A History Of Liverpool Thespians - Charles James Mathews

Charles James Mathews was born in Basnett Street, Liverpool on the 26th of December 1803, the son of the celebrated entertainer Charles Mathews and his wife, the actress Anne Jackson. He attended Merchant Taylors School, Crosby and although he possessed much of his parents' theatrical talents and enjoyed dabbling in amateur productions, he evidently had no early desire for a stage career. He was the articled apprentice to the the architect Augustus Charles Pugin, travelled in France and Italy, and worked as an architect for a Welsh coal company before entering the London office of architect John Nash.
His theatrical career did not begin in earnest until 1835, when, upon the death of his father, he took over the elder Mathews' part in the management of the Adelphi Theatre. Later that year he made his debut on stage on the 7th of December 1835, at the Olympic Theatre, London as George Rattleton in his own play 'The Humpbacked Lover', and also as Tim Topple the Tiger in Leman Rode's 'Old and Young Stager'. In 1838, he married the actress-dancer-singer Elizabeth Lucia Mathews, known as Madame Vestris, then lessee of the Olympic. He was her second husband and began managing the Olympic Theatre soon after their marriage but he did not succeed financially as the newly married couple made an unsuccessful tour in the United States receiving lukewarm reviews. Upon their return to London they assumed the management of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, where they produced many entertainments, including a highly popular but financially disastrous production of the Victorian farce 'London Assurance' with Charles playing one of his best roles, Dazzle. They moved to the Lyceum, producing light comedies, but despite introducing innovations of more realistic and detailed scenery, eventually he suffered bankruptcy. Two years after retiring in 1854, Elizabeth died.

As George Rattleton in 'The Humpbacked Lover'

Charles continued his acting career and in 1857 made a second and more successful tour of the United States. Here in 1858 he married Mrs A. H. Davenport, the actress Lizzie Davenport, and they lived a productive and financially stable life together. He also used his time in the U.S. to collect impressions of American types and dialects, resulting in 'A Trip to America', a one-man stage review in which he performed mimicries in character, including some in blackface. Following his return to England with his second wife, in 1861, they gave a series of 'At Home' tabletop reviews at the Haymarket Theatre. These were nearly as popular as those of his father had been. In 1863 he appeared in Paris in a French version of his play 'Cool as a Cucumber', and was received with praise. He played there again in 1865 as Sir Charles Coldcream in the original play 'L'Homme blasé' (the English version by Boucicault was known as 'Used Up'.) Then in 1870 he began an extensive tour, which included appearances in Australia and India, before  returning once more in 1871 to New York City in a remarkably popular six-week run at Daly’s Theatre. His most memorable roles included Mr. Affable Hawk in 'The Game of Speculation' (an adaptation of Balzac’s 'Mercadet') and Plumper in 'Cool as a Cucumber'. He and his wife also performed in an entertainment reminiscent of his father’s work entitled 'Mr. & Mrs. Mathews at Home'.
At the age of 66 in 1869, he set out on a tour round the world, including a third visit to the U.S. He made his last appearance in New York at Wallack's Theatre on the 7th of June 1872, in H. J. Byron's 'Not Such a Fool as He Looks'. After his return to England in 1872, he continued to act until within a few weeks of his death. His last appearance in London was at the Opéra Comique on the 2nd of June 1877, in 'The Liar' and 'The Cosy Couple'. At Stalybridge he gave his last performance on the 8th of June 1878, when he played Adonis Evergreen in his comedy 'My Awful Dad'.

Charles died on the 24th of June, 1878 in Manchester. He has been described as 'an English writer of comic sketches and one of the best high comedians ever to appear on the English stage.' He was one of the few British actors to be successful in French-speaking roles in France and achieved a greater reputation than his father in the same profession and also excelled at light comedy. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica (11th edition): 'As an actor, he held in England an unrivalled place in his peculiar vein of light eccentric comedy. The easy grace of his manner, and the imperturbable solemnity with which he perpetrated his absurdities, never failed to charm and amuse; his humour was never broad, but always measured and restrained.' On the 14th of February 2013 a plaque was placed in Basnett Street showing his place of birth.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/05/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians-mary.html