In 1836 Macready’s Popularity Was Revived After He Had A Public Punch Up With Unpopular West End Theatre Manager Alfred Bunn Following An Ongoing Disagreement Over The Issue of Theatre Development And Royal Patents. Bunn Would Be Successful In A Subsequent Assault Claim But Would Ultimately Later Die In Poverty (1796-1860)
Stratford Is Excellent In His Performance of ‘Macready’. However Following Kean’s Collapse The Path Was Subsequently Clear For Macready Which Seems A Curious Detail To Leave Out of The Play Under The Circumstances. This Is Disappointing And For Us The Play’s Main Failing. We Give It Four Stars Nonetheless.
During A Pre-Performance Interview TheOrator.Press (TO.P) With Stratford (At The Brockley Jack Theatre) We Asked Him About The Aldridge Exclusion. He Said That He Was Unaware of Ira Aldridge Story. This Despite Edmund Kean Being Central To The Macready Story And Alridge In Turn Being Central To A Big Moment In Kean’s Demise, Which Was A Big Moment In WestEnd Theatre History In And of Itself. His Interested Seemed Piqued Though And He Promised To Investigate Further. Ultimately A Simple But Significant Re-Write To Acknowledge This Character Seems Most In Order. We Await With Interest To See If This Happens.
This Is A Prime Example of Why The Telling of Black British History Is So Very Important. Diversity, Equity And Inclusion In Education Is Helps Prevent Such Erasure For Everyone.
Another Actor Who Has Produced A One Man Show of A Theatrical Gentleman Living In And Around Covent Garden Is Actor And Storyteller Paterson Joseph. He Performs Solo In Telling The Story of Ignatious Sancho (1729 – 1780), A Freed Slave Turned Gentleman Who Became Friends With Actor David Garrick (1717-1779) After Whom The Garrick Theatre Is Named.
Joseph Also Researched The Protagonist of His Play By Reading His Diaries @patersondjoseph.
This Same Method Was Used By Stratford.
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