
 to the '' Old Stagers." I must also add a word of thanks 
 on my own account, to all who have assisted me in my 
 difficult task, and especially to my friends Quintin Twiss 
 and Augustus M. Spalding, in addition to what I have 
 already previously mentioned concerning Sir Spencer 
 Ponsonby-Fane in that direction. 
 
 With regard to the latter, it may be fairly said that he 
 has for many years past been the principal guiding spirit 
 of the " Old Stagers." It is a matter of exceptional and 
 extraordinary interest that he sang a verse of the National 
 Anthem on the night of the opening performance in 1842, 
 and did the same thing at the conclusion of the Epilogue 
 in the Jubilee year 1891 ! Goodness knows how many 
 times he has assisted in the same way in the intervening 
 years, but certainly remarkably often. He has also in- 
 variably suggested the themes and rough ideas of the 
 Epilogue of the past thirty years without a break. These 
 are but very few of the countless methods by which he 
 has so ably and materially assisted " O. S." to its present 
 unique position. His administrative qualities, supreme 
 tact, and unvarying geniality, have alike combined to 
 secure him the admiration and affection of the " Old 
 Stagers " individually and collectively. 
 
 My task — alas ! woefully incomplete — would be crimi- 
 nally so were I to quit it without a special reference to the 
 immortal trio who have done so much towards achiev- 
 ing the immortality of Morton, Burnand, and Sullivan's 
 
320 AMATEUR ACTING 
 
 triumviretta " Cox and Box." No other trio, amateur or 
 professional, has ever approached the Hon. Sir Spencer 
 Ponsonby-Fane, General Sir Henry P. de Bathe, and 
 Mr. Quintin Twiss, as Cox, Bouncer, and Box respec- 
 tively. Any words of mine in their favour are altogether 
 superfluous. 
 
 I have confined myself strictly to " O. S." perfor- 
 mances at Canterbury only. Those that have been given 
 elsewhere, especially in the earlier life of the club, are both 
 numerous and interesting, and indeed would form the 
 subject of a pleasant little brochure in themselves. They 
 will probably have to wait, however, until the bibliographer 
 shall arise with the patience and perseverance to compile 
 from its massive archives a tome worthy of the complete 
 subject of the "Old Stagers." This is certain to be an 
 accomplished fact one of these days, even if it be deferred 
 till the Jubilee of the centenary of the most celebrated 
 and longest lived Amateur Theatrical Club that has ever 
 existed. 
 
 THE END 
 
 Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson fr" Co. 
 Edinburgh <5r» London 
 
YD 30974