The Duchess of Drury Lane Read Free

one slightly short-sighted who was often obliged to carry spectacles on a chain about my neck.
    Never considered to be a classic beauty, my nose and chin being somewhat too prominent, yet I was young and fresh-faced, with a cupid’s bow mouth and rosy cheeks. And with dark eyes some men might consider meltingly warm, even alluring. I must have possessed some charms as I had received and rejected one proposal of marriage already, aged fifteen. The press were later to describe me as more agreeable than handsome, not particularly tall but with a neat, elegant figure with interesting embonpoint , which was a polite way of saying I was full-bosomed and shapely. They were not always so generous, as like all actresses I suffered from bad press as well as good.
    Fortunately, I had the kind of expressive features that were perfect for this comic role. As was my mop of brown curls, generally a nuisance to control but creating the right comedic look beneath a mob cap.
    And the applause I received at the end of my performance felt like a kind of ecstasy, a warmth that flowed through my veins like wine. Utterly intoxicating!
    My first appearance on stage at the tender age of sixteen brought about a complete sea change in my attitude. I worked hard in the coming weeks, learning lines, watching how other actors performed, picking up tips and wrinkles. I felt so inadequate that I knew I must learn my craft quickly. Mama, of course, was in her element, I hadn’t seen her in such good spirits in an age. She would sit with a pile of newspapers on her lap and avidly scour them for reviews, pointing out the good ones to me.
    ‘Listen to this, Dolly, you are described as “a most valuable acquisition to the public stock of innocent entertainment”. And when Sheridan’s daughter Betsy came to watch you the other day, she said you surpassed what could have been expected. She even claimed that one day you would be a favourite and the first in your line of acting.’
    I laughed. ‘I think you exaggerate, Mama, or she does. Stop reading such nonsense.’
    ‘Don’t be unduly modest, child. All the reviews are good. Read them for yourself, dear.’
    I refused absolutely to do so, blushing at the very thought. Throughout my career, reviews, whether good or bad, were anathema to me. I hated them. But I was relieved to see my dear mother content.
    I next played the simple-minded shepherdess, Phoebe, in As You Like It , which was great fun. I was also allowed to speak the prologue and epilogue. One was written for me specially in the character of an Irish Volunteer, for which I was required to wear a soldier’s uniform and strut about the stage with sword in hand. The performance always brought shrieks of laughter and loud applause from the young folk of Dublin.
    Hester was given a few small parts, and George too was dreaming of an acting career, meanwhile helping out backstage where he could.
    My heart was now set upon the theatre. I was finding more fulfilment and happiness in my work than I had ever anticipated, gaining in confidence every week. My mother was right, I did have a natural talent for acting, particularly with comedy, and if I could use it for the betterment of my family, then I would do so, and bring myself pleasure at the same time.

Two
‘A treasure to be nurtured’
    Thomas Ryder, our manager, owned both Crow Street and Smock Alley. He constantly complained that times were hard, and was struggling to make both pay. ‘Dublin doesn’t have the capacity for two successful theatres,’ he would moan whenever the moment came to pay our salaries. There was the odd week when we received no pay at all or ‘the ghost refused to walk’, as it was termed in the trade. ‘We need to attract greater audiences, if I could but think how to pull them in,’ he would say, holding his head in his hands in despair.
    Mama would fall into a faint if I came home with nothing. ‘And what are we supposed to live on? How am I to buy bread, or send