'Like Comic Actors on a Stage in Heaven': Dickens, John Liston and Low Comedy

Abstract:

DURING the early nineteenth century the most popular low comedian on the English stage was John Liston (l 776-1846). an actor whom Hazlitt called “the greatest comic genius of the age." Liston performed regularly in London theatres from 1805 until his retirement in 1837. After spending the early part of his career at Covent Garden he moved to Drury Lane where. in the late 1820s, he was the only “star'capable of attracting large audiences. apart from Kean and Madame Vestris. During the 1830s his presence at the Olympic Theatre helped to ensure the popularity of what became the most fashionable theatre in London. He was also closely associated with the Haymarket Theatre, where his performance in Paul Pry (1825. 1826) was one of the great theatrical successes of the period. Reputedly the first comic actor to exceed a tragedian in salary he, and some of the characters he created, became household names …

Año de publicación:

1978

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Fuente:

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