MATURIN (Charles).
Bertram; or, the Castle of St. Aldobrand; a Tragedy in Five Acts.
“Maturin wrote his play [Bertram] in 1814, inspired by Richard Lalor Sheil’s Adelaide, which had enjoyed a great success at the Crow Street Theatre, Dublin. Worried that a Dublin production would injure his clerical reputation, Maturin turned to [Walter] Scott for advice. Scott judiciously excised a scene in which the devil appears bodily on stage, and, after first trying John Kemble, sent the play to Byron, then on the newly formed management committee for Drury Lane. Byron was entranced by the text, and gave it to George Lamb, who also could not put it down. The play opened on 9 May 1816, and was a sensation, running to over forty performances. Murray published the amended version of the play, and even at the exorbitant price of 4s. 6d. it went through at least seven editions within the year. Maturin received £350 from Murray, and £500 for his share of the box office. He visited London for a week in late May 1816 after the committee invited him to the capital to be lionized, but was intensely disappointed by his reception. It was Maturin’s only trip outside Ireland.” (ODNB).
A good copy, rubbed, especially to boards and corners, joints a little cracked.
