The African Grove Theatre Analysis

were arrested. These black actors performing Shakespeare was “seen as a direct threat to the white establishment” and law enforcement “released them only after they promised “never to act Shakespeare again.” (Carlson).Unfortunately, this is only one problem that Aldridge had to deal with.
Another struggle that Aldridge had to deal with that his white counterparts didn’t is reviews based upon his skin color and not his acting skills. Aldridge performing at such a time of racial hatred didn’t further his career. White reviewers would come to see a performance of his, and praise every white person in the cast, and then white atrocious things about Aldridge. For example, for his Othello performance in 1833 one reviewer wrote the following “Nature

has been bountiful to Mr. Aldridge in more than the identity of complexion which she has given him…not black but of a mulatto tint…” (Marshall and Stock ) and then went on to write “The sight of her pale hands in his hand was rather disgusting, when she placed her hand in hands the audience collectively gasped before falling to complete silence.” (Marshall and Stock ). Another reviewer wrote “An African is no more qualified, by virtue alone of his complexion and the conformation of his face, to personate any Moorish characters—much less such a one as Othello.”. (Marshall and Stock ). This wasn’t the first time this sort of race based Judgement happened to Aldridge.
In the article "The African Grove Theatre and Company" there is a transcript from a performance review in which Aldridge played Hamlet at The African Grove Theatre.

This performance review stood out from the rest of the text for the purposes of this project. A Mr.Charles Matthews was the reviewer. He first talks about the fact that that he took the time to visit the “Niggers (or negroes) theatre” (Dewberry), and then went on to say, “The black population being, in the national theatres, under certain restrictions have, to be quite at their ease, a theatre of their own.” (Dewberry) . The performance is already being judged, because it’s happening at a “Nigger theatre”. The transcript goes on to say, “Here he sees a black tragedian (the Kentucky Roscius) perform the character of Hamlet, and hears him deliver the soliloquy "To be or not to be, dat is him question, whether him nobler in de mind to suffer or lift up him arms against a sea of hubble bubble and by opossum (oppose 'em) end 'em…” (Dewberry). Mr. Charles continues this review by stating how unamazed he was at the performance. Mr. Charles felt as though these negroes were changing Shakespeare into something that was meant to celebrate them, and Shakespeare is for white

people.
The fact that these reviewers took the time to write these reviews shows the mentality of white audiences during this time. As a matter of fact, Moor people are of a darker skin tone, but that didn’t matter in reviewers eyes a black man still didn’t have the right to play Othello. A white man even had the audacity to go to a black theatre, and basically judge it for being black. If he didn’t want to watch a black Hamlet, he could have gone to a white only theatre, especially