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This article is about Dion Boucicault Senior. For his actor and stage director son (1859 -1929) , see Dion Boucicault Jr.. Dion Boucicault Jr, born Dionysius George Boucicault, ( 23 May 1859 – 25 June 1929) was an actor and stage director
Dion Boucicault, ca. 1862.
Dion Boucicault, ca. 1862.

Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot (born December 26, circa 1820 – died September 18, 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 1820 ( MDCCCXX) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or Drama. Melodrama refers to theatre in which music is used to increase the spectator's emotional response or to suggest character types By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-manangers then in the English speaking theatre, eventually heralded by The New York Times in his obituary as "the most conspicious English dramatist of the 19th century,"[1]

Contents

Life

Though his mother is known, the identity of his father is questionable. His father may have been French; hence the most common spelling of "Boucicault" (pronouced BOO-see-coe), but Dion appears to have been raised Protestant. He was born and educated in Dublin, Ireland until he moved to London. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. He was enrolled at University College School at the age of thirteen and also studied for a year at the University of London. The Gower' redirects here - for the geographical area of that name see Gower peninsula University College School', known generally as UCS The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK.

Work as actor and playwright

After a year in London, England, Boursiquot/Boucicault left to pursue acting in Cheltenham. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Education He joined William Charles Macready while still young, and made his first appearance upon the stage with Benjamin Webster at Bristol, England. William Charles Macready ( March 3, 1793 - April 27, 1873) English Actor, was born in London, and educated at Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Soon afterwards he began to write plays, occasionally in conjunction.

His first play, A Legend of the Devil's Dyke opened in Brighton in 1838. Brighton ( is a town on the south coast of England and with its neighbour Hove, forms the city of Brighton and Hove. Three years later he found immediate success as a dramatist with London Assurance, produced at Covent Garden on March 4, 1841, with a cast that included such well-known actors as Charles Mathews, William Farren, Mrs Nesbitt, and Madame Vestris. A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or Drama. Covent Garden (Pronunciation kɒvʌnt is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link Charles Mathews ( June 28, 1776, London - June 28, 1835, Devonport) was an English theatre manager and Comic William Farren ( 13 May 1786 &ndash 24 September 1861) English Actor, was born the son of an actor (b Lucia Elizabeth Vestris (January 1797 &ndash 8 August 1856) was an English actress. He rapidly followed this with a number of other plays, among the most successful of the early ones being The Bastile [sic], an "after-piece" (1842), Old Heads and Young Hearts (1844), The School for Scheming (1847), Confidence (1848), and The Knight Arva (1848, all at Her Majesty's Theatre),[2] as well as The Corsican Brothers (1852), Louis XI (1855), the last two plays being adaptations of French plays. Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, located on The Haymarket, in the City of Westminster. An adaptation is a characteristic of an Organism that has been favored by Natural selection and This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

In his play The Vampire (1852), Boucicault himself played the lead role of the vampire 'Sir Alan Raby'. Though the play itself had mixed reviews, Boucicault's characterization was praised as "a dreadful and weird thing played with immortal genius". [3]

From 1853 to 1860 he resided in the United States, where he was always a popular favorite. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Boucicault and his wife toured the nation and he wrote many successful plays there.

The actor/playwright becomes theatre manager and producer

In the summer of 1859, this actor/playwright took over as manager of Burton's New Theatre (originally Tripler's Theatre) on Broadway just below Amity Street, and, after extensive remodeling, renamed his new showplace The Winter Garden Theatre. A showcase for the finest in American theater The first theater in New York to bear the name The Winter Garden Theatre had a brief but important seventeen year history as one There he premiered his new sensation, the anti-slavery potboiler, The Octoroon on December 5, 1859. The Octoroon is a play by Dion Boucicault, which opened in 1859 at The Winter Garden Theatre.

Poster for a production of Boucicault's farce Contempt of Court, c. 1879. From the Library of Congress.
Poster for a production of Boucicault's farce Contempt of Court, c. A farce is a Comedy written for the stage or film which aims to Entertain the audience by means of unlikely extravagant and improbable situations disguise and mistaken 1879. From the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress

On his return to England he produced at the Adelphi Theatre a dramatic adaptation of Gerald Griffin's novel, The Collegians, entitled The Colleen Bawn. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story The Colleen Bawn (also sometimes referred to as The Brides of Garryowen) is a Melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion This play, one of the most successful of those times, was performed in almost every city of the United Kingdom and the United States, and made its author a handsome fortune, which he lost in the management of various London theatres.

After his return to England, Boucicault was asked by the noted American comedian Joseph Jefferson, who also starred in the production of Octoroon, to adapt Washington Irving's Rip van Winkle. A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh Joseph Jefferson ( February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905) was an American actor Washington Irving (April 3 1783 – November 28 1859 was an American Author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th " Rip Van Winkle " is a short story by the American author Washington Irving published in 1819, as well as the name of the story's fictional protagonist He obliged and produced a version of the beloved American classic in 1866 that would make Jefferson one of the most famous and well-respected comedians of his age.

Boucicault's next marked success was at the Princess's Theatre, London in 1864 with Arrah-na-Pogue, in which he played the part of a County Wicklow, Ireland carman. The Princess's Theatre or Princess Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street, London. County Wicklow (Contae Chill Mhantáin is a county on the east coast of Ireland, immediately south of Dublin. This, and his admirable creation of "Conn" in his play The Shaughraun (first produced at Wallacks Theatre, New York City, Nov. The Shaughraun is a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. 14, 1874, and then at Drury Lane, Sept. Drury Lane is a street in the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. 4, 1875), won him the reputation of being the best stage Irishman of his time. Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In 1875 he returned to New York City and finally made his home there, writing the melodrama Contempt of Court (poster, left) in 1879, but he paid occasional visits to London, where his last appearance was made in his play, The Jilt, in 1885. The City of New York Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Streets of London and After Dark were two of his late successes as a dramatist.

Boucicault was thrice married (per IMDB), his first wife Anne Guiot being all but unknown; his second wife being Agnes Robertson (1833-1916), the adopted daughter of Charles Kean, and herself an actress of unusual ability who would bear Dion three children (Dion Jr. Charles John Kean ( January 18, 1811 - January 22, 1868) was born at Waterford Ireland, the son of the Actor Edmund , born in 1859 d. 1929; Aubrey, born in 1868 d. 1913; and Nina, born 1867 d. 1950; who all became distinguished in the profession). His granddaughter Rene Boucicault (1898-1935), Aubrey's daughter, became an actress and also acted in silent movies. In 1885, Boucicault suddenly left Agnes to marry a young actress, named Louise Thorndyke, arousing scandal on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Boucicault was an excellent actor, especially in pathetic parts. His uncanny ability to play these low-status roles earned him the nickname "Little Man Dion" in theatrical circles. His plays are for the most part adaptations, but are often very ingenious in construction, and have had great popularity.

He married Louise Thorndyke on September 9, 1885 and died five years later in New York City. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The City of New York

Selected works

References

  1. ^ The New York Times, September 19, 1890. The Octoroon is a play by Dion Boucicault, which opened in 1859 at The Winter Garden Theatre. The Colleen Bawn (also sometimes referred to as The Brides of Garryowen) is a Melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion The Shaughraun is a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault.
  2. ^ Victoria Web accessed 1 June 2007
  3. ^ David J. Skal (2001) Vampires: Encounters With The Undead: 47-8

see also Dion Boucicault by Richard Fawkes, (Quartet books, 1979)

See also

External links

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