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IRA ALDRIDGE: Great African-American Actor

© Maisah B. Robinson, Ph.D.

At the close of many of his performances, Aldridge would play the guitar and sing an anti-slavery song. On final nights of his performances, he delivered addresses that focused on the injustices of slavery. In 1832, he distributed an address to the audience entitled "Willian Tell, the Swiss Patriot." Part of it read, "I risk my all upon thy power--Life--son--yea, country, too; To free my brethren, fetter'd slaves, From sinking in inglorious graves." He regularly contributed to the abolitionist movement and the Negro State Conventions.

Aldridge was famous for captivating his audiences. He became known as the African Roscius. After playing the limited number of black roles, he began to play non-black parts. The first non-black role he played before a foreign audience was Rolla. In August 1830 he played his first white European role as Captain Dirk Hatteraick in "Guy Mannering." Some of the additional plays that were added to his repertoire were "Bertram, or the Castle of St. Aldobrand," "The Merchant of Venice," "The Brigand, or Alessandro Massaroni," "Obi, or Three-fingered Jack," "The African's Vengeance," "Paul and Virginia," "The Siberian Exile," The Coronation Day of William IV," Valentine and Orson," and "Frankenstein, or the Man and Monster."

In April, 1833, Aldridge replaced the famous actor Edmund Kean as Othello at London's Covent Garden Theatre. Edmund Kean, whose signature role was Othello, died after collapsing on stage on March 25. Of Aldridge's performance as Othello, Marshall and Stock wrote in their biography:

"with characteristic courage, determination and dignity, Aldridge steps on to the stage of this great theatre, taking up the challenge….Those two days, 10th and 12, April 1833, will for ever be red-letter days in the history of world theatre and human progress, for in those days a lone Negro from an enslaved people challenged the great white actors in the very heart of their Empire, in their own Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, in one of the greatest roles conceived by Shakespeare."

After his performance at Covent Garden, Aldridge toured the provinces for 19 years. He added to his repertoire, "The Black Doctor--A Romantic Drama in Four Acts," "Richard III," Titus Andronicus," and "Le Docteur Noir, which Aldridge adapted. After the tour, he performed at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and London's Brittannia Theatre.

In July 1852, Aldridge began a continental tour. Some of the places he performed were Vienna, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Poland, and Munich. He received much praise and admiration from his audiences. He returned to London in 1855 and performed in English theaters for three years. In November 1858, Aldridge traveled to Russia, where he primarily toured during the last years of his career. He was the first actor to perform in Croatia and Serbia. Among the many honors and awards he received were membership in the Prussian Academy of Arts and Sciences; receipt of the Prussian Gold Medal of the First Class for the Academy; Switzerland's White Cross knighthood in theRoyal Saxon Ernestinischen House Order (the first actor to be knighted); receipt of the Berdienst Medal of the Order in Gold; and membership in the National Dramatic Conservatoire of Hungary.