Now! Then! The actor John Kemble asks a society girl to be quiet during a death scene at York and is hounded by the North Riding Militia

15 April 1779: The actor John Kemble asks a society girl to be quiet during a death scene at York and is hounded by the North Riding Militia

Detail from William Beechey’s 1798/9 portrait of John Kemble (Beechey 1798).

Tate Wilkinson. 1795. The wandering patentee, or, a history of the Yorkshire theatres, from 1770 to the present time, Vol. 1 and 2. York: Wilson, Spence, and Mawman for the author. Charming rambles. Get it:

Excerpt

This was treatment “horrible most horrible” [Hamlet] for a lady who prided herself on family more than fortune, (and whose spirits at certain times were under the control of the moon [i.e. she was moonstruck, lunatic].) She summonsed most of the officers, gentlemen of the North Riding Militia, who were assembled at York, and unluckily, I may almost say, in the theatre, for they obeyed the lady’s commands in a body, and came to my house, which adjoins the theatre, and with one voice commanded Mr Kemble into their presence. I said it was an unfortunate accident to the audience and the performers; I had not any doubt but Mr Kemble would immediately appear before them, but at the same time begged leave to hint, that Mr Kemble had the education and the principles of a gentleman implanted on his mind, and therefore wished, if they looked on Mr Kemble as a good actor and an acquisition to the public, and me as the manager, to consider, that if they offered lordly language or authority to him, he would not submit to any ungentlemanlike degradation, and we should only suffer a mutual loss. They urged an affront to a lady from a performer, so insultingly given, demanded reparation. I waited on my friend, Mr Kemble, prepared him for the purpose, and left him to be directed by a judgment much superior to my own. When he entered my dining-room, the officers seemed peremptory and warm; Mr Kemble was cool, deliberate, determined, and not to be alarmed by threats or numbers; after much altercation, it was concluded, that instantly an explanation should be given, to reconcile the matter to them as the defenders of the lady and the audience. The officers returned to their former stations in the theatre, and at the end of the overture they called on Mr Kemble. The audience in the interim had laid their nobs together, and concluded, on mature deliberation, that matters were carrying, that greatly intruded on their rights, that Miss S*******e was a constant disturber, and the officers wanted to degrade Mr Kemble, for only having acted with the spirit of a man, and they did for once allow that an actor might feel when insulted on the stage, at least equal to those off – “And the spurns that patient merit… [Hamlet]” struck their ideas forcibly. Therefore, when Mr Kemble appeared, the pit and galleries cried out, “No apology! no apology!” The boxes insisted on Mr Kemble’s being heard, which at last was unanimously agreed to; and he stated with great calmness and precision the state of an actor so disagreeably circumstanced, and was proceeding with great justness, propriety, and elegance, in an extempore and honourable defence of the stage, which making against the opinion of the boxes, they cried out, “We want none of your conversation or jabbering here, it is very impudent and impertinent; talk no more, Sir, but instantly ask pardon.” Mr Kemble, with face erect, voice distinct, pride manifestly hurt, and with expression equal to his best line in Coriolanus, full of disdain, firmly said “PARDON! – No, Sirs! – Never,” and left the stage with bursts of approbation from the audience. The heroes were left planet-struck, but no one more or half so much disappointed as the queen of the quarrel; for Miss S*******e expecting, with great exultation, pardon from the insolent actor, turned pale and sick, and enraged left the theatre. The boxes found it a vain struggle to call for Mr Kemble again that night to make reparation; and they left the field of battle, not as conquerors, but as the vanquished party, breathing revenge.

Order the book

Subscribe to the free daily email

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.
Abbreviations:

ER: East Riding
GM: Greater Manchester
NR: North Riding
NY: North Yorkshire
SY: South Yorkshire
WR: West Riding
WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

Various. The author muddles his dates – Thursday was the 15th, not the 13th. The regiment was responsible for the Hexham Massacre 18 years before. Wilkinson consistently gives seven asterisks in the lady’s surname – S*******e – and it must be possible do discover her identity. Kemble shows great character and courage in the face of what might have become a duel or a beating. Inconceivable today? Think of Boris Johnson and Darius Guppy. I suspect the similar tale told by the actor and singer Michael Kelly to be a charming plagiarism (Kelly 1826).

Something to say? Get in touch

Original

Mr. Murphy’s Zenobia was appointed for Thursday, April 15; purposely for the introducing a Mrs. Mason in that character, who, full of self-fame, came post from the north of Ireland to slay our tragic princesses in Yorkshire, by dint of a superior force of arms, charms, &c. She was certainly destitute of voice, variety, and powers; yet strange to relate as a fact, I have heard this expressive-inexpressive, all-alike-dull-featured-cracked-voiced heroine has been preferred at Halifax to many of established merit. However, be that as it may, the lady was not so fortunate at York; and the boxes will often smile, when the actors groan in reality.

On that fatal night, a lady of family, well known at that time, was present; her name was S*******e, possessed of strong sense, and with that a most poignant turn of satire, and never curbed her laugh when she chose to be in the comic vein, whether it was tragedy or comedy. Two circumstances occurred to make this night unfortunate : Miss S*******e possessed the stage-box, and had her beaux to talk and laugh with; she unluckily took a sudden antipathy to the new tragedy-heroine, and never failed on her appearance to shew her great disapprobation, by the strongest marks of contempt and ridicule. From some unaccountable partiality, she had also adopted an opinion greatly to the prejudice of Mr. Kemble, who acted Teribazus; so that in the last act when Mr. Kemble and the lady were fully employed in the agonizing scenes of death, Miss S*******e, to satisfy her satirical vein, gave such way to her impetuosity of temper and spirits, that she really, as Lady Townly [in The Provoked Husband] says, “talked (and laughed) louder than the players.” The new actress not having made any favourable impressions, so as to gain the hearts of the audience, was left destitute of all support, and certainly appeared to every disadvantage, by receiving such apparent and discouraging treatment, as might have damped the courage of Mademoiselle Cordé [Charlotte Corday]. Mr. Kemble being not a little nettled at Miss S*******e’s pointed rudeness, (which certainly did not reflect honour or credit either to her family or herself) in the last scene conveyed looks of disdain (of which he was and is capable) to the lady, which looks were as scornfully returned with reiterated bursts of laughter. On the repeated repetition of such injurious and indelicate behaviour, Mr. Kemble made a full and long stop, and when at last called on by the audience to “Go on! go on!” — he with great gravity, and a pointed bow to the stage-box, said he was ready to proceed with the play as soon as that lady had finished her conversation, which he perceived the going on with the Tragedy only interrupted. This called up the roses into cheeks not the most remarkable for being feminine or delicate; and fury, indignation, and lightning flashed from her eyes. The audience were roused from their stupor, and in general hissed the lady in the stage-box, and several voices cried, “Out! out!”

This was treatment “horrible most horrible” [Hamlet] for a lady who prided herself on family more than fortune, (and whose spirits at certain times were under the control of the moon [i.e. moonstruck, lunatic].) She could not bear such an unexpected insult, either from the audience or the player. She summonsed most of the officers, gentlemen of the North-Riding Militia, who were assembled at York, and unluckily, I may almost say, in the theatre, for they obeyed the lady’s commands in a body, and came to my house, which adjoins the theatre, and with one voice commanded Mr. Kemble into their presence. I said it was an unfortunate accident to the audience and the performers; I had not any doubt but Mr. Kemble would immediately appear before them, but at the same time begged leave to hint, that Mr. Kemble had the education and the principles of a gentleman implanted on his mind, and therefore wished, if they looked on Mr. Kemble as a good actor and an acquisition to the public, and me as the manager, to consider, that if they offered lordly language or authority to him, he would not submit to any ungentlemanlike degradation, and we should only suffer a mutual loss. They urged an affront to a lady from a performer, so insultingly given, demanded reparation.

I waited on my friend, Mr. Kemble, prepared him for the purpose, and left him to be directed by a judgment much superior to my own. When he entered my dining-room, the officers seemed peremptory and warm; Mr. Kemble was cool, deliberate, determined, and not to be alarmed by threats or numbers; after much altercation, it was concluded, that instantly an explanation should be given, to reconcile the matter to them as the defenders of the lady and the audience. The officers returned to their former stations in the theatre, and at the end of the overture they called on Mr. Kemble. The audience in the interim had laid their nobs together, and concluded, on mature deliberation, that matters were carrying, that greatly intruded on their rights, that Miss S*******e was a constant disturber, and the officers wanted to degrade Mr. Kemble, for only having acted with the spirit of a man, and they did for once allow that an actor might feel when insulted on the stage, at least equal to those off –

And the spurns that patient merit… [Hamlet]

struck their ideas forcibly. Therefore, when Mr. Kemble appeared, the pit and galleries cried out, “No apology! no apology!” The boxes insisted on Mr. Kemble’s being heard, which at last was unanimously agreed to; and he stated with great calmness and precision the state of an actor so disagreeably circumstanced, and was proceeding with great justness, propriety, and elegance, in an extempore and honourable defence of the stage, which making against the opinion of the boxes, they cried out, “We want none of your conversation or jabbering here, it is very impudent and impertinent; talk no more Sir, but instantly ask pardon.” Mr. Kemble, with face erect, voice distinct, pride manifestly hurt, and with expression equal to his best line in Coriolanus, full of disdain, firmly said “PARDON! – No, Sirs! – Never,” and left the stage with bursts of approbation from the audience: The heroes were left planet-struck, but no one more or half so much disappointed as the queen of the quarrel; for Miss S*******e expecting with great exultation, pardon from the insolent actor, turned pale and sick – and enraged left the theatre. The boxes found it a vain struggle to call for Mr. Kemble again that night to make reparation; and they left the field of battle, not as conquerors, but as the vanquished party, breathing revenge…

Perhaps the reader will conjecture, that cool reflection, and not any play from Thursday the [15th] till the Saturday following, would have produced salutary effects. But as the Player King observes,

we often see, against some storm,
A silence in the heavens, the rack stand still. [Hamlet]

So though all seemed calm in the interim, yet a violent storm arose on the Saturday. The audience in general, and Kemble’s friends judged, that those who are deemed the quality were too overbearing, and, per contra, the other party could not suffer the idea of an actor not being subservient in every respect. An opinion in general predominant out of London, unless with those who take the trouble to really think and judge of men, and weigh circumstances with an impartial hand.

The play was Percy [and] Kemble acted Douglas. A party in the boxes, not expecting opposition, and assured and determined to carry the point and chastise the insolent actor, on his appearance cried out, “Pardon, pardon!” But John Bull had made good several determined friends of the public, and all Kemble’s acquaintances were scattered in every part of the theatre, the boxes not by any means without his partisans; the result was, that the attack of pardon and humiliation that was instantly expected from Kemble, was entirely drowned by a vociferation of voices not to be overpowered, by such a salute of applause to Mr. Kemble, as would have sounded well in a London theatre. Then again – again – and so called for with increasing plaudits for six repeated thunderers, as quite astonished his opposers; and reiterated applauses accompanied his performance to the finish of the play. I believe his antagonists, who were actuated from pride, not reason, were heartily glad when Earl Douglas died; and I dare aver, Mr. Kemble found it a very pleasant death.

But sorry am I to relate, that all did not end here, more gentlemen were summoned on Thursday, April [22nd], which immediately followed. The play was Macbeth, in which character I figured away, but was called on by several officers and gentlemen betwixt the acts, relative to Mr. Kemble. The Toy Shọp [Robert Dodsley, 1735] was to be acted after the play, in which Mr. Kemble personated the Master of the Toy Shop: I convinced them that Mr. Kemble would not suffer degradation on his part, bis situation in the York Theatre was not such as to make a sacrifice worth attention; he would rather lose profit than reputation; he had no property at stake that the hand of Power might either revenge by neglect, riot, or disturbance; and hoped those considerations would weigh with their reflections and determinations. Dr. Burgh, a gentleman of highly polished abilities, guided by strong judgment and discernment, and full of regard to Kemble, came round I remember on his part to soften and relax if possible the determined mind of Kemble; so by this means, and General St. Leger as lifting me as mediator, (who was luckily then in York) but of course on the gentlemens‘ side.

(For that is often the case in regard to the poor player, consequently he cannot boast always of a free and unbiased jury, and therefore cannot have the same large letters for his liberty as an Englishman, though we can puff them sometimes in a play-bill. The French Convention talk loudly of the liberty of the press, that is provided the writer favors of their own exalted notions; but let him write ever so well, and only mark error on their proceedings, and the honourable guillotine is his lot, or a rotten dungeon at best the reward for his talents, however distinguished.)

In consequence of these manoeuvres, when the Toy Shop began, Mr. Kemble of course was once more called upon before a large party. He claimed a hearing, without which he could not submit to be condemned; but if in the recital, any gentleman or set of gentlemen would assert in that character, that he had acted unworthily, he would willingly and cheerfully make any reparation they should judge proper, assuring himself, whatever they desired could not but be honourable and truly consistent with justice, and such as would become him to give, and them to accept. This hint of Mr. Kemble’s was agreed nem. con. On which permission to proceed from the audience, he expatiated so properly, and with diffidence on every point, that his judges were captivated – reason took place – he was acquitted with three cheers, “Not Guilty” – and I believe had not one dissenting voice in the Theatre.

Miss S*******e, I must observe, was not there; she was certainly the aggressor, injured intentionally, and therefore of course the reader may be assured, that she never forgave; that is a rule too true, and I believe has been and will be from the beginning to the end of the world.

This brush over, Mr. Kemble increased in fame and popularity; for honest minds overheated at the time, and such as are true Britons are never more happy when convinced they have run into any excess of either error or cruelty, but if really gentlemen, on consideration, are happy when they can make more than ample amends from the overflowing of a good heart, which had been a little tinged and sullied with gall, but returns once more to its native clear spring of purity and steadiness.

2105 words.