Mr Beverley

Mr Beverley (fl. mid 19th century) was a visiting actor.

F.C.L. Bosman (1980) refers to a "Mr Beverley" in two different contexts, but given the proximity of the dates one could assume that he is probably speaking of the same person.

Biography

Could this possibly have been the English actor and "low comedian" Henry Roxby Beverley (1790–1863)[1]? He was almost certainly the "Mr Beverley" mentioned as member of the cast of the original performance of Moncrieff's Shipwreck of the Medusa, or The Fatal Wreck at the Royal Coburg Theatre in 1830, playing "Widow Gabrielle". Possibly not, for if it were him, he would have been in South Africa shortly before his death at the age of 73.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

A Mr Beverley is first mentioned as a member of J.E.H. English's company in 1858, specifically so in the role of "Fabien di Franchi" (one of the ghosts of the twin brothers) in their production of The Corsican Brothers 21 September and 1 October).

A Mr Beverley is also cited as a member of the Alfred Dramatic Club (later the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club) in the period 1862, and referred to as specializing as a singer and dancer. Here too he is mentioned by name in the programme, in this case for a joint production by Royal Alfred Dramatic Club and the Cape Town Dramatic Club of Helping Hands (Taylor) and No!!! (Clarence), on 2 and 9 September, 1862, when he sang a song as an interlude.

Though it is most likely that they were the same person, the Volksblad of 1862 reported that said that the latter had only recently arrived in the country and that this was his "first appearance in South Africa".