Henry James Byron

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Henry James Byron (8 January 1835 – 11 April 1884) was a prolific English dramatist, as well as a writer and actor.

[edit] Biography

Byron was born in Manchester, England, the son of Henry Byron, at one time British consul at Port-au-Prince. Byron entered the Middle Temple as a student in 1858 but soon took to writing for the stage and produced many popular burlesques and extravaganzas. He joined a provincial company as an actor but had little success, although he continued to act for years, chiefly in his own plays. He is described by Jim Davis as the most prolific playwright of the mid-Victorian period. He also wrote for periodicals, and was the first editor of Fun magazine. He also founded the short-lived Comic Trials and wrote a novel, Paid in Full (1865).

In 1865, he joined Marie Wilton in the management of the Prince of Wales's Theatre. Here several of his pieces were produced with success; but, upon his severing the partnership two years later, and starting management on his own account in the provinces, he lost money. Among Byron's early successess were The Lady of Lyons, or, Twopenny Pride and Pennytence; Bluebeard from a New Point of Hue; and Esmeralda, or, The Sensation Goat, all in rhymed couplets.[1]

Later, he wrote prose comedies, including Cyril's Success (1868), The Upper Crust (starring J. L. Toole), and his greatest success, Our Boys (1875-79, Vaudeville Theatre). With 1,362 performances, Our Boys set the record for the longest-running play in history and held it for almost two decades. In 1878, he co-wrote a highly successful charity piece, The Forty Thieves, together with Robert Reece, W. S. Gilbert and F. C. Burnand.

During the last few years of his life Byron was in frail health, and he died in Clapham, England, at the age of 49. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ From Stedman, Jane. W.S. Gilbert: A Classic Victorian and His Theatre Oxford University Press, 1996

[edit] References

  • Jim Davis (Cambridge University Press, 1984) Plays by H. J. Byron, with The Babes in the Wood, The Lancashire Lass, Our Boys, and the Gaiety Gulliver.
  • This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London, J.M. Dent & sons; New York, E.P. Dutton.