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Mr Dickens and Master Betty
By Alan Stockwell
Vesper Hawk Publishing £7.95
190 pages
Dateline: 16th August, 2010
In 1838 Charles Dickens edited and rewrote the memoirs of the great
clown Joseph Grimaldi from a version already edited from a manuscript
dictated by the man himself. Alan Stockwell in this novel imagines him
doing something similar three years earlier, when, having honed his
shorthand in Doctor's Commons, he has become a parliamentary reporter
for the Morning Chronicle. In this case it is William Betty who engages
him to take down his memoirs, which he intends to publish to help support
his son's debut as an actor.
Betty had been famous; this would have been a celebrity memoir, had
it ever been written. He planned it to boost the fledgling career of
his son, about to make his debut as an actor at Gravesend. But who was
Betty?
You've probably heard of him, but probably under the sobriquet with
which was so often blazoned on the playbills of the years of his greatest
success 1804-1806: 'The Young Roscius.' At that time he was the highest
paid performer on the British stage. He packed the Theatres Royal of
both Drury Lane and Covent Garden when, at thirteen or fourteen years
old, he appeared in such leading roles in the popular repertoire of
the days as Hamlet, Romeo, Rolla in Pizarro and Norval in Douglas.
Stockwell has imagined Betty dictating a text which he presents as
they may have been worked up by Dickens, as a third person narrative,
and presents it interspersed with dialogues between the middle-aged
Betty and his amanuensis. These dialogues entertainingly allow a further
exploration of the character of both men and introduce a picture of
Dickens's early life as well as giving an opportunity for comment on
Betty's contemporaries which might have been deemed inappropriate in
a public publication.
The memoirs themselves, if not the most beautifully crafted piece of
writing - and of course, they are presented as a reworked version of
Betty's dictation, not a polished piece of authorship - are cleverly
constructed and full of information about the theatre and personalities
of the period and are an imaginative presentation of considerable research.
They also form a touching story of a child being exploited by a parent,
of a career that faltered with the loss of childish treble. Despite
his proud primness he seems extremely likeable and indeed is known to
have lived modestly and to have devoted himself to good works and theatrical
charities after his early but comfortable retirement from the stage
in his thirties following an unsuccessful attempt to launch a fresh
stage career after university at Cambridge and service as a cavalry
captain.
If you have an interest in theatre and don't already know about Master
Betty, The Young Roscius, you will find this a fascinating story and
a 'good read.' Even if you are aware of his brief fame you will almost
certainly find plenty of information here to intrigue you together with
an amusing picture of the somewhat prickly nature of Mr Betty and Mr
Dickens imaginary relationship.
Howard Loxton
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