258 B I0 GR AP HI C AL S KET C HE S.
No. CCLVII.
MR. AND MRS. LEE LEWES,
IN THE CHARACTERS OF ‘‘ GOLDFINCH ” AND ‘‘ WIDOW WARREN.”
NEARLYh alf a century has elapsed since the above performers were in Edinburgh
; yet they are well remembered by many of the old play-going citizens,
who still revert to their early days as the golden age of the Scottish drama.
MR. and MRS. LEE LEWESf,r om the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, made their
first appearance in this city in 1787 ; at which period the Theatre was the
property, and under the management of Mr. Jackson. On the first night of
their engagement, which was limited to four nights, Lee Lewes enacted the part
of Sir John Falstaff ; the next, he appeared in “ Love Makes a Man “-the third,
in the “ Busy Body ”-and on the fourth night, he delivered a comic entertainment,
which was announced as follows :-
“MR. LEE LEWES
WILL EXHIBIT
THE ORIGINAL LECTURE ON HEADS,*
which, with all its whimsical apparatus, he purchased of the late Mr. G. A. Stevens, and lately
revived at the Theatre Iioyal, Covent Garden, several successive nights., with additions by Mr.
Pilon. The whole is a display of upwards of sixty different characters of approved
WIT AND HUMOUR-SATIRAEN D SENTIMENT.”
The success of his lecture was such as to induce a repetition on two subsequent
evenings; and the public were informed, through the medium of the press,
that the lecture, an “ admirable piece of satire,” was to be totally withdrawn
after Saturday night next [2d June]. ‘‘ An entertainment so comic, versatile,
and moral,” continues the paragraph, “ the public have seldom an opportunity
of seeing ; and we hope, for the honour of taste, its last representation will be
crowdedly attended.” Thus terminated the first short season of Lee Lewes on
the Scottish boards.
Jackson, the patentee, having become bankrupt, Mr. Stephen Kemble came
forward, and from the trustees took a lease of the Theatre for one year. This
he did at the suggestion of Mr. Jackson, who, according to a private missive,
was to have an equal interest in the concern. Mr. Kemble, however, refusing
to accept the security produced by Mr. Jackson, retained the sole management
1 That is since 1837, when this was written.
a The first complete edition of this clever jeu d’@t was published by Lee Lewes in 1785, with
an address to the public, written by him, prefixed.