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Melmoth, Mrs. (Charlotte)

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Melmoth, Mrs. [Charlotte] (1749–1823), actress. The “grande dame” of tragedy on the early American stage, her maiden surname is unknown. She was said to be the daughter of an English farmer and to have run away from school to marry an English actor, Samuel Jackson Pratt, who used the stage name Courtney Melmoth. They quickly separated, but she retained his name professionally. After performing for many years in England and Ireland, she came to America in 1793, making her acting debut as Euphrasia in The Grecian Daughter. Although Melmoth was past her prime and growing exceedingly corpulent, she won applause for her characterization of the heroines in contemporary drama and for such classic figures as Lady Macbeth, Constance, and Mrs. Malaprop. Her fiery temper caused occasional problems, so she retired many years before her death to run a seminary for girls and a dairy farm.

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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Melmoth, Mrs. (Charlotte)." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Melmoth, Mrs. (Charlotte)." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-MelmothMrsCharlotte.html

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Melmoth, Mrs. (Charlotte)." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-MelmothMrsCharlotte.html

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