James Lycett
(18**-18**)Influential Freemason, hotelier(?) and amateur actor and manager.
Biography
Born in England, he had been an amateur actor in Stratford upon Avon, and had acquired a love of Shakespeare.
Lycett and his family arrived in the Cape from England in 1848. It appears that he lived in, owned or managed the London Hotel in Cape Town, since theatre tickets could be obtained from him there. He was also a Freemason, and on his arrival in Cape Town became the Noble Grandmaster of a newly founded Lodge in Bree Street. Lycett re-introduced the Cape to Shakespeare and was apparently the leading spirit in Cape amateur theatricals.
His contribution to South African theatre
Shortly after his arrival in Cape Town, he organised an English amateur company, often referred to as Lycett's Company, to raise funds for the Masonic Lodge.
Initially, in 1848, he may have performed something in the Drury Lane Theatre, but in 1849 he fitted up Haupt's wine store at 21 Hope Street as a theatre. The opening performance was (possibly?) Shakespeare’s Richard the Third with Lycett as "Richard". They repeated this performance in the Drury Lane Theatre in July 1850.
Lycett established his name in Cape Town theatre with a full-length Richard III, presented in Haupt's wine store, 21 Hope Street, in 1849. The female characters were played by women, apart from the Duchess of York, who was portrayed by a Mr Charles Spolander, "a butcher of Buitengracht Street" whose "soft voice . . . was just suited to that pathetic character" (Racster 23). Other members of his company included Mr Shaw, Mr Brannigan, Mr R. Dunne, Mr A. Baker and Miss Blakemore.
However, after a number of performances between 1850 and 1852, he seemed to have become otherwise occupied for a while, at least till after Sefton Parry’s arrival in 1855.
Lycett was accidentally wounded on stage in 1858 while playing Macduff to Sefton Parry's Macbeth.
[TH, JH]
Sources
F.C.L. Bosman, 1928: pp. 412-428; 480-503.
F.C.L. Bosman, 1980:
Laidler, 1926;
Du Toit, 1988
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