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John O'Keeffe (writer)

April 08, 2024

John O'Keeffe (24 June 1747 – 4 February 1833) was an Irish actor and dramatist. He wrote a number of farces, amusing dramatic pieces and librettos for pasticcio operas, many of which had great success. Among these are Tony Lumpkin in Town (1778), Love in a Camp (1786), and Omai (1785), an account of the voyages of the Tahitian explorer Omai, and Wild Oats (1791).

John O'Keeffe
Portrait of John O'Keefe by either Thomas or William Lawranson, 1782
Born(1747-06-24)24 June 1747
Dublin, Ireland
Died4 February 1833(1833-02-04) (aged 85)
Southampton, Hampshire, England
SpouseMary Heaphy

Early life edit

O'Keeffe was born in Abbey Street, Dublin in 1747 to Roman Catholic parents and was educated by the Jesuits. His father was from King's County and his mother (née O'Connor) from County Wexford.[1] After showing a talent for drawing he studied art at an academy in Dublin, but grew increasingly more interested in the theatre. After a two-year period in London, where he became an admirer of David Garrick, he settled on a career as an actor and playwright.[2] O'Keeffe wrote his first play The She Gallant when he was twenty, and it was performed in Dublin at the Smock Alley Theatre. In Cork, in late September 1774, O'Keeffe married Mary Heaphy, a Protestant actress and the daughter of Tottenham Heaphy, manager of the Dublin Theatre Royal.[3] The marriage ended badly when O'Keeffe discovered that she was having an affair with the Scottish actor George Graham. O'Keeffe left Ireland with their children, and Mary was denied access to her son and daughter, John Tottenham O'Keeffe and Adelaide O'Keeffe.[4] Mary Heaphy, according to Adelaide O'Keeffe's memoir of her father, married Graham without first divorcing her husband. She did not consider her marriage to the Catholic John O'Keeffe to be sufficiently binding.

Success edit

In 1777, O'Keeffe moved to London. The following year he wrote Tony Lumpkin in Town, a sequel to Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, and sent it to the manager of the Haymarket Theatre. The play was successfully produced, and O'Keeffe regularly wrote for the Haymarket thereafter.[5] In 1782, O'Keeffe had his two children sent abroad to France to prevent their mother's access to them. His son did well but his daughter suffered in convent schools.[4]

Between 1782 and 1796, O'Keeffe wrote around 28 plays and librettos for comic operas. The Poor Soldier (1783), a comic opera with libretto by O'Keeffe and music by William Shield, was a farce about the lives of British soldiers returning home after the American War of Independence. O'Keeffe also wrote The Son-in-Law, Agreeable Surprise (which includes the lyrical poem Amo, Amas), and The Castle of Andalusia.[6]

O'Keeffe had problems with his eyes ever since he had fallen into the River Liffey in his youth. From the mid-1770s, O'Keeffe increasingly lost his sight, and from 1781 his plays had to be dictated by him. In spite of this, he was a prolific writer and was the most-frequently produced playwright in London in the last quarter of the 18th century. O'Keeffe contributed many Irish folksongs to the musical scores by Samuel Arnold and Shield such as I am a Friar of Orders Grey and The Thorn are still popular.[7] For many of these songs, the comic operas are the earliest source.[8] From 1788, his only daughter Adelaide became his amanuensis and eventual caretaker until his death. Adelaide O'Keeffe was a popular novelist and an important children's poet who authored the first children's novel in verse, A Trip to the Coast (1819).[9]

In 1800, a benefit performance was staged for him at Covent Garden. In 1826, O'Keeffe wrote his memoirs, which covered his life experiences and various interactions with the leading artistic figures of his day. The memoirs were dictated to his daughter Adelaide who oversaw their publication. The same year he was awarded a pension by George IV. However, much of the information in his memoir is not accurate.[10] In the year following his death, Adelaide O'Keeffe completed her own memoir of her father; "Memoir" prefaced her edited collection of his poetry, O'Keeffe's Legacy to His Daughter, Being the Poetic Works of the Late John O'Keeffe, Esq., the Dramatic Author.[9] He died in 1833 in Southampton and was buried there.[11]

Legacy edit

In the 19th century, the essayist William Hazlitt described O'Keeffe as the "English Molière", observing "in light, careless laughter and pleasant exaggeration of the humorous, we have no equal to him".[5] His Wild Oats has been revived in 1976, 1995 and 2012 by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic respectively.

Selected works edit

References edit

  1. ^ Cave, Edward (1833). "Obituary: John O'Keefe Esq". Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. Edward Cave: 375–376.
  2. ^ Hager (2005), p. 181–182.
  3. ^ Hager (2005) p. 182.
  4. ^ a b Clare L. Taylor: 'O'Keeffe, Adelaide (1776–1865)', in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004); online edn, May 2009, accessed 20 Jan 2017.
  5. ^ a b Hager (2005), p. 182.
  6. ^ O'Keefe, John (1808). The Poor Soldier: A Comic Opera, in Two Acts: with all the original songs. New-York: Printed and published by D. Longworth at the Dramatic repository, Shakespeare-Gallery. pp. cover.
  7. ^ Klein (2005), p. 31–34.
  8. ^ Fleischmann (1998).
  9. ^ a b For additional information on Adelaide O'Keeffe's importance as a children's poet, see Donelle Ruwe British Children's Poetry: Verse, Riddle, and Rhyme (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014). See also Donelle Ruwe: "Dramatic Monologues and the Novel-in-Verse: Adelaide O'Keeffe and the Creation of Theatrical Children's Poetry in the Long Eighteenth Century", in The Lion and the Unicorn, vol. 33, no. 1, 2009, pp. 219–34.
  10. ^ Boydell (2006).
  11. ^ Baines p.256

Bibliography edit

  • Baines, Paul & Ferraro, Julian & Rogers, Pat: The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Eighteenth Century Writers and Writing: 1660-1789 (Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011)
  • Boydell, Brian: "O'Keeffe, John", in: Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart (MGG), biographical part, vol. 15 (Kassel: Bärenreiter, 2006), cc. 702–3
  • Fleischmann, Aloys (ed.): Sources of Irish Traditional Music c.1600–1855 (New York: Garland, 1998)
  • Hager, Alan: Encyclopedia of British Writers: 16th, 17th & 18th Centuries (New York: Book Builders, 2005)
  • Klein, Axel: "Stage-Irish, or The National in Irish Opera, 1780–1925", in: Opera Quarterly vol. 21 (2005) no. 1, p. 27–67.

External links edit

  • John O'Keeffe at the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
  • The Poor Soldier: A Comic Opera, in Two Acts: with all the original songs, by John O'Keefe (O'Keeffe). A prompter's copy of the dialog and lyrics (no music) digitized from the collections of the New York State Library.
  • Works by John O'Keeffe at Project Gutenberg
  • Works by John O'Keeffe at Faded Page (Canada)
  • Works by or about John O'Keeffe at Internet Archive

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London: J. M. Dent & Sons – via Wikisource.

April 08, 2024
john, keeffe, writer, john, keeffe, june, 1747, february, 1833, irish, actor, dramatist, wrote, number, farces, amusing, dramatic, pieces, librettos, pasticcio, operas, many, which, great, success, among, these, tony, lumpkin, town, 1778, love, camp, 1786, oma. John O Keeffe 24 June 1747 4 February 1833 was an Irish actor and dramatist He wrote a number of farces amusing dramatic pieces and librettos for pasticcio operas many of which had great success Among these are Tony Lumpkin in Town 1778 Love in a Camp 1786 and Omai 1785 an account of the voyages of the Tahitian explorer Omai and Wild Oats 1791 John O KeeffePortrait of John O Keefe by either Thomas or William Lawranson 1782Born 1747 06 24 24 June 1747Dublin IrelandDied4 February 1833 1833 02 04 aged 85 Southampton Hampshire EnglandSpouseMary Heaphy Contents 1 Early life 2 Success 3 Legacy 4 Selected works 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External linksEarly life editO Keeffe was born in Abbey Street Dublin in 1747 to Roman Catholic parents and was educated by the Jesuits His father was from King s County and his mother nee O Connor from County Wexford 1 After showing a talent for drawing he studied art at an academy in Dublin but grew increasingly more interested in the theatre After a two year period in London where he became an admirer of David Garrick he settled on a career as an actor and playwright 2 O Keeffe wrote his first play The She Gallant when he was twenty and it was performed in Dublin at the Smock Alley Theatre In Cork in late September 1774 O Keeffe married Mary Heaphy a Protestant actress and the daughter of Tottenham Heaphy manager of the Dublin Theatre Royal 3 The marriage ended badly when O Keeffe discovered that she was having an affair with the Scottish actor George Graham O Keeffe left Ireland with their children and Mary was denied access to her son and daughter John Tottenham O Keeffe and Adelaide O Keeffe 4 Mary Heaphy according to Adelaide O Keeffe s memoir of her father married Graham without first divorcing her husband She did not consider her marriage to the Catholic John O Keeffe to be sufficiently binding Success editIn 1777 O Keeffe moved to London The following year he wrote Tony Lumpkin in Town a sequel to Oliver Goldsmith s She Stoops to Conquer and sent it to the manager of the Haymarket Theatre The play was successfully produced and O Keeffe regularly wrote for the Haymarket thereafter 5 In 1782 O Keeffe had his two children sent abroad to France to prevent their mother s access to them His son did well but his daughter suffered in convent schools 4 Between 1782 and 1796 O Keeffe wrote around 28 plays and librettos for comic operas The Poor Soldier 1783 a comic opera with libretto by O Keeffe and music by William Shield was a farce about the lives of British soldiers returning home after the American War of Independence O Keeffe also wrote The Son in Law Agreeable Surprise which includes the lyrical poem Amo Amas and The Castle of Andalusia 6 O Keeffe had problems with his eyes ever since he had fallen into the River Liffey in his youth From the mid 1770s O Keeffe increasingly lost his sight and from 1781 his plays had to be dictated by him In spite of this he was a prolific writer and was the most frequently produced playwright in London in the last quarter of the 18th century O Keeffe contributed many Irish folksongs to the musical scores by Samuel Arnold and Shield such as I am a Friar of Orders Grey and The Thorn are still popular 7 For many of these songs the comic operas are the earliest source 8 From 1788 his only daughter Adelaide became his amanuensis and eventual caretaker until his death Adelaide O Keeffe was a popular novelist and an important children s poet who authored the first children s novel in verse A Trip to the Coast 1819 9 In 1800 a benefit performance was staged for him at Covent Garden In 1826 O Keeffe wrote his memoirs which covered his life experiences and various interactions with the leading artistic figures of his day The memoirs were dictated to his daughter Adelaide who oversaw their publication The same year he was awarded a pension by George IV However much of the information in his memoir is not accurate 10 In the year following his death Adelaide O Keeffe completed her own memoir of her father Memoir prefaced her edited collection of his poetry O Keeffe s Legacy to His Daughter Being the Poetic Works of the Late John O Keeffe Esq the Dramatic Author 9 He died in 1833 in Southampton and was buried there 11 Legacy editIn the 19th century the essayist William Hazlitt described O Keeffe as the English Moliere observing in light careless laughter and pleasant exaggeration of the humorous we have no equal to him 5 His Wild Oats has been revived in 1976 1995 and 2012 by the Royal Shakespeare Company the Royal National Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic respectively Selected works editThe Dutchman Outwitted 1767 The She Gallent 1767 The Giant s Causeway 1770 The Shamrock 1777 Tony Lumpkin in Town 1778 The Son in Law 1779 The Banditti 1781 The Agreeable Surprise 1781 The Castle of Andalusia 1782 Harlequin Teague 1782 The Lord Mayor s Day 1782 The Dead Alive 1783 The Poor Soldier 1783 The Young Quaker 1784 Peeping Tom 1784 Omai 1785 The Blacksmith of Antwerp 1785 Love in a Camp 1786 The Siege of Curzola 1786 The Farmer 1787 The Prisoner at Large 1788 The Toy 1789 Wild Oats 1791 The London Hermit 1793 The World in a Village 1793 Life s Vagaries 1795 The Wicklow Mountains 1795 The Doldrum 1796 References edit Cave Edward 1833 Obituary John O Keefe Esq Gentleman s Magazine and Historical Chronicle Edward Cave 375 376 Hager 2005 p 181 182 Hager 2005 p 182 a b Clare L Taylor O Keeffe Adelaide 1776 1865 in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2004 online edn May 2009 accessed 20 Jan 2017 a b Hager 2005 p 182 O Keefe John 1808 The Poor Soldier A Comic Opera in Two Acts with all the original songs New York Printed and published by D Longworth at the Dramatic repository Shakespeare Gallery pp cover Klein 2005 p 31 34 Fleischmann 1998 a b For additional information on Adelaide O Keeffe s importance as a children s poet see Donelle Ruwe British Children s Poetry Verse Riddle and Rhyme Palgrave Macmillan 2014 See also Donelle Ruwe Dramatic Monologues and the Novel in Verse Adelaide O Keeffe and the Creation of Theatrical Children s Poetry in the Long Eighteenth Century in The Lion and the Unicorn vol 33 no 1 2009 pp 219 34 Boydell 2006 Baines p 256Bibliography editBaines Paul amp Ferraro Julian amp Rogers Pat The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Eighteenth Century Writers and Writing 1660 1789 Hoboken New Jersey Wiley Blackwell 2011 Boydell Brian O Keeffe John in Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart MGG biographical part vol 15 Kassel Barenreiter 2006 cc 702 3 Fleischmann Aloys ed Sources of Irish Traditional Music c 1600 1855 New York Garland 1998 Hager Alan Encyclopedia of British Writers 16th 17th amp 18th Centuries New York Book Builders 2005 Klein Axel Stage Irish or The National in Irish Opera 1780 1925 in Opera Quarterly vol 21 2005 no 1 p 27 67 External links editJohn O Keeffe at the Eighteenth Century Poetry Archive ECPA The Poor Soldier A Comic Opera in Two Acts with all the original songs by John O Keefe O Keeffe A prompter s copy of the dialog and lyrics no music digitized from the collections of the New York State Library Works by John O Keeffe at Project Gutenberg Works by John O Keeffe at Faded Page Canada Works by or about John O Keeffe at Internet Archive nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Cousin John William 1910 A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature London J M Dent amp Sons via Wikisource Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John O 27Keeffe writer amp oldid 1208103668, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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