The Castle Spectre

Last updated

The Castle Spectre is a 1797 dramatic romance in five acts by Matthew "Monk" Lewis. It is a Gothic drama set in medieval Conwy, Wales.

Contents

History

The Castle Spectre was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on 14 December 1797. [1] The original cast included William Barrymore, Richard Wroughton, Charles Kemble, John Palmer, John Bannister, James Aickin, William Dowton, John Hayman Packer, George Wathen, Jane Powell and Dorothea Jordan. In a period when very few plays reached ten performances in a season, it was staged 47 times before June, when the theatre closed for the summer. The play had a long run also in the following year and remained in the repertoire until the late 1820s, and was revived until the end of the century. It also toured the provincial theatres and went through eleven printed editions from 1798 to 1803.

Adaptations

Further evidence of its extraordinary popularity is given by the fact that it crossed the ocean and opened in New York on 1 June 1798. Moreover, it was turned into a prose romance in 1829 by Sarah Wilkinson.

A new adaptation of this play by Phil Willmott was given its first performance at the Warehouse Theatre Croydon on 5 December 1997. It was directed by Ted Craig and designed by Peter Lindley. The cast was as follows: Percy, son of the Earl of CaernavonDamien Goodwin, Earl Osmond – Martyn Stanbridge, Angela – Mali Harries, Old Allan/Reginald, Earl of Conwy – Frank Ellis, Muley – Nick Wilton, Hassan – Clive Llewellyn.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llywelyn ab Iorwerth</span> Prince of Gwynedd and de facto Prince of Wales

Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, also known as Llywelyn the Great, was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy he dominated Wales for 45 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent</span> Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland

Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequence, was one of the most influential and powerful men in English politics in the thirteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conwy Castle</span> Grade I listed building in Conwy, Wales

Conwy Castle is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1287. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conwy, the combined defences cost around £15,000, a massive sum for the period. Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars. It withstood the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn in the winter of 1294–95, acted as a temporary haven for Richard II in 1399 and was held for several months by forces loyal to Owain Glyndŵr in 1401.

<i>The Monk</i> 1796 novel by Matthew Lewis

The Monk: A Romance is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796. A quickly written book from early in Lewis's career, it was published before he turned twenty. It is a prime example of the type of Gothic that specialises in the aspect of horror. Its convoluted and scandalous plot has made it one of the most important Gothic novels of its time, often imitated and adapted for the stage and the screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Gregory Lewis</span> English Gothic writer (1775–1818)

Matthew Gregory Lewis was an English novelist and dramatist, whose writings are often classified as "Gothic horror". He was frequently referred to as "Monk" Lewis, because of the success of his 1796 Gothic novel The Monk. He also worked as a diplomat, politician and an estate owner in Jamaica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway theatre</span> Type of theatre in New York City

Broadway theatre, or Broadway, is a theatre genre that consists of the theatrical performances presented in 41 professional theaters, each with 500 or more seats, in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world.

<i>Sejanus His Fall</i> 1603 play by Ben Jonson

Sejanus His Fall, a 1603 play by Ben Jonson, is a tragedy about Lucius Aelius Sejanus, the favourite of the Roman emperor Tiberius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton</span> British politician

George Henry FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton, KG, styled Earl of Euston until 1811, was a British peer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1782 to 1811 when he succeeded to the Dukedom.

Events from the year 1843 in the United Kingdom.

Francis Lathom was a British gothic novelist and playwright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Dowton</span> British actor (1764–1852)

William Dowton (1764–1851) was a British actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Palmer (actor)</span> English actor (c. 1742–1798)

John Palmer was an actor on the English stage in the eighteenth century. There was also another John Palmer (1728–1768) who was known as Gentleman Palmer. Richard Brinsley Sheridan nicknamed him Plausible Jack.

Edmund John Eyre (1767–1816) was an English actor and dramatist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Street Theatre</span> 18th-century theatre in New York City

John Street Theatre, situated at 15–21 John Street, sometimes called "The Birthplace of American Theatre", was the first permanent theatre in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York. It opened on December 7, 1767, and was operated for several decades by the American Company. It closed on January 13, 1798.

Henry Lewis Hobart was an English Anglican priest who became Dean of Windsor and thus Dean of Wolverhampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Wroughton</span>

Richard Wroughton (1748–1822), was an actor, who worked mainly in Covent Garden and Drury Lane, and occasional in the city of his birth, Bath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Godolphin Waldron</span> English writer and actor

Francis Godolphin Waldron (1744–1818) was an English writer and actor, known also as an editor and bookseller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabella Mattocks</span> British actress and singer (1746–1826)

Isabella Mattocks was a British actress and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mrs Powell</span>

Jane Powell or Mrs Powell was a British actress. She was also known as Mrs Renaud and Mrs Farmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Barrymore (stage actor)</span> British actor

William Barrymore (1759–1830) was a British stage actor. Originally from Taunton he was part of a company of strolling players in the West Country, and was acting at Plymouth in 1780. He first appeared at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1782, under the management of Richard Sheridan, and became a long-standing member of the company. He is also the namesake of the famed Barrymore family.

References

  1. Leask, Nigel. "Lewis, Matthew Gregory". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/16597.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)