Junius Brutus Booth: Theatrical Prometheus

5. The Fire Must Burn

5 The Fire Must Burn There are stars indeed. And sometimes falling ones. -Henry VIII, IV, i, 54 B ooth sailed from Rotterdam on the Draper, commanded by Captain Hilliert. The tragedian spent much ofthe forty-nineday trip learning Italian, memorizing a list of words each day. An insane passenger, considered harmless, heard Booth repeating his Italian lesson, concluded the actor was a conjurer practicing black arts, and threatened Booth with an ax. Booth stared down the maniac, who lowered his weapon and backed away.l The Draper arrived in Baltimore 15 August 1826.2 Booth first returned his family to Harford County, checking to see how his father had supervised his propertyin his absence. He then set about securing his career in North America rather differently than he had upon his arrival in 182l. Booth signed on at the Chatham Theatre in New York as stage manager under Henry John Wallack.3 On Christmas Eve, 1826, he wrote to his friend George Holland, an English actor, offering both an engagement and his assessment of the American theatre at that time. 105 106 Junius Brutus Booth Theatricals are not in so flourishing a condition in this Country as they were some two years ago. There are four Theatres in this City, each endeavoring to ruin the others, by foul means as well as fair. The reduction ofthe prices of admission has proved (as I always anticipated from the first suggestion of such a foolish plan) nearly ruinous to the Managers. The Publick here often witness a Performance in every respect equal to what is presented at the Theatres Royal D.L. and C.G. for these prices. Half a dollar to the boxes and a quarter do[llar] to the Pit and Gallery! ... Acting is sold too cheap to the Publick and the result will be a general theatrical bankruptcy. Tragedians are in abundance-MACREADY- CONWAYHAMBLIN -FORREST (now No.1) COOPER- WALLACK-MAYWOOD and selfwith divers odlers now invest New York. But it won't do; a diversion to the South must be made-or to Jail three-fourths ofthe Great men and managers must gO.4 Considering Booth had usually performed for one hundred dollars anight when he had first come toAmerica, his offer to Holland reeked ofmanagerial parsimony. Now, sir, I will deal fairly with you. If you will pledge yourself to me for three years, and sacredly promise that no inducement which may be held out by the unprincipled and daring speculators which abound in this country shall cause you to leave me, I will, for ten months in each year, give you thirty dollars per week, and an annual benefit which you shall divide with me.... and I should expect the terms on which you would be engaged to remain secret from all but ourselves. Booththen askedHolland to engage apairofactresses he hadseen the previous January in Exeter; to them he offered fifteen dollars a week and travel (not board) to America. Their travel costs he planned to deduct from their salaries at three dollars a week. He offered this advice to Holland, advice he might well have taken himself: Let me recommend you to Economy-see what a number ofour brethren are reduced to Indigence by their obstinate Vanity- I have here Mr. D-who was once in London the rival of Elliston, and is now a better actor-approaching the age ofsixty, and not a dollar put by for a rainy day-too proud to accept a salary of twenty d911ars per week in a regular engagement-he stars and starves. Many have been deceived and misled in their calculations in coming The Fire Must Burn 107 to this country-some have cut their throats, &c., from disappointment-Mrs. Romer (once ofthe Surrey), Mrs. Alsop, Mr. Entwistle-Kirby the Clown-are all on the feIo de se list.... The temptations to Drunkenness here are too common and too powerful for many weak beings who construe the approval of a boisterous circle of intoxicated fools as the climax ofeverything desirable in their profession.5 During Booth's New York stint, he had to compete with two ofhis old London "colleagues": William Charles Macready, who before leaving London was rising to prominence there, and Edmund Kean, who had remained in America during Booth's abortive visit to England. The newspapers gave much more space to the visiting Englishmen than to the transplanted Booth, but Booth, as...