James Lycett

LYCETT, James: Influential Freemason and leader of Lycett’s Company, Lycett and family arrived in the Cape from England in 1848. Arrived in Cape Town in 1848 and shortly afterwards organised an English amateur company. In 1849 Lycett fitted up Haupt’s wine store in Hope Street as a theatre. The opening performance was Shakespeare’s King Richard the Third with Lycett as “Richard”. Other members of his company included Mr Shaw, Mr Brannigan, Mr R. Dunne, Mr A. Baker and Miss Blakemore. They also performed in the Drury Lane Theatre in July 1850. Lycett re-introduced the Cape to Shakespeare and was apparently the leading spirit in Cape amateur theatricals. However, after a number of performances between 1850 and 1852, including Richard the Third, he seemed to have become otherwise occupied for a while, at least till after Sefton Parry’s arrival in 1855. [TH, JH]

Sources

Bosman, 1928

Bosman, 1980;

Laidler, 1926;

Du Toit, 1988

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