Wybert Reeve
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Wybert Reeve (c. 1831 – 21 November 1906) was an English actor and impresario, important in the history of the theatre in
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
.


History

Reeve was born in London, the only child of well-to-do parents who died when he was around five years of age, and he was placed under the guardianship of a grandfather, who appears to have been a bit of a tyrant. In this household was an old and trusted servant, who took the boy to the Theatre Royal,
Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...
, Adelphi and other London theatres, where he saw
William Macready William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English stage actor. The son of Irish actor-manager William Macready the Elder he emerged as a leading West End performer during the Regency era. Career Macready was born in London ...
in ''
The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...
'' and the ''Guy Fawkes''
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 ...
, to name two performances he recalled many years later. Around the age of 11 or 12, Reeve took to sneaking out of the house by the servants' entrance in order to witness stage productions. On one occasion he was discovered by a servant, but his intransigence was not reported to his grandfather. In fact there appears to have been no love lost between Reeve and any of his family, save only an uncle, a parson of
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
. As a young man, Reeve joined in amateur performances at the homes of friends, and thereby got to meet a son of Sir
Edwin Landseer Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. His best-known work is the lion sculptures at the base of Nelso ...
and the daughters of one Cooper, a Royal Academician, (perhaps Richard Cooper, Jr?). At age 17 a commission in either the
3rd Dragoon Guards The 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards ...
or the
5th Dragoon Guards The 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a British army cavalry regiment, officially raised in January 1686 as Shrewsbury's Regiment of Horse or the Earl of Shrewsbury's Horse. By 1687, it was known as Langsdale's Horse, from ...
was procured for him, and he was stationed at the
Piershill Barracks Piershill Barracks was a military installation in Piershill in Edinburgh. History The barracks were built as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution and were completed in 1793. Built along three sides of a quadrangle, ...
, but the regimented life of a soldier was not for him, and he resigned a year later to become an actor. The relatives were furious at his ingratitude and, apart from the vicar mentioned, broke off all contact and never saw him again. He joined a professional company under the usual conditions for an aspiring actor in those days — no pay and provide your own
wardrobe A wardrobe, also called armoire or almirah, is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that sep ...
— and was given
bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televisio ...
s. While staying at Bradford, where he had his first engagement, he met the actors James Anderson and Mrs. Warner, who were at the same hotel. The great tragedian earnestly advised him to abandon all thoughts of the stage; advice ignored of course. Shortly afterwards Reeve was given the part of "Frederick", the walking gentleman in ''The Wonder'', a comedy by
Susanna Centlivre Susanna Centlivre (c. 1669 (baptised) – 1 December 1723), born Susanna Freeman, and also known professionally as Susanna Carroll, was an English poet, actress, and "the most successful female playwright of the eighteenth century". Centlivre's ...
. Reeve unfortunately forgot his lines, and thenceforth was reduced to walk-on non-speaking parts, with no prospect of advancement, so the aspiring "
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
" and " Young Norval" left and found another manager, in
Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is a port on the north-west coast, and lies outside the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park. ...
, Cumberland, under the same terms — nothing a week and find your own wardrobe. Undeterred, Reeve continued to pursue his ambition, and steadily worked his way up the ladder. In 1852, in Plymouth, as the outcome of a bet, Reeve wrote a farce, ''An Australian Hoax'' which, to win the wager, he had in production within a week and on the stage in ten days. Gold discoveries in Australia were making the news at the time, but it is a curious fact that within a few years he would be there making his fortune, but on the stage. He wrote another farce, ''Supper Gratis'' in 1855. In that year he joined the Bath and Bristol Company, then the Theatre Royal Company at Manchester in 1857, and played four successive seasons with them. After five years of touring he decided to try his hand at stage management, and successively mounted productions at
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
,
Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
,
Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 24,096 according to the 2021 Census. Its growth as a seaside resort came after the villages of Upper Ryde and ...
,
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
,
South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England; it is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. The town was once known in Roman Britain, Roman times as ''Arbeia'' and as ''Caer Urfa'' by the Early Middle Ag ...
, and
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
in 1867,which he ran for two years. In October 1869 he made his first personal appearance on the London stage as "John Mildmay" in
Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch (magazine), ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literatu ...
's ''
Still Waters Run Deep "Still waters run deep" is a proverb of Latin origin now commonly taken to mean that a placid exterior hides a passionate or subtle nature. Formerly it also carried the warning that silent people are dangerous, as in Suffolk's comment on a fello ...
'' at the Lyceum Theatre, followed by "Count Fosco" in
Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for ''The Woman in White (novel), The Woman in White'' (1860), a mystery novel and early sensation novel, and for ''The Moonsto ...
's '' The Woman in White'' (from the book of the same name) at the
Olympic Theatre Olympic Theater or Olympic Theatre may refer to: * Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, formerly Coppin's Olympic Theatre * National Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, converted to and renamed Olympic Theater in 1873 * Olympic Theatre (London), En ...
, the role for which he was best known. In 1873 he supported Collins on his reading tour of North America and appeared as Fosco on Broadway. He would eventually play the part in England, America, and the Colonies for over 2,000 nights. On 20 December 1875 Reeve opened the fine new
Edinburgh Theatre Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
on Castle Terrace,
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
which he leased for two years. Productions there included
grand opera Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and Orchestra, orchestras. The original productions consisted of spectacular design and stage effects with plots normally based on o ...
s with Her Majesty's Opera Company, and
von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic in the early Romantic period. Best known for his operas, he was a crucial figure in the development of German ''Romant ...
's ''
Der Freischütz ' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...
'' and other operas with the Carl Rosa Company, but was not a spectacular success, for which Reeve was blamed, and the theatre closed after eighteen months. The theatre, a venture of the Edinburgh Theatre, Winter Garden and Aquarium Company, was in 1876 sold for a fraction of its cost to the United Presbyterian Church for use as a Synod Hall, and later became a cinema.


Australia

In October 1878 he was brought to
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
by
George Coppin George Selth Coppin (8 April 1819 – 14 March 1906) was a comic actor, a theatrical entrepreneur, a politician and a philanthropist, active in Australia.Sally O'Neill,Coppin, George Selth (1819–1906), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', ...
to play "Count Fosco" and over the next two years played the part before enthusiastic audiences in all the major theatres in Australia. Another favorite of theatre-goers was his "Captain Wragge" in ''Great Temptation'', his dramatization of Wilkie Collins's
No Name No Name or Noname may refer to: Geography *No Name, Colorado * No Name Key, an island among the Florida Keys * No Name Tunnel, located near the same named town in Colorado Art, entertainment, and media *No-Name (character), a fictional character i ...
. When
Arthur Garner Arthur Garner (8 February 1851) was a theatrical entrepreneur, active in Australia. He was part of the partnership often dubbed "the Triumvirate" at the time, Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove, between 1881 and 1890. Background Garner was born i ...
took over
White's Rooms White's Rooms, later known as Adelaide Assembly Room, was a privately owned function centre which opened in 1856 on King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia. It became Garner's Theatre in 1880, then passed through several hands, being know ...
on King William Street in 1880 and remodelled it as "Garner's Theatre", he appointed Reeve as manager. In May 1885 Wybert Reeve's company performed at Abbot's Opera House in Auckland, New Zealand. The productions included Impulse!, The Woman in White and For Love or Money! by Andrew Haidley. In 1887 Reeve entered into partnership with Williamson, Garner & Musgrove as manager of the
Theatre Royal, Adelaide The Theatre Royal on Hindley Street, Adelaide was a significant venue in the history of the stage and movie theater, cinema in South Australia. After a small predecessor of the same name on Franklin Street, Adelaide, Franklin Street (built 1838), ...
, and around 1889 he became sole lessee of the theatre. On 19 October 1896 he hosted the first public moving picture demonstration in South Australia, a ''
cinématographe Lumière Cinematograph or kinematograph is an early term for several types of motion picture film mechanisms. The name was used for movie cameras as well as film projectors, or for complete systems that also provided means to print films (such as the L ...
''. Reeve occupied that position till 1900, when he retired to be succeeded by
F. H. Pollock Frederick Hart Pollock (22 June 1842 – 10 November 1908) was an actor and publican, remembered as the lessee-manager of the Theatre Royal, Adelaide, South Australia. History Pollock was born in Newport, Wales, and at age 18 voyaged to Melbourne ...
. A complimentary benefit was tendered to him by the citizens of Adelaide before he left for England: the first part of the programme was devoted to ''Waterloo, or the Old Veteran'', a one-act play by
Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...
, Reeve playing Gregory Brewster, the "Old Veteran" of the title, originally written for
Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
. In a gracious farewell speech, he recollected with pride the improvements which he had brought to the staging of plays in Adelaide, referring to the Theatre Royal as one of the most difficult theatres in Australia to manage. He gave as his opinion that the public should support second-tier pieces by up-and-coming companies as well as the "hit shows", as only then could theatre progress. He also expressed the hope that Adelaide and the State would flourish under what to him would be the wisest and greatest advance in the history of Australia — Federation of the Colonies. He died at his home, "Walmer", Castle Road,
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, and was buried nearby.


Author, journalist and playwright

Reeve wrote an autobiography ''From Life'', which contains reminiscences of his theatrical experiences, compiled from articles in ''
The Australasian The ''Australasian Post'', commonly called the ''Aussie Post'', was Australia's longest-running weekly picture magazine. History and profile Its origins are traceable to Saturday, 3 January 1857, when the first issue of ''Bell's Life in Victori ...
'' and other sources. He was a regular contributor to ''The Register'' on developments in English theatre. He wrote for the '' Victorian Review'', He wrote an essay on Wilkie Collins for ''
Chambers's Journal ''Chambers's Edinburgh Journal'' was a weekly 16-page magazine started by William Chambers in 1832. The first edition was dated 4 February 1832, and priced at one penny. Topics included history, religion, language, and science. William was so ...
'', the only biography of the novelist published in his lifetime. He also contributed an article entitled ''Sam Bough. R.S.A.'' in Chambers's Journal of October 30, 1902. Apart from his early farces, ''An Australian Hoax'' and ''Supper Gratis'' mentioned above, Reeve was author of the comedies ''Only Dust'', ''Never Count Your Chickens'', ''Parted'', ''The Better Angel'', ''I Have You'', ''Won at Last'', ''Not So Bad After All'', ''Pike O'Callaghan'' and ''Obliging a Friend'' and dramatized Mrs. Riddell's ''George Geith'' and, with the acquiescence of Wilkie Collins, ''Great Temptation'', his adaptation of ''
No Name No Name or Noname may refer to: Geography *No Name, Colorado * No Name Key, an island among the Florida Keys * No Name Tunnel, located near the same named town in Colorado Art, entertainment, and media *No-Name (character), a fictional character i ...
''. He adapted
Rosa Praed Rosa Campbell Praed (; 26 March 1851 – 10 April 1935), often credited as Mrs. Campbell Praed (and also known as ''Rosa Caroline Praed''), was an Australian novelist in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Her large bibliography covered multiple ...
's ''Policy and Passion'' for the stage, and as ''Passion'' was first performed in 1884.


Other interests

Reeve not only played, but also studied Shakespeare, and it was his aim to bring about a greater appreciation of the works of "The Bard", and as manager of the Theatre Royal always aimed at the highest standards of production. He was involved with the Adelaide University Shakespeare Society in a number of ways, notably as a lecturer and critic. In a farewell speech, Sir Samuel Way said the society had been exceedingly fortunate in having had for so many years the services and advice of a man of such high culture, who had made a lifelong study of Shakespeare's works. He was a popular lecturer on subjects dear to his heart, and frequently preached from the pulpit of the Unitarian Church on
Wakefield Street, Adelaide Wakefield Street is a main thoroughfare intersecting Adelaide city centre, the centre of the South Australian capital, Adelaide, from east to west at its midpoint. It crosses Victoria Square, Adelaide, Victoria Square in the centre of the city, ...
. Reeve was the first captain of the Corps of Commissionaires, a body of the citizens' militia in Adelaide, and as with the Theatre Royal, was succeeded by Pollock.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeve, Wybert 1830s births 1906 deaths 19th-century English male actors English male stage actors 19th-century English dramatists and playwrights Australian theatre managers and producers Colony of South Australia people 19th-century Australian businesspeople