[
    {
        "id": 211779,
        "series_id": 26,
        "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine",
        "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊",
        "series_use_hku_proxy": false,
        "document_key": "RAS-1989",
        "page_number": 194,
        "title": "RAS-1989",
        "content_text": "169\n\nyear after a visit to Hong Kong\" for another run of several weeks. As was usual with repertory companies of this kind their output was vast, ranging from Planché's The Invisible Prince to Shakespeare's Richard III from which the fifth act only (\"A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!\") was given \"somewhat disappointingly\".\n\nOne other touring company is mentioned in the early Shanghai annals: the Thorne Company, which consisted of \"seven gentlemen and two ladies\" whose talents had been \"extolled by the Hong Kong press\", and which came to the Yangtze port in January 1865. Conflicting reports make it difficult to judge whether the group was praised as much in Shanghai as in Hong Kong. According to the Herald it had given a \"successful representation of the Octoroon (by Dion Boucicault, on January 11 1865) and announced a second performance for the 14th\". However, the Shanghai Commercial Record wrote that \"the patronage bestowed on the Thorne Troupe was extremely small. Indeed when they opened on Wednesday evening last (January 11) it was literally to an empty house, for we hear there was actually no one present to view the performance. The company were so disgusted that they left next day for San Francisco\". So many years later there is obviously no way in which we can verify either of these assessments, but it only stresses how unfortunate it is that the sources for the study of early Shanghai are not more abundant.\n\n152x\n\nA special feature of some of these travelling groups should be noticed, namely the existence of benefit performances. Benefits had been known in Britain from the late 17th century; generally speaking the net proceeds of such a performance went to a member of the company, but gradually it was realised that the system had more disadvantages than advantages\n\ne.g. actors were frequently paid low salaries because of the, often highly uncertain, supplementary income that could be derived from the benefits. One of the first to try to abolish them was Madame Vestris in the 1830s, but they existed well into the 1870s. Both the Faylor and Lewis companies had kept the custom. Thus it was announced that on November 26 1864 \"the benefit of J.B. Creswick under the distinguished patronage of the Consular authorities\" would be given; on December 9, \"Mr. H. Birch's benefit took place\", and so on for nearly every member of the company.",
        "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1989.txt",
        "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h",
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    {
        "id": 211839,
        "series_id": 26,
        "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine",
        "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊",
        "series_use_hku_proxy": false,
        "document_key": "RAS-1989",
        "page_number": 254,
        "title": "RAS-1989",
        "content_text": "229\n\n19.4.1865 (Wedn)\n\nW.B. GILL: \"Aurora Floyd burlesqued\" J. TOBIN: \"The Honeymoon\" (1805)\n\nT: Comedy (5 acts)\n\nN.N.:\n\nA Rourer*\n\nC: Lewis A.D.C.\n\nTh: Lyceum Theatre (1)\n\nN: Mr. W.B. Gill's benefit\n\nR: SCR 22.4.1865; no review\n\n21.4.1865 (Fri)\n\nW. EDQUIN: A Christmas Pantomime\n\nC: Lewis A.D.C.\n\nTh: Lyceum Theatre (1)\n\nN: Mr. Willie Edouin's benefit\n\nR: At a rather odd time of the year there was a Christmas Pantomime written by Willie Edouin, a member of the company (of Survey). Again the Shanghai Commercial Record was enthusiastic: \"This bold venture was completely successful. The local hits were clever and met with great applause. The usual jokes, fun and frolic were duly given and some of the jumping very dexterously gone through. The get up and accessories of the said pantomime deserve all praise and the dresses and costumes were remarkably tasteful. JULIA EDOUIN danced with her usual grace and elegance. Miss NYE was particularly pretty and helped in a great way to make the performance lively and amusing”. All in all it “would be long remembered by those who saw it as a decided hit in the theatrical annals of Shanghai\". About Jenny NYE the Record wrote further: \"The lightness and airiness of her motion and unaffected style did much to relieve some very heavy and stilted acting. Her manner is composed and, never attempting to do too much, always ends in doing well. Simplicity of manner is not a fault and a graceful quietness in acting has often more effect than the lofty dignity of a Tragedy Queen\" (SCR 5.5.1865).\n\n25.4.1865 (Tue)\n\nD. BOUCICAULT: \"The Colleen Bawn\" (1860)\n\nT: Drama (3 acts)\n\nC: Lewis A.D.C.\n\nTh: Lyceum Theatre (1)\n\nR: Tonight Dion Boucicault's most famous Irish play, The Colleen Bawn, was given. The Record (5.5.1865) thought it a \"bold step for any company to attempt in Shanghai\". But the result was a success: \"the actors entered into their parts with a determined earnestness to succeed and on the whole it may be classed as a creditable performance\". Earlier, however, it had stated that the play \"depends much more on scenery than on acting\", a judgement that was hardly likely to please the author as it was not his intention to write a purely melodramatic piece, that indeed often heavily relied on spectacular Stage effects.\n\n26.4.1865 (Wedn)\n\nW. SHAKESPEARE: \"Richard III”, act V\n\nT: Tragedy\n\nN.N.: The Frantic Husband**\n\nand probably:\n\nA. MAYHEW & H.S. EDWARDS: \"The Goose with the Golden Eggs\" (1859) T: Farce (1 act)\n\nC: Lewis A.D.C.\n\nTh: Lyceum Theatre (1)",
        "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1989.txt",
        "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h",
        "rank": 0
    },
    {
        "id": 211840,
        "series_id": 26,
        "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine",
        "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊",
        "series_use_hku_proxy": false,
        "document_key": "RAS-1989",
        "page_number": 255,
        "title": "RAS-1989",
        "content_text": "230\n\nN: J.B. Creswick's benefit\n\nR: For the second time a scene from Shakespeare could be seen in Shanghai: now it was act V from Richard III in which the king is confronted with the ghosts of his victims, lights his enemies ('A Horse! A Horse! My kingdom for a horse!') and is finally killed. In what kind of version it was played must be a matter of conjecture, although the worst days of adapting, cutting and rewriting Shakespeare's dramas were over. The Record found it \"somewhat disappointing. Richard was too declamatory and an evident appearance of striving for effect predominated\". Who personated the role of Richard III was not stated, but as it was Mr. CRESWICK's benefit it may have been him. The Frantic Husband went off well, with Tilly EARL as the \"Injured wife\". Miss NYE as Mrs. Alibi and Mr. GILL in the leading parts (SCR 5.5.1865).\n\n27.4.1865 (Thur)\n\nNo titles were given, but probably:\n\nJ.H. PAYNE: 'T was (* (1825)\n\nT: Farce (1 act)\n\nJ.T. RODWELL: \"The Young Widow\" (1824)\n\nT: Farce (1 act)\n\nC: Lewis A.D.C.\n\nTh: Lyceum Theatre (1)\n\nN: Miss Nye's benefit\n\nR: Miss NYE was described by the Commercial Record as a \"ladylike and pleasing actress\" who had a good house. \"The performance was light and amusing. She acted neatly and with pleasing unconsciousness of doing so. This actress will some day occupy a position which will still further develop her as a personifier of light and agreeable parts\" (SCR 5.5.1865).\n\n28.4.1865 (Fri)\n\nM. BARNETT: \"The Serious Family\" (1849)\n\nT: Comedy (3 acts)\n\n\"Cinderella\"; by H.J. BYRON? T. TAYLOR!\n\nC: Lewis A.D.C.\n\nTh: Lyceum Theatre (D)\n\nR: In Cinderella, a burlesque, Miss NAYLOR once again “looked and acted with well assumed demeanour\" one of the ugly sisters of the heroine. The latter part was possibly played by Mrs. GILL, \"the most accomplished of the troupe. She pays great attention to dress (...) and there is a quiet repose in her manner that is not easy to attain and only adds to the effect and spirit of her acting“. Miss Tilly EARL also took one of the parts; she was \"vivacious and fascinating\". Only the singing was \"not so good as usual, but one of the fair warblers was suffering from a cold\" (SCR 5.5.1865).\n\n29.4.1865 (Sat)\n\nH.J. BRYON: \"Aladdin or the Wonderful Scump\" (1861)\n\nT: Burlesque extravaganza (1 act)\n\n\"The Lady of Lyons\". Arthur either LYTTON or BYRON.\n\nC: Lewis A.D.C.\n\nTh: Lyceum Theatre (1)\n\nR: This was the farewell performance of the Company as well as Mr. Henry Birch's benefit. BIRCH was described as \"an old hand on the boards of the theatre. He has acted with many well known celebrities and to a certain extent still retains the manner of a school now almost extinct. The Company had left a good impression, although the Record's critic occasionally thought the actors deficient in making “a lucky hit by the casual introduction of a remark. They depend in some instances too much on the prompter and considering the case they act with one another this should not be\" (of the Herald's\n\nPage 255\n\nPage 256",
        "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1989.txt",
        "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h",
        "rank": 0
    },
    {
        "id": 211850,
        "series_id": 26,
        "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine",
        "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊",
        "series_use_hku_proxy": false,
        "document_key": "RAS-1989",
        "page_number": 265,
        "title": "RAS-1989",
        "content_text": "240\n\nRODWELL, James Thomas Gooderham (d. 1825)\n\n\"A Race for Dinner\" (15.4.1828). P: Announced in March 1854 but not performed. \"The Young Widow or A Lesson for Lovers\" (1.11.1824), P: 27.4.1865\n\nSELBY, Charles (1802?-1863)\n\n\"The Boots at the Swan\" (5.4.1843). P: 14.12.1865\n\n**A Fearful Tragedy in the Seven Dials\". P: 15.2.1860\n\n**A Lady and a Gentleman in a Peculiarly Perplexing Predicament\" (9.8.1841), P: 13.2.1864\n\n**The Unfinished Gentleman'' (1.12.1834). P: 17.6.1865\n\nSHAKESPEARE, William (1564-1616)\n\n\"King John\" (1594–1596). P: 12.11.-18.11.1864 (Prison scene, Act IV.1 only) **Richard III\" (1592-1593). P: 26.4.1865 (Act V only)\n\nSHERIDAN, Richard Brinsley (1751 1816)\n\n**The Rivals\" (17.1.1775). P: 28.9.1858; 23.11.1864\n\nSUTER, William E. (1812-1882)\n\n? \"Lady Audley's Secret\" (22.2.1863). P: 28.12.1864\n\nTALFOURD, Francis (1827-1862)\n\n\"A Household Fairy\" (24.12.1859), P: 26.11.1864\n\nTAYLOR, Tom (1817-1880)\n\n? \"Cinderella\" (12.5.1845). P: 12.11.-18.11.1864; 28.4.1865 \"Still Waters Run Deep\" (3.3.1856). P: 23.4.1857; 15.3.1860\n\nTOBIN, John (1770-1804)\n\n? \"The Honeymoon\" (31.1.1805). P: 19.4.1865\n\nTOWNLEY, Rev. James (1714-1778)\n\n\"High Life below Stairs\" (31.10.1759), P: 21.4.1851\n\nWEBSTER, Benjamin Nottingham (1797-1882)\n\n? \"Aurora Floyd' (11.3.1863). P: 26.11.1864; 17.4.1865\n\n? \"The Golden Farmer or the Last Crime\" (26.12.1832). P: 8.10.1857\n\nWILLIAMS, Thomas John (1824-1874)\n\n\"Nursery Chickweed\" (12.11.1859), P: 28.3-5.4.1865\n\n\"On and Off\" (6.6.1861). P: 25.4.1864\n\nAPPENDIX II\n\nAn alphabetical list of plays staged in Shanghai 1850-1865\n\nThe Adventures of Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Rising of 1745: N.N.; 13.6.1864.\n\nAladdin or the Wonderful Scamp: H.J. Byron; 2.9.1864, 19.11.1864, 29.4.1865,\n\nAnything for a Change: C.W. Brooks; 15.5.1854.\n\nApartments: W. Brough; 23.3.1853.\n\nThe Area Belle: W. Brough & A. Halliday; 30.9.1865.\n\nAttic Story: J.M. Morton; 6.5.1852.\n\nAurora Floyd: C.S. Cheltnam? C.H. Hazlewood? J.B. Johnstone? B. Webster? 26.11.1864, 17.4.1865.",
        "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1989.txt",
        "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h",
        "rank": 0
    },
    {
        "id": 211853,
        "series_id": 26,
        "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine",
        "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊",
        "series_use_hku_proxy": false,
        "document_key": "RAS-1989",
        "page_number": 268,
        "title": "RAS-1989",
        "content_text": "Richard III: W. Shakespeare; 26.4.1865.\n\nThe Rivals: R.B. Sheridan; 28.9.1858, 23.11.1864.\n\nA Roarer: N.N.; 19.4.1865.\n\nRob Roy; C.H. Hazlewood? W.H. Murray? 28.3.-5.4.1865.\n\nA Roland for an Oliver: T. Morton Sr; 23.2.1852. Roofscrambler: G.A.à Beckett; 12.12.1850.\n\nThe Rose of Castille: A.G. Harris; 8.10.-14.10.1864. The Rough Diamond: J.B. Buckstone; 13.4.1865.\n\nThe Serious Family: M. Barnett; 8.10.1857, 2.6.1859, 23.3.1865, 28.4.1865. Siamese Twins: G.A.à Beckett; 5.5.1853.\n\nA Silent Woman: T.H. Lacy; 29.6.1864.\n\nSink or Swim: T. Morton Jr; 16.2.1857.\n\nSlasher and Crasher: J.M. Morton; 21.2.1856.\n\nStill Waters Run Deep: T. Taylor.; 23.4.1857, 15.3.1860. Sweethearts and Wives: J. Kenney; 11.4.1865.\n\nTake that girl away: L.S. Buckingham; 15.2.1860; 3.12.1864. Time tries all: J. Courtney; 5.5.1858, 10.5.1860, 21.3.1865. To Paris and back for £5: J.M. Morton; 10.5.1860, 21.3.1865. The Turned Head: G.A.à Beckett; 27.1.1853.\n\nTurn out!: J. Kenney; 10.11.1865, 20.11.1865.\n\n'T Was I: J.H. Payne; 27.4.1865.\n\nThe Two Bonny Castles: J.M. Morton; 22.3.1854, 8.5.1865.\n\nThe Unfinished Gentleman: C. Selby; 17.6.1865.\n\nUrgent Private Affairs; J.S. Coyne; 5.5.1858.\n\nUsed Up: D. Boucicault & C.J. Mathews; 26.1.1852, 27.1.1853, 18.2.1857.\n\nThe Wandering Minstrel: H. Mayhew; 24.5.1865.\n\nWhere There's a Will There's a Way: J.M. Morton; 26.3.1863.\n\nWhich is which?: W.B. Gill; 27.3.1865.\n\nWhitebait at Greenwich: J.M. Morton; 23.1.1856, 16.2.1859, 26.5.1864.\n\nThe White Horse of the Peppers; S. Lover; March 1863, 16.3.1863.\n\nA Wonder: H. Carey S. Centlivre?: 12.11.-18.11.1864,\n\nWoodcock's Little Game: J.M. Morton; 14.12.1865.\n\nThe Young Widow: J.T.G. Rodwell; 27.4.1865,\n\n243\n\nPage 268",
        "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1989.txt",
        "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h",
        "rank": 0
    }
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