The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-06-29 00:00:00

DEATH OF MR. CHARLES MATHEWS,

THE COMEDIAN.

Mr. Charles Mathews, we regret to state, died of
bronchitis at the " Queen's " Hotel, Manchester, on
Monday afternoon. The announcement will come
upon many as a painful surprise, for up to the com-
mencement of the present month, although in his 75th
year, he seemed to be as active and buoyant as he
had ever been. In 1876 he undertook a journey
to and played in India without perceptibly impair-
ing his health, and since his return he has ire.
queutly appeared on the stage as the nimble, airy,
and nonchalent hero of My Awful Dad. It appears
that about a fortnight ago, while proceeding to
Manchester from Stalybridge, where he had played in
the piece just referred to, Mr. Mathews caught a
severe cold, and an attack of bronchitis followed. For
a time no danger was apprehended, but in point of
fact he was not so strong as he seemed to be, and
before many days had elapsed the case was pronounced
hopeless. His wife and son arrived at his hotel at
Manchester early last week, and were with him when
he died.

Mr. Mathews was a son of Mr. Charles Mathews,
whose talents for personation and imitation, especially
in his " At Home "entertainments, afforded so much
gratification to our forefathers 60 or 70 years ago. The
younger comedian was born in 18'3, and though in-
tended by his parents for the Church, was articled to
an architect. In his early life, however, his sympathies
were with another art, as may be gathered from the
facts that in 1835 he exhibited a picture at Somerset-
house, and accompanied Lord and Lady Blessington
and Count d'Orsay to Italy for the purpose of making
sketches. His passion for painting soon gave place to
a passion for the stage, and the success with which
he played the principal character in a piece called
the 11+,7u-backed Lover served to finally determine
his vocation. In 1838 he married Madame Vestris,
then the lessee of the Olympic Theatre, and took upon
himself the chief burden of what proved to be a most
prosperous manageLnent. Having p-id a visit to
the United States, he became the lessee of Covent
Garden and afterwards of the Lyceum Theatre;
but in each instance was a loser by the specula-
tion. In 1857 Madame Veatris died, and in the fol.
lowing year, during a tour in the United,,States, he
married the present Mrs. Mathews. In 1860, assisted
by his wife, he gave "At Home" entertainments.
This was followed by a professional visit to Paris, in
the course of which he played in a French version,
written by himself, of Coo/ as a Cucumber. He subse-
quently played in Australia, reappearing at the Gaiety
Theatre in 1872. Since then, apart from the visit to
India, Mr. Mathews has not performed out of the
United Kingdom.
Mr. Mathews' powers as an actor lay within rather
a narrow compass. Tragedy was beyond his reach, but
in light and eccentric comedy he was without a rival,
as his impersonations of Mr. Affable Hawk, Adonis
Evergreen, Sir Fretful Plagiary, and Puff were
atifficient to prove. As a dramatic author he
achieved some distinction. He produced several
comic pieces, and if most of them were of French
origin it may at least be said that they were
essentially English in their tone and in their mode
of treatment. His first contribution to the stage was
a drama called My Wife's Mother, brought out when
he was but a young man. It should be added that
Mr. Charles Mathews is one of the very few English
actors who have attempted to play in French without
exposing themselves to derision; indeed, his success in
Paris in 1863 was so marked that he was pressed to
repeat the visit.—Tuesday's Times.