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Frank Albert Marshall wrote light plays and produced other people's plays successfully in the 1870's.
He married an actress, two different times. He was very involved in British
Catholic organizations, and would quote saints and cardinals in his essays.
| Widowed in February, 1885 |
Remarried in May, 1885 |
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THEATRICAL GOSSIP.
WE regret to have to announce the death of the wife of Mr
F. A. Marshall, the well-known dramatist, which took place on
Saturday last. Mrs Marshall's appearance in her husband's
five-act opera Biorn at the Queen's Theatre in January, 1877,
will be in the remembrance of our readers.
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The popular actress Miss Ada Cavenish was
yesterday married to Mr. Frank Marshall, the
well-known dramatist and dramatic critic. The
lady will, it is understood, not retire from the
profession.
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What grew into a series of lectures to the Young Men's Catholic Association
became a book: A study of Hamlet (1875), and Marshall's
devotion to Shakespeare became more pronounced. He began a
series of "definitive" Shakespeare texts with the legendary actor Henry Irving.
Marshall, though, was the industrious half of the partnership. It was
completed in eight volumes, the last two appearing after his death when multiple
editors took up the work he had begun.
The editors of two newspapers took the same obituary for Marshall, and gave different presentations.
We have here combined the two incomplete articles to make one full one:
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DEATH OF MR. FRANK MARSHALL. — It is with
regret that we announce the death of Mr. Frank
Marshall, the well-known dramatist and
Shakespearean critic, which occurred at noon on Saturday,
at his residence, 18, Bloomsbury-square,
London. Mr. Marshall had been ill for five weeks
from jaundice. At one time he seemed to be
recovering, but a relapse unfortunately set in. Mr.
Marshall was the brother of Mr. W. J. Marshall,
Patterdale Hall, being the youngest son of the late
Member of Parliament for East Cumberland.
He spent the summer of 1888 at
Place Fell House, Patterdale. He was
born in London in 1840, and was educated at
Harrow and Oxford, but did not take a degree at
the University. By competition he was appointed
a clerk in the Audit Office, Somerset douse, but
resigned in 1868, after six years' work. Mr.
Marshall worked actively as a journalist from 1862 to
1870, and published an unfinished novel, "L. S. D.,"
in the Britannia Magazine. He was best known,
however, as a dramatist. Among his plays may
be mentioned Mad as a Hatter, Corrupt Practices,
Q. E. D., a comedietta; False Shame, an original
comedy in three acts, which achieved a great success.
Since then he produced Brighton, a comedy
in four acts, founded on Howard's Saratoga (played
300 nights in the metropolis); and, in conjunction
with Mr. W. H. Wills, Cora, founded on Belot's
Article 47; Biorn, a romantic opera; and Lola, a
comic opera in two acts. In 1875 he published the
first of a series of Shakespearean studies — a
"Study of Hamlet." A comedy of his, Family
Honour, was produced at the Aquarium Theatre in
1878. Mr. Marshall's latest work was the editing
— doing the lion's share — of the "Henry Irving
Shakespeare." During his illness Mr. Joseph Knight took Mr.
Marshall's place.
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In 1879, Marshall took a break from playwriting and dramatic criticism to respond to an accusation
that theatre was corrupting British society. He posited that society
corrupts theatre, not the other way round. He didn't seem to think it possible that they were
influencing each other. This piece (presented in two halves) was
published in Theatre Magazine, which also published most of his
fiction.
"The influence of society on the stage" (1879)
In 1880, Routledge's Christmas Annual was called "The green room," and was
devoted to either stories with a theatrical theme, or to stories by theatre
folk. This included probably Marshall's best short story:
"'Nothing succeeds like success'" (1880)
1884 brought a star-studded celebration of The Bard of Avon at the Royal Albert Hall, called "The Shakspeare Show".
The accompanying Shakspeare Show-book included a surprisingly light-hearted skit
by Marshall in which "William Shakspere" has difficulty getting Hamlet produced.
"Shakspere at a discount, an anachromism in one scene" (1884)
A couple of Theatre Magazine Annuals included some weak and old-fashioned stories by
Marshall. Reading how obvious and melodramatic they are, one should not be surprised by the arising
fin-de-siècle movement to create a more natural literature.
"The old oak closet" (1885)
"The 'Rannerdale mystery' solved at last" (1886)
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