John Culme's Footlight Notes � Henrietta Hodson (1841?-1910), English actress <henriettahodson.html> (original) (raw)

'HODSON, HENRIETTA, had earned some repute as an actress in the provinces, chiefly in burlesque, previous to her d�but in London, which took place in the second season of Miss Marie Wilson's (Mrs. Bancroft) management of the Prince of Wales's Theatre, December 26, 1866, in the character of Prometheus in H.J. Byron's Pandora's Box, designated by the author "a grand new Christmas comicality." In the following year Miss Henrietta Hodson was engaged at the Queen's Theatre, Long Acre, and appeared there on the opening night, October 24, 1867, in an unimportant characters (Jacintha) in Charles Reade's drama The Double Marriage, the late Mr. Alfred Wigan in the leading r�le, Captain Raynal. The same season at the same theatre she acted Arabella Fotheringay in The First Night, the same actor playing Achille Talma Dufard, one of his most important impersonations. On January 8, 1868, at the same theatre, Miss Hodson was in the "original" cast (the play had been essayed at Liverpool with a view to presenting it on the London stage) of H.J. Byron's Dearer than Life as Lucy. Mr. [J.L.] Toole, Mr. [Henry], Mr. [Charles] Wyndham, Mr. [John] Clayton, Mr. Lionel Brough, Mrs. [Edward] Dyas, took part in the performance. Miss Hodson appeared in the original cast of the same author's play The Lancashire Lass, first performed at the same theatre July 24, 1868. She also acted, during the term of her engagement here, in various extravaganzas and burlesques, La Vivandi�re (W.S. Gilbert), The Stranger ([Robert] Reece), The Gnome King ([William] Brough). On May 29, 1869, she took part in the first performance, at the same theatre, of Burnand's play The Turn of the Tide, which had a considerable success. In the following year (January 1870), at the same theatre, she was in the original cast of Tom Taylor's play 'Twixt Axe and Crown, the late Mrs. [Clara] Rousby in the leading r�le. Completing her engagement at the Queen's Theatre August 10, 1870, on the 3rd of the following month she opened the Royalty Theatre under her management with a comedy by H.T. Craven and a burlesque by F.C. Burnand. During the year following she acted in various pieces, chiefly burlesque, at that theatre, and in 1872 returned to the Queen's, "opening" January 8 at Nydia the blind girl in John Oxenford's version of Lord Lytton's Last Days of Pompeii. During the same year at the same theatre Miss Hodson played certain parts in the so-called "legitimate" drama: Virginia (Virginius), Imogen (Cymbeline), &c.; Of the latter character she gave "a tender and graceful representation, failing only to convey those subtle shades of character, duly to embody which needs an actress of highest intellect and culture. She exhibited much grace and not a little intelligence, but no inspiration." (Athen�um, April 6, 1872.) Since this date Miss Hodson has appeared at various theatres in London and the provinces, one of her most successful later impersonations being that of Dick Wastrell, in a romantic drama in five acts entitled Old London, adapted from Les Chevaliers du Brouillard (a French dramatization of Harrison Ainsworth's Jack Sheppard), produced at the Queen's theatre in February 1873. She was also very successful in a revival of Pygmalion and Galatea at the Haymarket, in January 1877, in the character of Cynisca. Miss Henrietta Hodson is an actress of ability, and has proved herself competent and painstaking in various branches of her art.' (Charles E. Pascoe, editor, The Dramatic List, David Bogue, London, 1880, pp.180 and 181)