The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-10-15
Actors i'm the Old Times and She View
FLORENCE BEGAN IN RICHMOND.

FLORENCE BEGAN IN RiCHACND.
ICondensed from The New York Herald.I
w. j. Florence lives with his wife in the
! Fifth Avenue Hotel. There is scarcely q
niche or a nook, shelf or nail in the spa
cious suite Of apartments where are not dis
played the evidences Of that taste In art and
! literature which is the outcrop Of culture
and the associations OF travel.
To the interviewer be says: My first
experience was at the Richmond Theatre.
Virginia, under the management OF Will
liam II. Chippendale, about 1S49 or 1850.
For many years he was manager OF the Hay
market, London. The stock company con-
sisted of Mrs. Malinda Jones, mother OF
Avonia Jones and wife OF the gentleman
now known as the Count Joannes,' or, as
we then knew him, George Jones. de built
the Avon Theatre, from which came the
name of Avonia Jones. pretty daughter,
who married Gustavlls Brooke. BE was
lost at sea. He was leading man. full OF
power and tact. We also had Charley
Burke, the half.brother Of Joe Jefferson.
Jefferson Is q cousin OF William Warren, of
the Boston Museum. They are family Of
actors. Burke's specialties. were Rip Van
Wlnkle, and sSolon Shingle.' They were
both the base of the plays which have made
| the success of, Jefferson and Owens OF
course, the changes are very great, many
| points having been introduced for personal
effect that were not thought OF In those
days. During the season the elder Booth
was to play his first engagement for many
wears. The house was crowded; the play
Richard the Third When we got ready
| MFR, Booth was non est inUentuS. He
was drunk. Mr.. Chippendale told the pub
lie he could not find the actor, that those
who were disappointed would have their
money returned, and that Mr.. Booth
should never again act under his manage
ment. The majority left the theatre.
In the morning, while I was in the
green-room, Booth came in, looking like
dilapidated 'last rose Of summer | de-
scrbed the effect OF the disappointment on
the audience. He seemed to feel the situa-
ton keenly. The next day be left town. |
don't remember his playing in Richmond
again, but he afterward gave reading in
the African church there. The Booths
were always favoriteS in the South. After
this l went to Brougham's Lyceum, on the
corner of Broome and Broadway, subse-
quently Wallack's. and there played the
first Irish character / ever acted. 1t was
written by John Brougham for himself,
but, getting tired Of it, be turned it
over to me. Up to this time no young
stock actor had made a specially OF dialect
parts: but studied hard. and as much as
possible familiarized myself with the Irish,
Scotch, and Welsh pecuiarities of speech.
Did YOU ever hear OF the Row at the Ly-
ceum?' It was one OF the funniest things.
The curtain rose to crowded house on q
scene ut rehearsal. The actors and actresses
were in their street dresses, apparently ga
thered in a green-room preparatory to their
labor. Mrs. Dunn appeared as Mrs. Dunn,
Miss Emma Taylor as Miss Emma Taylor,
and Mrs. Vernon as Mrs. Vernon. Tom,
the call-boy, was there as Tom. The whole
performance was realistic, and the audi
ence were deeply interested. Suddenly,
| in the midst OF :-one OF the scenes, while
q, Mrs. B. (Mrs. Brongham) was on the
stage, looking over her part and making
claim to something more in her line,'
Quakerish-dressed gentleman arose in
the middle OF the parquet, Or. 'pit'' as
it was then called, and, holding up
cotton umbrella, addressed the stage and
the house somewhat as follows: 'That
woman looks, for all the world, like Glenn
entina! Her voice is very like-the form
the same' And then, with emphasis, 1T
is my wife!' He made his way toward the
foot-lights, crying loudly, RI Come off that
stage, thou miserable Wsomanpr OF course
uproar ensued. ] was in the gallery, the
personifcation of the 'Mose' Of the day
red-shirted, soap-locked, and noisy. twas
nv part to give the old gentleman to under
stand if he interfered with the 'youn 'oman
on the stage, I'd lam his bald head into a
ielly,' and [ proceeded to 60 down and do
it, All sorts OF encouraging and dis
couraging cries were heard: GO it,
Broadbrim ? sit DOWN. 'Policev
sShamer Put him outv and so on. The
actors on the stage were OF course unable to
proceed, while poor Mrs. Brougham was ap-
parentlY in state Of alright. The sup
posed irate husband and the red-shirted de-
fender reached the footlights about the same
time, where supposable policemen collared
and dragged them on the stage. Then the
usual semi-circle was formed and the cpl
losue spoken. 1t was only at this iuncture
that the audience recognized Mr.. Brougham
as the indignant Quaker, Mrs. Brougham as
his wife, the policemen as members OF the
company, the accessories in the pit as
'supes,' and Nose as me-Billy. The piece
had q splendid run for those days, because
every one who had been 'sold' brought
somebody else 10 be 'sold' again. About
this time Mrs. Forrest appeared. The excite
ment was high concerning the divorce case.
She opened in the 'School for Scandal
to q crowded house. Our dressing-rooms
were occupied by the police, and the mill
tary were distributed-well, everywhere
in front, in the rear, and all round us.
Where she made her appearance there were
demonstrations of disapproval, but they
were quelled. Some parties were elected;
but the play proceeded, Mrs. Forrest being
among the calmest Of the company. The
season was not success financially. ltWaS
during this engagement that first met Mrs.
Florence. She was then a ddnSeuSe, for it
was customary in those days to make use OF
songs and the ight fantastic between the
plays. Her name was Malvina.' She was
considered the best Of American dancers and
s0uJretteS OF the period, among whom may
be enumerated Mary Cannon, Julia Turn
bull, Mary Ann Lee, Annie Walters (after-
ward the wife OF George Jordan) and others.
WaIlack then took the theatre. My wife
remained, but went to play on the corner
Of Anthony (noW WORTHY street and Broad
way. L played in almost everything. was
watching almost iealously the progress OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Barney Williams, and felt an
ability to do as well. After consultation
with Mrs. Florence we determined to enter
the same field. We started at the National
Theatre, in Chatham street. Mrs. Florence
introduced The Yankee Girl 1t was an
immense hit, especially in England, where
we played 1t at the Drury-Lane Theatre, in
1856, for long time. After remarkably
successful tour, especially in Ireland, where
l played Irish characters, we returned and
played star engagement in nearly every
city. In November, 1868, at the Winter Gar
den, ! brought out, for the first time in this
country, 'The Ticket-of-Leaye-Man,' under
the, management Of Mr.: A. w. Jackson.
the father OF the present Mrs. Charles Mat