|
Title |
[Broadside for Broadway Theatre, New York, "Richelieu"] |
|
Date |
1853-03-10 |
|
Production |
Richelieu |
|
Character roles |
Edwin Forrest (Cardinal Richelieu); Barry (Louis the 13th); Sanford (Gaston Duke of Orleans); C. Pope (Baradas); Conway (The Chevalier de Mauprat); Florence (The Sieur Beringhen); Whiting (Joseph); Mathews (Huguet); Grosvenor (Francois); Lyster (Clermont); Henry (Governor of Bastile); Gourlay (1st Sec. of State); Barrett (2nd Sec. of State); McDouall (3rd Sec. of State); Vincent (Goaler); Wright (Captain of the Archers); Mme. Ponisi (Julia de Montemar); Miss Carman (Marion de Lorme) |
|
Artistic roles |
Edwin Forrest (Actor); Edward Lytton Bulwer (Playwright) |
|
Genre |
Romantic drama |
|
Places |
Philadelphia (P.A.) |
|
Item description |
Broadside for the Broadway Theatre in New York, advertising the play 'Richelieu' for Thursday evening, March 10th, 1853. Playing Cardinal Richelieu was Edwin Forrest (1806-1872). The broadside contains the cast lists of 'Richelieu' and the after-piece 'Who Speaks First?,' and states that Forrest will play in 'Pizarro' on Friday and 'Virginius' on Saturday. |
|
Object narrative |
Edwin Forrest (1806-1872) was the first internationally known and acclaimed American actor. Born to Scottish and German descendants, he made his stage debut in 1820. Touring at first as an actor in the West (Ohio and Kentucky), within six years he was performing in New York and building his reputation as the most powerful physical and vocal actor America had ever seen. He was popular for heroic and physical tragic roles such as Othello, King Lear, Virginius, and Metamora, and often brought audiences to their feet with his stormy, energetic, and frenetic portrayals. He reached his zenith in the late 1830s and 1840s as he toured to England and France, developing a professional rivalry with British actor William Macready, who played the same roles. Both men were known for jealousy and having virile tempers, however, and the feud became personal in the 1840s leading up to Forrest's second tour to England in 1845. Friends in the press and other supporters of both men criticized the other's performances in print, especially after Forrest publicly hissed Macready's performance of Hamlet in Edinburgh in February of that year, leading to public interest and charged opinions on both sides. Tensions eventually led to the Astor Place Riot in New York on May 10, 1849, in which Americans rioted in the streets during a Macready performance and the militia tragically fired into the crowds.
This broadside is from the Broadway Theatre in New York, and advertises Forrest in the role of Richelieu on Thursday evening, March 10th, 1853, four years after the Astor Place Riot. The play was written by Edward Lytton Bulwer in collaboration with Forrest's nemesis Macready in London, being first performed by Macready in 1839. Forrest quickly latched onto the role as well, and many other famous actors would also play the Cardinal over time, including Sir Henry Irving and Edwin Booth. In fact, Sir Henry Irving's first professional appearance was in Richelieu playing the Duke of Orleans in 1856. |
|
Type |
Text |
|
Original format |
Playbills/broadsides |
|
Original publisher |
[Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified] |
|
Language |
en |
|
Contributing institution |
Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, UNCG University Libraries |
|
Source collection |
MSS255 Robert C. Hansen Performing Arts Collection |
|
Series/grouping |
9.1: Posters -- Plays/Perfomances |
|
Box |
Oversize |
|
Finding aid link |
http://library.uncg.edu/info/depts/scua/collections/manuscripts/ead/mss255.xml |
|
Preferred citation |
[Identification of item], Robert C. Hansen Performing Arts Collection, 1753-2006 (MSS255), Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives and Manuscripts, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA. |
|
Rights statement |
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/ |
|
Additional rights information |
NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES. This item has been determined to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. The user is responsible for determing actual copyright status for any reuse of the material. |
|
Object ID |
MSS255.O.019 |
|
Digital publisher |
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5304 |
|
OCLC number |
872280952 |
