James Sheridan Knowles · aftercurtain

Alfred the Great

Writer · Play · 1831

Alfred the Great is an 1831 historical play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It portrays the life of the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred the Great. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. The title role was played by William Macready, a frequent collaborator of Knowles. Other members of the cast included Charles Mayne Young as Edric, John Cooper as Guthrum, James Vining as Oddune, Henry John Wallack as Oswith, Mary Warner as Elswith and Thomas Cooke as Kenric. The published version was dedicated to the reigning monarch William IV.

Caius Gracchus

Writer · Play · 1815

Caius Gracchus is a tragedy by the Irish playwright James Sheridan Knowles. It is based on the life of Gaius Gracchus, a politician in Ancient Rome. The play premiered at the Belfast Theatre in 1815 and enjoyed a good reception. It debuted in London's West End at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 18 November 1823, following the success of the author's Virginius. The London cast included William Macready as Caius Gracchus, William Penley as Licinius, Alexander Pope as Drusus, Daniel Terry as Titus, Charles Mayne Young as Vettius, George Yarnold as Fulvius Flaccus, Thomas Archer as Opimius, Mrs. West as Licinia and Margaret Bunn as Cornelia.

John of Procida

Writer · Play · 1840

John of Procida: The Bridals of Messina is an 1840 historical tragedy by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It is based on the life of the thirteenth century Italian physician and diplomat. It premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre in London.

Love

Writer · Play · 1839

Love (also known as The Countess and the Serf) is an 1839 play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 4 November 1839 with a cast that included Charles Selby as Prince Frederick, James Vining as Sir Rupert, Alfred Wigan as Sir Conrad, William Payne as Stephen, Ellen Tree as Countess, Emma Brougham as Empress and Lucia Elizabeth Vestris as Catherine. Knowles was paid six hundred pounds for the work by the management of Covent Garden. Mary Shelley praised the play for its "inspiring situations founded on sentiment and passion". It went on to enjoy success in the United States where it became part of the repertoire, being performed at the Broadway Theatre in New York many times in the 1850s. It was celebrated by abolitionists who cheered its anti-slavery theme of a serf falling in love with a countess despite her father's disapproval and the threat of execution.

Old Maids

Writer · Play · 1841

Old Maids is an 1841 comedy play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It was first staged at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 12 October 1841. The cast included John Harley as John Blount, George Vandenhoff as Thomas Blount, Walter Lacy as Robert, Robert William Honner as Harris, William Payne as Stephen, Alfred Wigan as Jacob, Lucia Elizabeth Vestris as Lady Blance and Louisa Nisbett as Lady Anne. It was produced towards the end of the theatrical career of Sheridan Knowles, before he turned to novel-writing.

The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green

Writer · Play · 1828

The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green is a five-act comedy play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It was first staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1828 in London. It takes its name from a traditional popular song of the same name. On its opening night the audience began heckling in the second act, and by the third act, their dissatisfaction had become so tumultuous that the stage manager "implored a patient hearing, pledging himself that if the opinion of the audience was so decidedly against the piece at its conclusion, it should be withdrawn". The play was harshly criticised by the press for its weakness, lack of action, thinly sketched characters and lack of originality. In 1834 a revised version entitled The Beggar of Bethnal Green was staged at the Victoria Theatre. The action takes place in London and Romford, then in Essex. The original Drury Lane cast included Charles Mayne Young, William Farren, John Pritt Harley, John Liston, Henry Gattie, Paul Bedford, Harriet Elizabeth Savill and Mary Ann Knight. Knowles dedicated the published version to the Scottish politician Kirkman Finlay.

The Bridal

Writer · Play · 1837

The Bridal is an 1837 tragedy by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London's West End on 26 June 1837 with a cast that included William Macready as Melantius, Edward William Elton as Amintor, Charles Selby as Calianaz and Mary Huddart as Evadne. It is inspired by the Jacobean play The Maid's Tragedy by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. In 1843 it appeared at the Park Theatre in New York with Macready reprising his role.

The Daughter

Writer · Play · 1836

It is set on the coast of Cornwall where 'wreckers' stereotypically rob the corpses of those washed ashore in shipwrecks and steal remaining cargo. The heroine is horrified to discover her father is involved in these activities, particularly when his accomplices falsely accuses him of murdering one of the victims of shipwreck. The play typifies the Whiggish representation of wreckers in the mid-nineteenth century and the moral panic over the cultural practice of 'wrecking'.

The Hunchback

Writer · Play · 1832

The Hunchback is an 1832 comedy play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. Knowles wrote it in the wake of the disastrous reception of his previous comedy The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green in 1828. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London's West End on 5 April 1832. The cast included Sheridan Knowles himself as Master Walter, Fanny Kemble as Julia, Hariette Taylor as Helen, Charles Kemble as Sir Thomas Clifford, Benjamin Wrench as Lord Tinsel, William Abbot as Modus, Drinkwater Meadows as Fathom and William Payne as Stephen. It was Fanny Kemble's last performance in England before embarking on a tour of the United States with her father, where she married and retired from the stage. The Hunchback was staged on Broadway at the Garrick Theatre in 1902 with a cast led by Eben Plympton as Master Walter, Viola Allen as Julia, Adelaide Prince as Helen, Aubrey Boucicault as Sir Thomas Clifford, J. Harry Benrimo as Lord Tinsel, Jameson Lee Finney as Modus, and C. Leslie Allen as Fathom.

The Love Chase

Writer · Play · 1837

The Love Chase is an 1837 comedy play by the Irish-born writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 10 October 1837 with a cast that included Robert Strickland as Sir William Fondlove, Edward William Elton as Waller, Benjamin Nottingham Webster as Wildrake, Julia Glover as Widow Green and Charlotte Vandenhoff as Lydia. Louisa Cranstoun Nisbett's role as Constance became one of her two signature parts. The Haymarket had just come under the management of Benjamin Webster that year.

The Maid of Mariendorpt

Writer · Play · 1838

The Maid of Mariendorpt is an 1838 play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It was inspired by the 1821 novel The Village of Mariendorpt by Anna Maria Porter. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London on 8 October 1838. The original cast included Sheridan Knowles as Muldenhau, Robert Strickland as General Kleiner, Walter Lacy as Baron Idenstein, Benjamin Nottingham Webster as Joseph, John Buckstone as Hans, Fanny Cooper as Adolpha, Emma Elphinstone as Meeta, Julia Glover as Esther. The same year it appeared at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

The Rose of Arragon

Writer · Play · 1842

The Rose of Arragon is an 1842 tragedy by the Irish-born writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London on 4 June 1842. The cast included Ellen Kean as Olivia, Charles Kean as Alasco, Henry Howe as the King of Arragon, Samuel Phelps as Almargo and Frederick Vining as Velasquez. It was similar in style to Knowles' earlier work The Wife of Mantua. In 1849 William Creswick opened his actor-management of the Surrey Theatre by playing Alasco in a revival.

The Secretary

Writer · Play · 1843

The Secretary is a play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 24 April 1843. The cast included John Ryder as the King, George John Bennett as Duke of Gaveston, Samuel Phelps as Lord Byerdale, William Macready as Colonel Green, Charles Selby as Armstrong, Helena Faucit as Lady Laura Gaveston and Leonora Wigan as Emmeline.

The Wife

Writer · Play · 1833

The Wife: A Tale of Mantua (also known as The Wife of Mantua is an 1833 historical play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 24 April 1833. The cast included Sheridan Knowles as Julian St. Pierre, Ellen Kean as Mariana, Charles Kean as Leonardo, James Prescott Warde as Ferrardo, George Bennett as Antonio, William Abbot as Lorenzo, Edwin Ransford as Hugo, Drinkwater Meadows as Bartolo and William Payne as Pietro. The epilogue was written by Charles Lamb. It is set in Mantua during the reign of the House of Gonzaga.

Virginius

Writer · Play · 1820

Virginius is an 1820 tragedy in five acts by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It was part of a crop of plays set during the Roman Republic, part of a revival of interest in the period. The play is based on the story of Verginia. The original cast featured William Macready as Virginius, Maria Foote as Virginia, Harriet Faucit as Servia, William Abbot as Appius Claudius, Charles Connor as Caius Claudius, John Faucit as Titus, Daniel Egerton as Numitorius, Thomas Comer as Lucius, Charles Kemble as Icilius and Daniel Terry as Dentatus.

William Tell

Writer · Play · 1825

William Tell is an 1825 historical play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It portrays the legendary 14th-century Swiss folk hero William Tell in his battle against the Habsburg authorities. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. The original cast starred William Macready as Tell and included Thomas Archer, Henry Gattie, Edward Knight, Elizabeth Yates, Clara Fisher, Charles Mayne Young and Margaret Agnes Bunn. Knowles dedicated the play to the Spanish opposition leader General Francisco Mina, then living in exile in England. The play was a success and established Knowles as the leading dramatist of the period. Revived frequently, it became a standard in both Britain and North America.

Woman's Wit

Writer · Play · 1838

Woman's Wit; or, Loves Disguises is an 1838 comedy play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on the 23 June 1838 with a cast that included James Warde as Lord Athunree, George Bartley as Sir William Sutton, William Macready as Walsingham, John Langford Pritchard as Felton, John Pritt Harley as Clever and Helena Faucit as Hero. Knowles dedicated the play to the writer Samuel Rogers.

Shows & credits

Alfred the Great

Caius Gracchus

John of Procida

Love

Old Maids

The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green

Shows & credits

Alfred the Great

Caius Gracchus

John of Procida

Love

Old Maids

The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green

The Bridal

The Daughter

The Hunchback

The Love Chase

The Maid of Mariendorpt

The Rose of Arragon

The Secretary

The Wife

Virginius

William Tell

Woman's Wit

Alfred the Great

Caius Gracchus

John of Procida

Love

Old Maids

The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green

Alfred the Great

Caius Gracchus

John of Procida

Love

Old Maids

The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green

The Bridal

The Daughter

The Hunchback

The Love Chase

The Maid of Mariendorpt

The Rose of Arragon

The Secretary

The Wife

Virginius

William Tell

Woman's Wit