John Lacy (playwright)
Encyclopedia
John Lacy was an English comic actor and playwright during the Restoration
era. In his own time he gained a reputation as "the greatest comedian of his day" and was the favorite comic of King Charles II
.
; in 1631 he became an apprentice of John Ogilby
, when Ogilby was functioning as what was then called a "dancing master" — roughly the equivalent of a modern dance teacher and choreographer. Lacy's stage career began by 1639, when he was a member of Beeston's Boys
.
Lacy joined the royalist forces in the English Civil War
, and was commissioned an officer (lieutenant and quartermaster). After the English Interregnum
period, once Charles II returned to the throne and the London theatres re-opened, Lacy became an actor with the newly-formed King's Company
.
Lacy quickly evolved into a popular comedian; Samuel Pepys
admired and enjoyed his work, as he recorded in his Diary. On May 21, 1662, Pepys saw Lacy in as the title character in a play called The French Dancing-Mistress; on the next day he saw Lacy as Johnny Thump in James Shirley
's Love in a Maze
. On June 12, 1663, Pepys saw Lacy in Sir Robert Howard
's The Committee, and praised Lacy's acting in the role of the Irish footman Teague as "beyond imagination;" on August 13, 1667, Pepys saw the same play, and called Lacy's part "so well performed that it would set off anything." Pepys saw Lacy in his own Sauny the Scot on April 9, 1667.
Lacy was also known for the role of Galliard in the Duke of Newcastle's play The Variety, and Scruple in John Wilson's The Cheats. He played roles in Ben Jonson
's comedies: Ananias in The Alchemist
, Captain Otter in Epicene
, and Sir Politic Would-Be in Volpone
. According to Sir George Etheredge, Lacy was the lover of Nell Gwyn
along with the King's Company star Charles Hart
. After a serious illness in 1668, Lacy recovered and returned to the stage, though he performed less often than before.
Lacy was more of an adapter than an original artist, however (a not-unusual trait among Restoration dramatists). Sauny the Scot is a prose version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
. In Lacy's version, Grumio becomes Sauny, a clown who dominates the play, and a role played by Lacy himself. Sir Hercules Buffoon draws upon Philip Massinger
's The City Madam
and A New Way to Pay Old Debts
. The Dumb Lady derives from Molière
's Le Médecin malgré lui
.
. The King and Queen were in the audience, along with the Duke of York
and his Duchess, and "all the Court". During the performance, Lacy improvised some lines about corruption at Court and the selling of offices. The King was so angry that he had the company banned from performing; and Lacy was incarcerated. Lacy was released on April 20, and had a confrontation with "Ned" Howard; Lacy unreasonably blamed Howard for the trouble he'd gotten himself into with the King. The two theatre men came to blows: Howard hit Lacy in his face with a glove, and Lacy responded by striking Howard over the head with his cane.
The actors prevailed upon the King to allow them to return to the stage, and Lacy was soon forgiven.
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
era. In his own time he gained a reputation as "the greatest comedian of his day" and was the favorite comic of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.
Life
Lacy was born in or near DoncasterDoncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
; in 1631 he became an apprentice of John Ogilby
John Ogilby
John Ogilby was a Scottish translator, impresario and cartographer. Best known for publishing the first British road atlas, he was also a successful translator, noted for publishing his work in handsome illustrated editions.-Life:Ogilby was born in or near Killemeare in November 1600...
, when Ogilby was functioning as what was then called a "dancing master" — roughly the equivalent of a modern dance teacher and choreographer. Lacy's stage career began by 1639, when he was a member of Beeston's Boys
Beeston's Boys
Beeston's Boys was the popular and colloquial name of The King and Queen's Young Company, a troupe of boy actors of the Caroline period, active mainly in the years 1637–1642.-Origin:...
.
Lacy joined the royalist forces in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, and was commissioned an officer (lieutenant and quartermaster). After the English Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
period, once Charles II returned to the throne and the London theatres re-opened, Lacy became an actor with the newly-formed King's Company
King's Company
The King's Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London at the start of the English Restoration. It existed from 1660 to 1682.-History:...
.
Lacy quickly evolved into a popular comedian; Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
admired and enjoyed his work, as he recorded in his Diary. On May 21, 1662, Pepys saw Lacy in as the title character in a play called The French Dancing-Mistress; on the next day he saw Lacy as Johnny Thump in James Shirley
James Shirley
James Shirley was an English dramatist.He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so much for any transcendent genius in himself, as that he was the last of a great race, all of whom spoke nearly...
's Love in a Maze
Love in a Maze
The Changes, or Love in a Maze is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy of manners written by James Shirley, first published in 1639. It was one of Shirley's most popular comedies, especially in the Restoration era...
. On June 12, 1663, Pepys saw Lacy in Sir Robert Howard
Robert Howard (playwright)
Sir Robert Howard was an English playwright and politician, born to Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire and his wife Elizabeth.-Life:...
's The Committee, and praised Lacy's acting in the role of the Irish footman Teague as "beyond imagination;" on August 13, 1667, Pepys saw the same play, and called Lacy's part "so well performed that it would set off anything." Pepys saw Lacy in his own Sauny the Scot on April 9, 1667.
Lacy was also known for the role of Galliard in the Duke of Newcastle's play The Variety, and Scruple in John Wilson's The Cheats. He played roles in Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
's comedies: Ananias in The Alchemist
The Alchemist (play)
The Alchemist is a comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson. First performed in 1610 by the King's Men, it is generally considered Jonson's best and most characteristic comedy; Samuel Taylor Coleridge claimed that it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature...
, Captain Otter in Epicene
Epicoene, or the Silent Woman
Epicœne, or The silent woman, also known as The Epicene, is a comedy by Renaissance playwright Ben Jonson. It was originally performed by the Blackfriars Children, a group of boy players, in 1609...
, and Sir Politic Would-Be in Volpone
Volpone
Volpone is a comedy by Ben Jonson first produced in 1606, drawing on elements of city comedy, black comedy and beast fable...
. According to Sir George Etheredge, Lacy was the lover of Nell Gwyn
Nell Gwyn
Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn was a long-time mistress of King Charles II of England. Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys, she has been regarded as a living embodiment of the spirit of Restoration England and has come to be considered a folk heroine, with a story echoing the rags-to-royalty tale of...
along with the King's Company star Charles Hart
Charles Hart (17th-century actor)
Charles Hart was a prominent British Restoration actor.A Charles Hart was christened on 11 December 1625, in the parish of St. Giles Cripplegate, in London. It is not absolutely certain that this was the actor, though the name was not common at the time...
. After a serious illness in 1668, Lacy recovered and returned to the stage, though he performed less often than before.
Plays
Lacy is credited with the authorship of four plays:- Sauny the Scot (acted 1667; printed 1698)
- The Dumb Lady, or The Farrier Made Physician (printed 1672)
- The Old Troop, or Monsier Ragou (printed 1672)
- Sir Hercules Buffoon, or The Poetical Squire (printed 1684).
Lacy was more of an adapter than an original artist, however (a not-unusual trait among Restoration dramatists). Sauny the Scot is a prose version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
. In Lacy's version, Grumio becomes Sauny, a clown who dominates the play, and a role played by Lacy himself. Sir Hercules Buffoon draws upon Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including A New Way to Pay Old Debts, The City Madam and The Roman Actor, are noted for their satire and realism, and their political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
's The City Madam
The City Madam
The City Madam is a Caroline era comedy written by Philip Massinger. It was licensed by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on May 25, 1632, and was acted by the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre. It was printed in quarto in 1658 by the stationer Andrew Pennycuicke, who identified...
and A New Way to Pay Old Debts
A New Way to Pay Old Debts
A New Way to Pay Old Debts is a play of English Renaissance drama, the most popular drama of Philip Massinger. Its central chararacter, Sir Giles Overreach, became one of the more popular villains on English and American stages through the 19th century.-Performance:Massinger most likely wrote the...
. The Dumb Lady derives from Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's Le Médecin malgré lui
Le Médecin malgré lui
Le Médecin malgré lui is a comedy by Molière.-Characters:*Sganarelle, a woodcutter*Martine, Sganarelle's wife*Géronte, a wealthy bourgeois*Lucinde, Géronte's daughter...
.
Trouble
His popularity with Charles II did not prevent Lacy from getting into significant trouble at one point in his career. On April 15, 1667, Pepys saw Lacy play in The Change of Crowns, by Edward HowardEdward Howard (playwright)
Edward Howard was an English dramatist and author of the Restoration era. He was the fifth son of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire, and one of four playwriting brothers: Sir Robert Howard, Colonel Henry Howard, and James Howard were the others...
. The King and Queen were in the audience, along with the Duke of York
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
and his Duchess, and "all the Court". During the performance, Lacy improvised some lines about corruption at Court and the selling of offices. The King was so angry that he had the company banned from performing; and Lacy was incarcerated. Lacy was released on April 20, and had a confrontation with "Ned" Howard; Lacy unreasonably blamed Howard for the trouble he'd gotten himself into with the King. The two theatre men came to blows: Howard hit Lacy in his face with a glove, and Lacy responded by striking Howard over the head with his cane.
The actors prevailed upon the King to allow them to return to the stage, and Lacy was soon forgiven.