Who was David Garrick and why is he important to theatre history?
David Garrick (the 19th of February 1716 - the 20th of January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, and theatre manager who transformed European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century. He pioneered a naturalistic acting style that replaced the bombastic declamatory manner then dominant, and his 29-year management of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane turned it into one of the leading theatres in Europe. Samuel Johnson said of him that his profession made him rich and he made his profession respectable.
Where was David Garrick born and what was his family background?
Garrick was born at the Angel Inn on Widemarsh Street in Hereford on the 19th of February 1716. His family had French Huguenot roots in Languedoc; his grandfather fled Bordeaux in 1685 when the Edict of Nantes was revoked, and his father Peter was smuggled out of France as an infant by a nurse.
What was David Garrick's famous Richard III performance and what made it remarkable?
Garrick performed Richard III at Goodman's Fields Theatre on the 19th of October 1741, coached in the role by actor and playwright Charles Macklin. His naturalistic, non-declamatory approach was unprecedented, and Alexander Pope, who saw him perform three times during this period, declared he had never had an equal as an actor. Horace Walpole noted that there were a dozen dukes a night at Goodman's Fields to witness him.
How long did David Garrick manage the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane?
Garrick managed Drury Lane for 29 years, from April 1747 when he purchased a share of the theatre with James Lacy until he retired from management in 1776. Under his leadership the theatre rose to prominence as one of the leading theatres in Europe.
What was the Shakespeare Jubilee that David Garrick organised in 1769?
Garrick staged the Shakespeare Jubilee in Stratford-upon-Avon in September 1769, a multi-day celebration marking, five years late, 200 years since Shakespeare's birth. Heavy rain forced the planned Shakespeare Pageant to be cancelled, but Garrick staged it the following month at Drury Lane under the title The Jubilee, where it ran for 90 performances. The song "Soft Flowing Avon," with music by Thomas Arne and lyrics by Garrick, was written for the occasion.
Where is David Garrick buried and what honours did he receive after his death?
Garrick was the first actor buried in Westminster Abbey, interred in Poets' Corner in the ground in front of the monument to William Shakespeare. He received a lavish public funeral. In 1797, sculptor Henry Webber installed a memorial to him on the west wall of Poets' Corner, and a monument in Lichfield Cathedral bears Samuel Johnson's inscription mourning that Garrick's death had eclipsed the gaiety of nations.