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Macready, William Charles
Macready, William Charles (1793–1873), English actor, one of the finest tragedians of his day. The son of a provincial actor-manager, he was forced by his father's financial difficulties to cut short his schooldays at Rugby and find work in a touring company. In 1810 he was playing Romeo in Birmingham and in 1811 Hamlet in Newcastle. In 1816 he joined the company at Covent Garden and by 1819 was firmly established both there and at Drury Lane as the only rival of the great Edmund Kean. He was much admired in new plays but it was his Hamlet, Lear, Macbeth, and, later, Othello that were universally acclaimed. In 1826 he visited America, making his first appearance at the Park Theatre in New York, and in 1828 he played Macbeth in Paris, returning later the same year to play Hamlet and Othello. In 1838 he appeared at Covent Garden with Helen Faucit in Bulwer-Lytton's The Lady of Lyons. Their fine acting did much to ensure the success of the play, which was frequently revived. Another new play which owed its appearance to Macready's encouragement and initiative was Lord Byron's The Two Foscari (1838), and he also scored a personal triumph in Bulwer-Lytton's Richelieu (1839).
In the late 1830s Macready, who had an ungovernable temper, became the implacable rival of the American actor Edwin Forrest, their mutual animosity leading eventually to the Astor Place riot in New York in 1849, when several people were killed. Macready never acted in America again. He made his last appearance on the stage at Drury Lane in 1851 as Macbeth. Although he never wavered in his dislike of the profession into which he had been forced, he was scrupulous in performing his theatrical duties both as actor and as manager at both Patent Theatres, insisting on full rehearsals, particularly for supers and crowd scenes. |
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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Macready, William Charles." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Macready, William Charles." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-MacreadyWilliamCharles.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Macready, William Charles." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-MacreadyWilliamCharles.html |
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Macready, William Charles
Macready, William Charles (1793–1873), actor and director. A great, if controversial, English tragedian, he was lauded for his forceful, albeit somewhat formal acting, and despised for his arrogance and explosive temper. His American debut came at the Park Theatre in 1826 in one of his greatest roles, Virginius, and prompted the Mirror to remark, “It is said there is no actor living who unites as much power and original genius with correct taste and cultivated talents as Macready. . . .His person is tall and commanding—his carriage noble—his face, though not technically a first rate stage face, is wonderfully expressive, and his voice peculiarly fine, deep and mellow.” He followed his Roman with his Damon, William Tell, Macbeth, and Coriolanus, adding Othello, King Lear, and Richelieu to his American repertory when he returned in 1843. From the start, elements of the press had attacked him personally, and his open contempt for American actors exacerbated matters. These problems came to a head on his third trip in 1848 when his rivalry with Edwin Forrest, as much a national and class rivalry as a personal one, exploded in May 1849 with the Astor Place Riots. Immediately thereafter he sailed for England, never to return. Mrs. John Drew, who acted with him, recalled, “Macready was a dreadful man to act with. . .[he was] a terribly nervous actor; any little thing which happened unexpectedly irritated him beyond endurance.” Biography: The Eminent Tragedian: William Charles Macready, Alan S. Downer, 1966.
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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Macready, William Charles." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Macready, William Charles." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-MacreadyWilliamCharles.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Macready, William Charles." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-MacreadyWilliamCharles.html |
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William Charles Macready
William Charles Macready , 1793-1873, English actor and manager. The son of a provincial manager, he first appeared as Romeo in his father's company in 1810. His London debut (1816) was as Orestes in The Distressed Mother. With his portrayal of Richard III at Covent Garden in 1819, Macready established himself as a tragedian of the first rank and the only rival to Edmund Kean. Although he was at his best in the plays of his own day, his Lear, Hamlet, and Macbeth were noteworthy. He was manager of Covent Garden (1837-39) and of Drury Lane (1841-43). In 1849, on his last visit to the United States, the Astor Place riot occurred, in which several people were killed, brought on by his fierce rivalry with Edwin Forrest . He retired in 1851. Macready sought to uphold the standards of fine drama in a period of decline, and he pointed the way toward the drawing-room realism of the 19th cent.
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"William Charles Macready." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "William Charles Macready." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Macready.html "William Charles Macready." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Macready.html |
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Macready, William
Macready, William (1793–1873). Actor. Macready had a long and successful career in the age of Mrs Siddons and Kean. The son of an Irish actor settled in London, he took up the stage when his father's ventures collapsed, appearing at Birmingham in 1810 as Romeo. He first appeared on the London stage at Covent Garden in 1816, but not until his Richard III in 1819 was his popularity firmly established. He transferred to Drury Lane in 1833 and went into management in 1837. A boisterous American tour in 1849/50 led to serious rioting, and he retired in 1851. Scholarly in his approach to his parts and with considerable versatility, Macready was also difficult, moody, and, at times, violent. His own favourite role was Macbeth.
J. A. Cannon |
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JOHN CANNON. "Macready, William." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Macready, William." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-MacreadyWilliam.html JOHN CANNON. "Macready, William." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-MacreadyWilliam.html |
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Macready, William
Macready, William (1793–1873). Actor. Macready had a long and successful career in the age of Mrs Siddons and Kean. The son of an Irish actor settled in London, he took up the stage when his father's ventures collapsed, appearing at Birmingham in 1810 as Romeo. He first appeared on the London stage at Covent Garden in 1816, but not until his Richard III in 1819 was his popularity firmly established.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Macready, William." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Macready, William." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-MacreadyWilliam.html JOHN CANNON. "Macready, William." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-MacreadyWilliam.html |
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Macready, William Charles
Macready, William Charles (1793–1873), a great tragic actor, was, by 1819, an established rival of Kean. He was manager of Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres at various times, where he made many reforms in both acting and the texts. In 1837 he appeared in Strafford, which Browning had written for him.
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Macready, William Charles." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Macready, William Charles." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-MacreadyWilliamCharles.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Macready, William Charles." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-MacreadyWilliamCharles.html |
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