Upstart actor plays Hamlet

Charles Young was a shining star of the stage and so a huge catch for Newcastle’s Theatre Royal. He had become famous for his performance in Shakespeare’s tragedies, particularly in the part of Hamlet.

The well-educated Young was also famous as an arch rival to that other major Shakespearean actor of the day, the slightly more rough-diamond, Edmund Kean.

Eton-educated Mr Young was a big star, you can sense from this 1830 playbill from the British Library collection. It's clear that the manager of the Theatre Royal is proud to have secured his services in three roles.

The Danish Prince was the one in which Young shone most brightly, in a performance unsurpassed or according to the playbill 'unrivalled' by other notable actors.

His first London appearance in the role of Hamlet was in 1807. As his reputation grew so did a rivalry between Young and the equally famous but more established actor Edmund Kean, who reportedly liked the odd drink.

It all came to a head in 1822 when Young was hired to play Iago opposite Kean as Othello at the Drury Lane theatre in London.

In a letter at the time Kean writes indignantly: “…is Mr Young to act Iago with me….did Mr Young’s Hamlet ever bring to the treasury the same Money that mine has: is there any Country manager (that) will give Mr Young £10 for his acting Hamlet (?)…I am prepared for war….” And he professes to be tired of pimps and sycophants.

There was no escaping the on stage showdown at Drury Lane. Playbills were posted all over London, it was described as a night of 'mighty expectation' and like any prize fight the reviewers concentrated on the differing physical characteristics of the players.

Newcastle's old Theatre Royal c1827 (c) Newcastle City Library

In one corner, the working class fighter, in another the well-educated aristocrat. Although both had merits, in the end the 'fierce, ungovernable, dangerous' Kean is held by most, but not all, to be the victor.

Young, it’s reported, was not at all disappointed with the outcome – nor presumably was the theatre as the clash would have been box office dynamite!

In the future Kean was to avoid opportunities to be compared with his rival.

During one of his tours, Kean discovered that Young is scheduled to play the same part after the other actor had finished the run of performances.

Kean sees red and says if this goes ahead he will not fulfill his engagement. Eventually, the theatre backs down.

Later Mr Young left Drury Lane and here we catch him appearing in Newcastle. Perhaps the encounter with Kean and intervening years added a complexity to his interpretation of Prince Hamlet.

Certainly the author of this playbill is convinced he’s a box office draw as he prepared to pay the price for having a star of such status.