David Garrick (play) - History

History

The play was evidently written in 1856, after Robertson saw a French theater troupe performing Sullivan; but the new play was rejected by every theater manager Robertson took it to. He sat on it for many years, then eventually showed it to Sothern, who took interest in the project. Reportedly, as Sothern read the play aloud to his manager John Buckstone --

frequently interrupted himself with such remarks as "Capital" "First-rate!" "Strong situation!" and "I like that!" But when he came to the party scene, in which David acts like a madman, Sothern became so excited that he began to smash the glasses and upset the furniture. "I think that will do, Bucky?" he said to his manager. "Yes, it will do," replied Buckstone, "and I rather like that fellow Chevy." (sic)

After some revisions at Sothern's request, Robertson was able to sell the play for a sum of £10.

Robertson's story of Garrick has very little to do with fact: among other things, it ends with Garrick presumably married to a woman named Ada Ingot—Garrick's real wife was Eva Marie Veigel. Robertson was quoted as saying, in response to critics of this historical inaccuracy, "The real, actual Mr. David Garrick was not married until the year 1749. Whatever adventures may have occurred to him before that time are a legitimate theme for speculation." He then suggests that Ada and Garrick could have been prevented from marrying by death, breakup or other external factors, and thus his story would not be contradictory to history.

The story is, according to the title page of most printed versions, "Adapted from the French of 'Sullivan,' which was founded on a German Dramatization of a pretended Incident in Garrick's Life." Sullivan was a French comic play of 1852 by Anne-Honoré-Joseph Duveyrier de Mélésville, which Adams' Dictionary of Drama claims to have been based on J. Bouchardy's 1836 play Garrick Médecin. The confusion with the "German dramatization" appears to be thus -- Garrick Médecin was adapted into another French play entitled Le Docteur Robin, which became widely known through a German translation. A misunderstanding caused the belief that Sullivan was actually based on Doktor Robin rather than the two being based on a mutual source, as evidenced in one Oct. 1895 New York Times Article. Another German play, Garrick in Bristol, added to the confusion.