15 - Racial Compliments and Abuse

Summary

On arriving in Bath, Aldridge sent a message to Bellamy asking for free tickets to the theater, a courtesy normally accorded to visiting actors.

Sir,

Not having an opportunity of seeing you this morning at the Theatre I have been under the necessity of addressing you at your private residence begging the favour of two orders for this Evening if convenient.

I am Sir your Most Obdt Servant

FWKeene Aldridge

An Actor of Colour known

as the African Roscius

Thursday

1 P.M.

Aldridge opened his engagement in Bath on the following Tuesday, January 10, 1832, with his favorite double bill—Othello and The Padlock—a combination of contrasts calculated to display to best advantage the full range of his abilities as an actor. As usual, he took his audience completely by surprise. The Bath Herald remarked,

Having drawn our notions of Negro performers from the descriptions of the facetious Mr. Mathews, we expected on Tuesday night to have heard the counterpart of the opening of King Richard by one of these sable artists—

“Now is de winta ob oua disconten

Made gorious summa by de sun o’ New York.”

We were however surprised to see a tall, fine grown, well made man make his appearance in the congenial character of the “Moor of Venice,” who trod the stage with freedom, grace, elegance and dignity, (where it was necessary), and whose enunciation of English was vitiated neither by patois nor rusticity…. [He] played Mungo in the farce of the Padlock and exhibited a versatility of talent and a searching observation of life and character which redounded largely to his professional credit.

The Bath Journal, believing him to be a native of Africa, admitted to having been forced to reconsider its earlier racial assumptions.

Though we had believed with the Anti-Slavery advocates, that the blacks were capable of mental refi nement, and of displaying the same powers of intellect as the whites, did circumstances favour their developement [sic], still we thought ages would be required to effect it.