Ho, ho, HO! What a HOOT! Thanks, Larry, for sharing this! --- Larry Coats <larcoa@aspermont.esc14.net> wrote: > Let me post my caveat first regarding this > entry....Robert Coates may > not have left any progeny, but I simply could not > resist posting this. > My wife is an inveterate collector of trivia and in > the course of this > mania of hers, she picked up a book and I found this > article only last > night(and please don't ask for the title...you might > get the wrong idea > about me<g>): > > "THE WORLD'S WORST ACTOR" > > Robert "Romeo" Coates. Background: born in Antigua, > Coates had dark, > exotic looks that stood out in a British crowd. But > he didn't rely on > nature to attract attention--he dressed in costumes > covered with > diamonds and feathers. In 1807, a few days before > his stage debut in > Bath, England, he arrived in town--in a > diamond-studded carriage shaped > like a seashell. > > Claim to fame: Coates became wildly popular in > England for butchering > Shakespeare. As Margaret Nicholas writes in THE > WORLD'S GREATEST CRANKS > AND CRACKPOTS: > 'He constantly forgot his lines, invented scenes as > he went along, and > turned to address the audience whenever he thought > it was getting out of > hand. If he enjoyed playing a scene, he would quite > happily repeat it > three or four times. He loved dramatic death scenes > and had no qualms > about "breathing his last" several times over. > Exasperated playgoers > would yell, "Why don't you die?" > > One night during ROMEO AND JULIET, Coates dashed off > stage and returned > with a crowbar...which he used to pry open Juliet's > tomb. He considered > it an improvement on Shakespeare. > > At another performance, someone hurled a fighting > cock on stage (in > "tribute" to Coates' motto, "while I live, I'll > crow.")The bird pecked > at Coates' feet, but the actor delivered his > romantic speech without > missing a beat. > > Coates proved that bad acting can be very > profitable. > > Nicholas writes: > 'His fame spread and soon he was playing to packed > houses. People would > travel great distances to see if he really was as > bad as everyone > reported. He became such an attraction that even > the Prince Regent went > to see him. > When he played the part of Lothario in Rowe's THE > FAIR PENITENT at > London's Haymarket Theater, at least a thousand > people had to be turned > away....At another performance....his acting was so > poor that several > people laughed themselves ill and had to be helped > outside into the > fresh air and treated by a doctor.' > > Eventually the rowdy crowds became a problem. No > actress, for fear of > injury, would play Juliet opposite Coates' Romeo(his > favorite role). > And theater owners became less willing to risk > damage to their > property. He often had to bribe them just to get a > part in their plays. > > Without the income from acting to support his lavish > style, Coates went > bankrupt. He was killed in 1848, at age 75, when he > was run down by a > hansom taxi." > > Well, folks, I was a little appalled when I read > this. I teach a > considerable amount of Shakespeare in my Honors/AP > English classes. > Moreover, I also handle Theatre Arts classes and our > school's One-Act > Play productions. I can certify to you, therefore, > that this Robert > Coates is NOT in my particular lineage! :-) ) > > OK, Charlotte, you may beat me for wasting bandwidth > or being off-topic, > but I couldn't resist this one. I mean, if it > weren't for the > occasional oddball, crazy, or lunatic, wouldn't > genealogy get to be > boring??!! <g> > And.... > my apologies to The Bard for having brought to light > the wholesale > mangling of his work! > Regards to all, > > > > > > > -- > Larry D. Hamilton Coats > P.O. Box 823 > Aspermont, TX 79502 > > > > ==== COATES Mailing List ==== > Coates, Coate, Coats Digital Archive: > http://www.rootsquest.com/~coatsfar > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/