Henry IV, Part One - Playbill, 1865
Title
Henry IV, Part One - Playbill, 1865
Date
13 December 1865
Description
Playbill for Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, followed by a performance of Perfection, or The Lady of Munster.
What's the story?
The Theatre Royal had been opened for approximately seven weeks when this performance was produced in November 1865.
The show is presented ‘For the Benefit of Mr Vollaire’ who is one of the members of the cast playing Falstaff.
Also in the cast is Walter Montgomery, the Theatre Royal’s actor/manager, who though not stated would presumably have directed this show as well.
The other cast member of note is 17-year-old Madge Robertson playing Lady Percy, who was to become an extremely eminent actor in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Born in Yorkshire, Madge Robertson was a precocious talent, having her first speaking role in a play at the age of 6. In 1868 she joined the acting company of J. B. Buckstone on tour and then at the Haymarket in London. She married William Hunter Grimston, an actor in the company who appeared under the name W. H. Kendal, on 7 August 1869, and adopted his stage name.
Madge Kendal’s career flourished both in the UK and the US and she was appointed a Dame in 1926. She died in 1935 aged 87.
Dame Madge Kendal is also famous for her interest and support she showed towards Joseph Merrick – ‘The Elephant Man’ – during the 1880s.
In both the film and play of The Elephant Man, Madge Kendal is shown regularly meeting Merrick, but it is likely that she never met him in person. She certainly helped to raise funds and public sympathy for Merrick. She also sent him photographs of herself and employed a basket weaver to go to his rooms at the hospital and teach him the craft, as well as arranging for him to see a Christmas Pantomime.
Returning to the beginning of her career as Madge Robertson. She was the very first person to speak on the Theatre Royal stage.
On the opening night of the Theatre Royal on 25 September 1865, just prior to the performance of The School for Scandal, Robertson stepped out on to the stage and delivered a long prologue to the audience.
At the end, clearly referring to John and Willian Lambert, the two wealthy benefactors who were responsible for building this grand new theatre for Nottingham, she proclaimed …
“Tis now your task - let tender nature guide,
Your sweet applause will every fear decide;
Then will this noble temple stand complete,
And those who bade it live, with thanks we greet.”
This playbill is also of note for it announces the closure of the Theatre Royal “for a Few Days, in order to prepare the Superb CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME, which will be presented at a Cost of £2,000”
This was of course The House That Jack Built, the Theatre Royal’s first Pantomime. £2,000 equates to £175,000 in 2018.
The playbill also has a special notice relating to the forthcoming Pantomime:
“ONE HUNDRED CHILDREN will be required for one of the Great Scenes in the Pantomime. None but respectable Persons need apply”
These children were required for the transformation scene during the Pantomime, where, dressed as elves, they magically ‘build’ Jack’s house.
The show is presented ‘For the Benefit of Mr Vollaire’ who is one of the members of the cast playing Falstaff.
Also in the cast is Walter Montgomery, the Theatre Royal’s actor/manager, who though not stated would presumably have directed this show as well.
The other cast member of note is 17-year-old Madge Robertson playing Lady Percy, who was to become an extremely eminent actor in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Born in Yorkshire, Madge Robertson was a precocious talent, having her first speaking role in a play at the age of 6. In 1868 she joined the acting company of J. B. Buckstone on tour and then at the Haymarket in London. She married William Hunter Grimston, an actor in the company who appeared under the name W. H. Kendal, on 7 August 1869, and adopted his stage name.
Madge Kendal’s career flourished both in the UK and the US and she was appointed a Dame in 1926. She died in 1935 aged 87.
Dame Madge Kendal is also famous for her interest and support she showed towards Joseph Merrick – ‘The Elephant Man’ – during the 1880s.
In both the film and play of The Elephant Man, Madge Kendal is shown regularly meeting Merrick, but it is likely that she never met him in person. She certainly helped to raise funds and public sympathy for Merrick. She also sent him photographs of herself and employed a basket weaver to go to his rooms at the hospital and teach him the craft, as well as arranging for him to see a Christmas Pantomime.
Returning to the beginning of her career as Madge Robertson. She was the very first person to speak on the Theatre Royal stage.
On the opening night of the Theatre Royal on 25 September 1865, just prior to the performance of The School for Scandal, Robertson stepped out on to the stage and delivered a long prologue to the audience.
At the end, clearly referring to John and Willian Lambert, the two wealthy benefactors who were responsible for building this grand new theatre for Nottingham, she proclaimed …
“Tis now your task - let tender nature guide,
Your sweet applause will every fear decide;
Then will this noble temple stand complete,
And those who bade it live, with thanks we greet.”
This playbill is also of note for it announces the closure of the Theatre Royal “for a Few Days, in order to prepare the Superb CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME, which will be presented at a Cost of £2,000”
This was of course The House That Jack Built, the Theatre Royal’s first Pantomime. £2,000 equates to £175,000 in 2018.
The playbill also has a special notice relating to the forthcoming Pantomime:
“ONE HUNDRED CHILDREN will be required for one of the Great Scenes in the Pantomime. None but respectable Persons need apply”
These children were required for the transformation scene during the Pantomime, where, dressed as elves, they magically ‘build’ Jack’s house.
Type
Playbill
Location of item
Nottingham Local Studies Library
Rights
Nottingham Local Studies Library
Contributor
researcher: David Longford
