13 - Pale Experiments

Summary

Aldridge began 1831 by performing in Gloucestershire with a company run by a Mr. Watson in the neighboring towns of Gloucester and Tewkesbury. The troupe apparently had been going through hard times, leading Watson “to assure his kind Patrons and Friends of this City and its Neighborhood, that however untoward the present Season, from local difficulties has been, he is no ways disheartened, nor in the least will shrink from his duty in catering for the public taste.” This must have been why he hired the African Roscius, hoping that “the very singular and unprecedented Novelty of a NATIVE AFRICAN, personating Dramatic Characters,” would attract larger audiences. In Gloucester Aldridge was announced as appearing for “Two Nights only, in two of his favourite Characters,” but in addition to playing Othello and Oroonoko, he also performed as Mungo in the afterpiece on the second evening. His success was such that Watson promptly re-engaged him for a third night to play two more roles, one of which—Zanga in The Revenge—was by now a staple in Aldridge's repertoire, while the other—Antoine, “the savage” in Father and Son; or, The Rock of Charbonniere—may have been an entirely new venture for him.

Written by Edward Fitzball, an extraordinarily prolifi c hack dramatist, Father and Son, when first performed at Covent Garden on February 28, 1825, was roundly condemned by theatergoers and critics alike. The Weekly Globe called it “one of the most disgusting affairs which we have seen for a long time, and is unworthy even of the Coburg Theatre. The audience expressed their disapprobation in a very decided manner at the conclusion of the piece. The recent horrible case of murder and violation of a young female in France, by a monster in human shape, appears to have suggested the plot of this piece.” Common Sense said much the same: “A vile accumulation of trash has been foisted upon the public during the last week at Covent Garden Theatre; and what appears to us most strange, is, that it has been tolerated.