Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement/Barrett, Wilson
BARRETT, WILSON [originally William Henry] (1846–1904), actor and dramatist, born at the Manor House Farm, near Chelmsford, Essex, on 18 Feb. 1846, was eldest son of George Barrett, a farmer, by his wife and cousin Charlotte Mary Wood. The family was of old Hertfordshire descent. Two brothers, George Edward (1848-1894), an excellent low comedian, and Robert Reville (d. 1893), with a sister, Mary Brunell, were also on the stage, and the three were in 1872 members of Barrett's travelling company.
Owing to family reverses, Barrett began life as a printer in London, but in 1864 made his first appearance on the stage at the Theatre Royal, Halifax, where he was engaged for 'general utility.' He was seen three months later at the Adelphi theatre, Liverpool, and shortly afterwards, purchasing a 'fit-up' theatre, he started management at Burnley in Lancashire with disastrous results. Returning to stock work, he played 'the heavy business' at Nottingham, under Mrs. Saville. At Aberdeen he met on a starring visit Caroline Heath (1835-1887), actress and reader to the Queen, and after a short wooing he married her at Brechin on 31 July 1866. For many years he lent support to his wife's leading roles, and her reputation overshadowed his.
On 26 June 1867, at the Surrey theatre, London, Barrett played at very short notice Tom Robinson in 'It's never too late to mend,' in place of Richard Shepherd, the actor-manager, who had lost his voice. On 29 June he performed Archibald Carlyle to Miss Heath's Lady Isabelle in 'East Lynne.' In this role he was welcomed by the press as a painstaking newcomer to the London stage. For the autumn season of 1867 he joined F. B. Chatterton's company at Drury Lane, and subsequently travelled in the provinces with Miss Heath and a company of his own. He was at the Queen's, Dublin, in May 1869, and for the rest of the year at the Princess's, Edinburgh, playing Mephistopheles in 'Faust' on 9 Oct., Master Ford in 'The Merry Wives of Windsor,' and Triplet to Miss Heath's Peg Woffington on 10 Dec.
In 1874 Barrett became lessee and manager of the Amphitheatre, Leeds, and on 8 March 1875 first produced there W. G. Wills's drama 'Jane Shore,' with himself as Henry Shore and Miss Heath in the title character. Husband and wife toured in these characters with great success. The Amphitheatre, Leeds, was soon burnt down, to Barrett's loss, but in 1878 the Grand Theatre was built at Leeds by a syndicate, and Barrett becoming lessee opened the new house on 18 Nov. as Benedick in 'Much Ado.' Meanwhile in 1877 he had assumed control of the Theatre Royal, Hull, and both the theatres remained under his control during his career in London.
Barrett first became manager in London on 20 Sept. 1879, when he opened the Court Theatre, with his wife as chief actress. On 13 Oct. he created there the part of the Rev. Richard Capel in 'A Clerical Error,' the earliest play by Mr. Henry Arthur Jones to be produced in London. Barrett's wife soon withdrew from the stage owing to failing health (she died in retirement on 26 July 1887). Under Barrett's auspices at the Court, Madame Modjeska made her first appearance in London, playing Constance in 'Heartsease' on 1 May 1880, and speedily winning popularity. Barrett was Mercutio to her Juliet at the Court (26 March 1881) and Friar John to her Juana Esteban in Wills's tragedy 'Juana' (7 May). He had appeared as Romeo to her Juliet at the Alexandra, Liverpool (1 Sept. 1880).
On 4 June 1881 Barrett began his notable management of the Princess's Theatre with Madame Modjeska still in his company. His first conspicuous successes were achieved with Mr. G. R. Sims's melodramas 'The Lights o' London' (10 Sept.) and 'The Romany Rye' (10 June 1882). In both Barrett played the leading part with good effect, the first piece running for 286 nights. On 16 November Messrs. H. A. Jones and Henry Herman's excellent melodrama 'The Silver King' was first produced, and Barrett scored a triumph as Wilfred Denver, the piece running for 300 nights. W. G. Wills and Henry Herman's poetic drama 'Claudian,' with Barrett in the title-character, followed on 6 Dec. 1883 and maintained the tradition of success. The mounting of this play, with a sensational earthquake scene, was applauded by Ruskin, who wrote: 'With scene-painting like that, this Princess's Theatre might do more for art-teaching than all the galleries and professors of Christendom.' Barrett gave a striking impersonation of the boy-poet in Messrs. Jones and Herman's new one-act drama 'Chatterton' (22 May 1884). He revived 'Hamlet' (16 Oct.), and by his new readings and his youthful interpretation of the Prince provoked controversy; but he failed to satisfy rigorous critical standards. The production was repeated for 117 nights, by way of forcing a rivalry with (Sir) Henry Irving at the Lyceum (for analyses of Barrett's Hamlet see Clement Scott's Some Notable Hamlets and William Winter's Shadows of the Stage, second series (1893), chap, xxvii.). With the revival of 'Hamlet' Barrett's fortunes at the Princess's declined, and although his tenancy lasted another eighteen months, he thenceforth enjoyed few successes.
From an early period in his career he had essayed playwriting in addition to acting, and during his later sojourn at the Princess's and throughout his subsequent career he relied largely on Ms own pen for his plays, either in collaboration or alone. In 1885 he wrote, with Mr. H. A. Jones, 'Hoodman Blind,' a melodrama which ran for 171 nights (produced 18 August 1885), and also a romantic drama, 'The Lord Harry,' which he produced without success 18 Feb. 1886. With Mr. Sydney Grundy he wrote a blank verse tragedy, 'Clito,' which, though splendidly mounted, again failed to attract (produced 1 May 1886).
In the summer of 1886 Barrett left the Princess's heavily in debt, and went to America with his entire company and accessories. After producing 'Claudian' with success at the Star Theatre, New York, on 11 Oct. 1886, he made a profitable six months' tour. He revisited America five times: in 1890, 1893, 1894, 1895, and 1897, often for only a month or two, and producing there some new pieces from his own pen.
On 22 December 1887 Barrett began a brief management of the Globe Theatre in London. The venture began well with 'The Golden Ladder,' a drama by himself and Mr. George R. Sims. Morning performances of old plays were given early in 1888, and on 22 Feb. Barrett played Claude Melnotte for the first time in London. On 17 May he went back to the Princess's, opening there with 'Ben-my-Chree,' an adaptation of Mr. T. Hall Caine's novel 'The Deemster' by himself and the novelist. This was the beginning of a somewhat extended collaboration. Small success attended the production at the Princess's of ‘The Good Old Times,’ a play from the same pens (12 Feb. 1889), or of Barrett's own drama, ‘Now-a-days: a Tale of the Turf’ (28 Feb.).
On 4 December 1890, after his second American tour, he opened the new Olympic Theatre, London, with ‘The People's Idol,’ by himself and Victor Widnell. An impersonation of the Stranger in Thompson's old play of that title was followed on 21 April 1891 by ‘The Acrobat,’ Barrett's version of Dennery and Fournier's ‘Le Paillasse’ (1850). During a provincial tour he first played Othello at the Court Theatre, Liverpool, on 22 Oct. 1891. Barrett still retained control of the Grand Theatre, Leeds, and there he now brought out three new pieces of his own, ‘Pharaoh’ (29 Sept. 1892); his first, and best, version of Hall Caine's novel ‘The Manxman’ (22 August 1894), in which his Pete was probably the best of his later characterisations; and for the first time in England ‘The Sign of the Cross,’ an adroit amalgam of popular religion and crude melodrama (26 Aug. 1895), which had been originally produced at the Grand Opera House, St. Louis, on 27 March 1895.
On 4 January 1896 Barrett opened management of the Lyric Theatre, London, with ‘The Sign of the Cross,’ which ran prosperously for a year and restored his long precarious fortunes. There followed at the Lyric ‘The Daughters of Babylon,’ by himself (6 Feb. 1897). In May he was seen there as Virginius and Othello. After a last visit to America, and a first visit in 1898 to Australia, Barrett in 1899 succeeded Irving as manager of the Lyceum, but the experiment was a failure. A new drama by himself and Mr. L. N. Parker, ‘Man and His Makers’ (produced 7 Oct.), was unfavourably received, and revivals of ‘The Sign of the Cross,’ ‘Hamlet,’ and ‘Othello’ attracted small audiences.
Meanwhile he continued to bring out new pieces by himself at provincial houses. During 1902 he also paid a second visit to Australia, and on his return he brought out at the Adelphi in London (on 18 Dec.) ‘The Christian King,’ a piece of his own which was first seen at the Prince's, Bristol, 6 Nov. In this he played Alfred of Engleland. Next year he toured in ‘In the Middle of June,’ yet another of his dramas, first produced at Middlesbrough (11 June 1903). On 9 June 1904 he paid a three weeks' visit to the Shakespeare theatre, Liverpool, and after producing his last new play, ‘Lucky Durham,’ made his final appearance on the stage as Wilfred Denver. He died in a private hospital in London on 22 July after an operation for cancer, and was buried in Hampstead cemetery. He was survived by two sons, Frank and Alfred, and by a daughter, Dollie.
Barrett's features were cast in a classic mould and his presence was manly and graceful. Hence his predilection for classical impersonations. But his articulation suffered either from a defect in his utterance or from an affectation of delivery, and his method of acting was usually stilted. In melodrama he presented heroic fortitude with effect. His dramas made no pretence to literature. They aimed at stage effect and boldly picturesque characterisation without logical sequence or psychological consistency. His portrait as Hamlet was painted by Frank Holl, R.A. Besides the pieces by himself already mentioned he wrote (among many others) ‘Sister Mary,’ with Clement Scott (produced at Brighton 8 March 1886); and a dramatic version of Mr. Hall Caine's novel ‘The Bondman’ (produced at the Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, Dec. 1893). He also published one or two novels, based on his own plays.
[Arthur Goddard's Players of the Period, 1891; Boyle Lawrence's Celebrities of the Stage, 1899; J. C. Dibdin's Annals of the Edinburgh Stage, 1888; Notes and Queries, 11th ser. iii. 225 and 276; Broadbent's Annals of the Liverpool Stage; Dramatic Notes, 1881–1885; Theatre Magazine, Dec. 1891; Dramatic Year Book for 1892; Col. T. Allston Brown's History of the New York Stage, 1903; William Archer's Theatrical World for 1895; Daily Telegraph, 23 July 1904; New York Dramatic Mirror, 30 July 1904; private information.]