New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-05
TILR UITE LIONEL BROUGH


There lie no English comedian for whom the dis
eliminating play eoer has greater admiration than for
MIR. Lionel brough If there Us one other section o.
tie public with whom Mr. Brough is az popular as he
j. with ulveocrs i, Is with the theatrical profession
itself Uncle La he is called in the profession and
the familiar we'll expresses the regard III which
Uncle Lai is at home to the Ubiquitous interviewer
when with /" npart.a foot he Kicks at the dressing
room of the star Of the Theatre Royal He removes the
heavy eve brows i'll which he is on the stage and
with painful gentleness tears away the herce
uorstacbe from his twitching upper lip and, III
Response to the mtervewers request for him to begin
al the beginning. commences. 49,
aW ell Won know" he says. a did not beg in as an
actor / Started in life as literary man. When
- 6ft.en or sixteen wears of age | went The
Illustrated London News under ola Johh LINUS
That was IN Douglas Jerrods time, and when Mark
Lemon and many other celebrated men were on the
uapet / was the Office boy and my salary was a
pound a week. | knew all these people, you know
as tie name of Brough was as well known as their
own Nv two elder brothers were the Brothers
Broagl. the writer's Of extravagsnzas and belonged
10 the little literary coteric which produced the comic
literature of the day. made my first essay on the
s,age I'VE wears laier AT the Iyceum under Madame
Nesiris and Charles Matthews. used TO be allowed
10 rchearsc in my dinner-time at The News once
and the manager. remember used TO can \, me NY
Lord Doubesccew because ! used to get 81 week
from each place. Nestris died while wis there, ana
Matthews deeply III debt-a most extravagant
man he will tell you something about that just
nuw-and the result we did not get our salaries
That was my. first stage expericnce-no money.
went back TO Tie News and then to The Daily
hr., issue of the greatest circulation, and 1t was
who invented that terrible frankensten, the street
nexsboy We had 260 boys in uniform TO sell the
paper-it was twopence then, penny for the stamp
Int at the end of two months they had all but
eichty-four hooked it,. uniform and all stayed
I'll the Leyys got The pster, Ai'erward l went to
The Morning Star Tor five years
IL was with Jerrold once when be and his son
Blanchard hes dead now, poor fehow-i don't
remember what the quarrel was about. but when II
was over Jerrod said to his son. Don't forget he
SAID although We have been quarreiling, that you
are NV son and there will always be kne and fork
and plate Tor you my house. Dut-oy U-Ltnefe
will i,e nothing on it, That very like Jerroid.
wasn't it Charles Matthews was always IN deot.
One night al the Lyceum remember his coachmsn
came TO him and told him that the theatre was u Oh
SailiAs. There baillti in the pit and 1diiiiis III
every part OF the house and at every one oil Tue doors
ali waiting 10 attach the involved comedau hattne"s
called his coacDman into hs dreSsIng-room. "nio
waited see what was going 10 happen. Alter time
the coaehlnan came out. and went out OF the thete
by the stage door past the group OF expec,ant oins
10 whom he sand that Nr. Matthews would not he Out
for a couple of hours lie mounted the box ana dioVe
away. Amer time out came Matthews, or DIS
clothes rather, with the coachman III them ana the
bailiiis found they had been tricked. Matthews
himself had got past them in his coscbmaBs clothes
and had driven biuiself safely home lie was an ex
irayagaut fellow / remember when lie owed
my brother Bill lot of money for authors tees, ana
my brother being IN want OF money bimscu had
written long letter TO him asking for some. that
Matthews sent back letter with lust the words ny
dear Bill-lmpossibe, written ON a richly embossed
sheet Of post that must have cost at least Is Poor
Bill had written his letter piece of curl paper
peehaps lac much OF money.
NV first Ie beginning on the stage III 1868. The
Savage Club had Just then been started, aud gave
"a series of amate performances IN Manchester and
Liverpool III aid of TIE relief fund aud hilt
there Alexander Henderson offered me engagement
nj l3 a week as low comedian. l had wonderful
experience in those times aud a creator Oi man
parts in the comedies OF the day-lom kobcrtson 4
and others. ] was the original Squire Chivvy ~
david Garrick' and John Chodd. jr.. In Society.
stayed in Liverpool three years and then asked FOL