Regency – Ronan Beckman

Joe Grimaldi as a clown by George Cruikshank

I was recently doing a bit of research on one of my main character’s co-stars, prompted by a photographic memory of a most unusual church service held in London every year which I attended. The service is attended by clowns in full costume, all in tribute to the man considered to be the ‘King of Clowns’ – Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837). His biography was edited by none other than the great Charles Dickens. Joseph was brought up in the world of theatre as his father, Joseph Giuseppe Grimaldi, was an actor and dancer – eventually becoming ballet master at Drury Lane Theatre. But his father was a vile and cruel man, fathering children from various mistresses. He was rumoured to have punished children at his dance school by placing them in cages suspended from the ground and was renowned for his bad temperament (those in the know called Grimaldi “Grim All Day”).

Miraculously, Joe came away from this troubled upbringing possessing his father’s great theatrical talent, but being a very kind-hearted, dedicated man. It was this reputation for kindness, and a possession of a saddened heart (his first wife died in childbirth) that drew me into writing him in as a supporting character in my novel An Actress of Repute. Joe Grimaldi was also married to the sister of my main character’s first ally at Drury Lane Theatre – Miss Bristow. Mr. Grimaldi continued to be an important co-star and colleague throughout Elizabeth Searle’s career – later following her move to Covent Garden Theatre and working together on their greatest theatrical success, the smash hit pantomime Mother Goose and the Golden Egg.

Sadly, Joe Grimaldi’s life continued to have more tragedy than mirth. For all the laughter and smiles he brought to the world, he was racked by depression and physical disability brought on by the physicality of his onstage acrobatics. His only child, a troubled son who was seeking to follow in his father’s theatrical footsteps, died before him. Unable to work, he was dependent on charity and lived his remaining years in poverty. His legacy does live on, however. There is a musical memorial near his grave, in a park named after him, not far from King’s Cross Station. Shaped like a coffin, you can ‘dance on his grave’ – the tiles playing the notes of his most famous song Hot Coddlins.

To learn more about the remarkable Mr. Grimaldi, I highly recommend Andrew McConnell Stott’s touching and highly readable biography – The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi. I found the book indispensable for helping me understand the backstage politics of London’s main theatres of the time. Miss Searle herself (and her future husband) actually get very brief mentions in the text, as does Elizabeth’s little brother Tom, along with insights into several of Miss Searle’s fellow actors and actresses. It was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, and you can listen to some excerpts on Mr. McConnell Stott’s webpage: Literary Remains — Andrew McConnell Stott I had heard that a musical based on this biography was in the works a few years back, being developed by Daniel and Laura Curtis. I was pleased to see that there were casting sessions for the musical just last month, and I believe that the show is being developed for television as well. The soundtrack is available to listen to on Spotify, and other music services: The Pantomime Life Of Joseph Grimaldi – Single by Daniel and Laura Curtis | Spotify

One of the most interesting aspects of my research for my novel An Actress of Repute was discovering the fascinating topics of the performances my main character, Elizabeth Searle, took part in at the Royal Circus Theatre, south of the River Thames. The Royal Circus was a non-patent theatre, meaning dialogue was not allowed. However, theatre manager John Cross was very clever at finding ways to bypass these restrictions. By performing ‘Burlettas’, mini-operatic pieces could be sung. This could sometimes disguise more contentious topics. If more explanation was needed, draperies and banners that featured key descriptions would be unfurled during performances. This would have a similar effect as words flashed onto a silent film, as seen in the early twentieth century.

Slaves in Surinam, from John Stedman’s autobiographical account

Mr. Cross often chose sensational topics for the time in order to lure in audiences and sell tickets. In the summer of 1804, Mr. Cross wrote and produced Johanna of Suriname. This was based on the best-selling account of soldier John Gabriel Stedman entitled The Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. The autobiographical book outlined the shocking accounts of inhumane acts against slaves in the Dutch colony. His romantic involvement with a slave by the name of Joanna – who became mother to his son, is also revealed. Stedman’s disgust at the harsh treatment of the enslaved captives of the plantations is clearly outlined and the horror was amplified by the graphic prints (engraved by two of the top artists of the time – William Blake and Francesco Bartolozzi) of the torture endured by the unfortunate souls at the hands of their captors. The book became very influential and was circulated widely amongst those in support of the abolitionist cause to bring an end to the evil slave trade.

Scenes of plantations in the Dutch colony of Surinam

Miss Searle was chosen to portray the slave Joanna. I was very honoured to include the fact that the main character of my novel was taking part in such a noble endeavour. Yet it also brought about some troublesome issues that I thought could potentially offend the modern reader. First and foremost was the idea that Miss Searle might perform in what is now known as ‘blackface’. I am not sure that Miss Searle would have darkened her face and skin to portray the character of Joanna, but I feel quite certain that there would have been no qualms about doing so back in Late-Georgian times. As far as I am aware, there were no performers of colour on the stage at the time in London ( the earliest I am aware of is Ira Aldridge in the 1840’s – I tweeted a link to information about his career awhile back: https://twitter.com/ronanbeckman/status/1281818253304750080?s=20 ) – so Elizabeth would have been cast in the role without a thought (she portrayed a Chinese princess at Covent Garden in later times). I felt that, in the context of the times, it was important to describe Elizabeth Searle portraying her role onstage as it would have been at the time. I hoped that the positive effects of educating her audience about the evils of the slave trade would outweigh the modern feelings about portraying someone of a different ethnicity onstage.

A mixed race slave in Surinam. She would have had a higher status than other slaves due to her partial European ancestry – yet she would still be regarded as a slave regardless.

A ‘tweet’ that I saw led to a very last minute and final edit to my chapter regarding the performance of Johanna of Suriname. The tweet highlighted the fact that there were 10,000 people of colour in Regency Era London, yet they never received even one mention in modern Regency fiction. I felt so moved that I want to play my part to rectify the situation – but my novel was due to be published in just two weeks. I did a very quick rewrite that I hope went some way to addressing this issue. At such short notice, it was difficult for me to imagine a character to place appropriately within my book. The performance of Johanna of Suriname was an ideal opportunity I felt. So I made one evening’s performance a special one – to serve as a benefit event for the abolitionist movement. Who might attend such a prominent event? I thought of someone who was perhaps amongst the most prominent person of colour and someone from London’s history that I adore. I included Dido Elizabeth Belle in the audience. Dido was the daughter Sir John Lindsay, and greatly loved by her family in England. I thoroughly recommend the amazing 2013 film of her life – Belle ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404181/ ) Some little bits of karma that made me feel that this was the correct decision: Dido Belle was baptised in the church of St. George’s in Bloomsbury – just 3 doors away from where Elizabeth Searle lived. The church features prominently in my novel, and you can explore it virtually in this brief video: https://youtu.be/QESj0z2lvSc Dido Belle sadly passed away in the month of July 1804 – the same month that the play was performed. In my novel, Dido and Elizabeth have the opportunity to meet each other and speak about the performance. She gives Elizabeth her approval and blessing, as I would have hoped she would have done in real life. And deep down, I truly hope that they did indeed meet each other in reality.

Tag: Regency

Tears of a Clown – the Great Joseph Grimaldi

Miss Searle and her Abolitionist Performance