Anna Cora Mowatt, Polkamania, and “The Serious Family” - Part III
Part III - Seriously Merry (A full cast recording of "The Serious Family" is available at Librivox) In 1849, comedian-turned-playwright...
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Aug 4, 202310 min read
The Wealth of Walter Watts vs. the Poverty of Bob Cratchit - Part I
PART I: THE CHARACTER OF CLERKS Originally posted Dec. 1, 2022 [An abbreviated video version of this essay is available for viewing on...
Aug 4, 202312 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt and “All That Glitters is Not Gold” - Part I
PART I: JOHN MADDISON MORTON AND HIS OTHER PLAY Originally posted Oct. 24, 2022 In any well-rounded streaming service that delivers...
Aug 3, 202321 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt, Mimic Life, and the Critics - Part II
PART II: THE PUSH Originally published August 8, 2022 [Given the response to my last entry, I am somewhat tempted to take a short...
Aug 2, 202315 min read
The Lost Plays of Walter Watts – The First Night of My Marriage
A MERRY MANUSCRIPT WITH A BIT OF A MYSTERY Originally posted April 18, 2022 Of all the plays authored by Walter Watts I have written...
Jul 31, 202311 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt, Charlotte Cushman, and the Vanishing Ion
PART VI: ACTRESS VS. ACTRESS Originally posted Jan. 24, 2022 [This multi-part series of entries examines Anna Cora Mowatt’s experience...
Jul 29, 202313 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt, Pauline, and Changes of Plan
PART XVIII: THE END BEGINS Originally posted Oct. 4, 2021 [This is a continuation of my multi-part series of entries examining Anna Cora...
Jul 29, 202316 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt, Pauline, and Parthenia
PART XVII: NEW ROLES, NEW MEN Originally published Sept.27, 2021 [This is a continuation of my multi-part series of entries examining...
Jul 28, 202310 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt and Notes on G.H. Lewes’ “The Noble Heart”
Originally posted on July 12, 2021 I will return to my series on “The Lady of Lyons” next week, however, some months ago, a volunteer...
Jul 26, 202312 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt and E.L. Davenport – Part III
DAVENPORT – THE STORIES – Part II Originally posted May 10, 2021 The career of E.L. Davenport bears witness to the fact that the man’s...
Jul 22, 202310 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt, Noble Heart, and the London Critics
Originally published March 22, 2021 In the winter of 1850, G. H. Lewes was a noted, if controversial, member of London’s intelligentsia....
Jul 22, 20238 min read
The Lost Plays of Walter Watts – Which Is the King? Part II
Originally published March 8, 2021 Mistaken identity or characters in disguise are plot complications featured in dramatic texts the...
Jul 13, 202310 min read
The Lost Plays of Walter Watts – “Which is the King?” Part I
Originally posted on Feb. 22, 2021 Admittedly, my title for this series of entries is a bit hyperbolic. It’s closer to the truth to say...
Jul 12, 20238 min read
A Movie That Was Not About Walter Watts
Originally posted on Feb. 15, 2023 If you are a fan of Charles Dickens or Derrek Jacobi, you have probably seen the acclaimed 1987 film...
Jul 8, 20237 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt, Gertrude, and Blanche
Originally published Jan. 18, 2021 [Librivox’s recording of this play can be heard here.] Although she was called upon to play the...
Jul 5, 202310 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt, Armand, and the Fast Man
Originally posted Dec. 14, 2020 (Listen to a full cast recording of "Armand" at Librivox) In past entries, I have talked about Mary...
Jul 5, 202318 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt in the Forest of Arden
Originally published Nov. 16, 2020 There is perhaps no more perfect encapsulation of the ambiguity of the Victorian stance towards the...
Jul 5, 202310 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt and Her Lady Romeos – Part II
Originally published Nov. 6, 2020 Last week, listening to several interviews with Tana Wojczuk, author of a new book on the life of...
Jul 4, 20239 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt and Matthew Hopkins, the Witch-Finder
Originally published Nov. 2, 2020 After reading up on the historical Matthew Hopkins, I think we’re remiss not to number “witch-finder”...
Jul 4, 20238 min read
Anna Cora Mowatt and Cecil Howard
Originally published Oct. 26, 2020 I hope that by now you have had an opportunity to listen to our recording of Henry Spicer’s...
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