OLD MELODRAMAS 



London productions. Miss Adelaide Neilson, who I 

 have mentioned, was at that time the idol of our 

 boyish enthusiasm, and Mrs Rousby tied to the stake 

 in Joan of Arc was another spectacle we loved. At 

 the same time we did not leave out the Bancroft shows 

 at the little Prince of Wales Theatre in Tottenham 

 Court Road. Perhaps the plays which impressed 

 themselves most in my mind were the Adelphi pro- 

 ductions of Dickens' stories. What a wonderful cast 

 it was for Nicholas Nicklehy. The late William 

 Terriss was Nicholas ; Miss Lydia Foote was Smike ; 

 John Clarke, the husband of the beautiful Miss 

 Furtado, was the Squeers ; Sam Emery, John 

 Browdie. That sound actor James Fernandez was 

 the Ralph Nickleby, and, if I remember rightly. Miss 

 Hudspeth was Fanny Squeers. More women cried in 

 the stalls and dress circle in those days than would 

 now over the hurrying of the little boys into the coach 

 on the stage in the Saracen's Head scene. John Clarke 

 was fearful in his realism. 



The Ticket- of -Leave Man was a great friend of ours. 

 Joe Eldred, G. W. Anson, Charles Harcourt, Robert 

 Soutar, Nellie Farren and, of course, Henry Neville, 

 made up a great cast. When we were undecided, or 

 business was too great at other theatres to get a seat 

 when the doors opened, we could usually find one at 

 the Strand. It was just after the days of Clarke 

 and Rogers, but we loved our triple bill — farce, 

 comedy and burlesque. We had our Edward Terry, 

 Harry Cox, W\ H. Vernon, the excellent Marius, Miss 

 Angelina Claude and Miss Lottie Venne. Then in the 

 comedy there was Miss Ada Swanborough and Miss 

 Marion Terry as an ingenue. Imagine Lottie Venne 

 at twenty-four ! Miss Angelina Claude, I believe, still 

 charms a large social circle in Ireland. 



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