Carlo Antonio Delpini (died 1828) was an Italian pantomimist and theatrical manager. Carlo Antonio Delpini Sayers

Life

Born in Rome, Delpini was a pupil of Nicolini. About 1774 he was engaged by

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

for the

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

. There, at

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

, and at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

, he supplied the mechanical arrangements for many

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

s in which he acted. Among Delpini's well-known pantomimes were ''Robinson Crusoe'', in which he played the hero to the Man Friday of "Signor" Giuseppe (father of

Joseph Grimaldi Joseph Grimaldi (18 December 1778 – 31 May 1837)Moody, Jane"Grimaldi, Joseph" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 13 February 2012 was an English actor, comedian and dancer, who became the most ...

), ''Don Juan'', and ''The Deserter of Naples''. The two latter pieces were given respectively on 12 August 1787 and 1 January 1788 at the Royalty Theatre in

Wellclose Square Wellclose Square is a public square in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, between Cable Street to the north and The Highway to the south. The western edge, now called Ensign Street, was previously called Well Street. The southern edge was c ...

, when that venue was opened by John Palmer. On 17 February 1789 Delpini was severely hurt at the Haymarket, acting in the ''Death of Captain Cook'', a serious ballet from the French. Delpini was for a time stage manager at the Opera. He managed private theatricals, and made on his own account some ventures, giving once at

the Prince Regent George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

, the tickets for which were sold at three guineas each. He also arranged entertainments at

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

for the Prince as George IV. In his later years he fell into poverty, and died 13 February 1828 in Lancaster Court,

Strand, London The Strand (commonly referred to with a leading "The", but formally without) is a major street in the City of Westminster, Central London. The street, which is part of London's West End Theatre, West End theatreland, runs just over from Tra ...

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Delpini, Carlo Antonio Year of birth missing 1828 deaths Italian theatre managers and producers Italian male actors Pantomime