James Hewlett (actor)

American actor

For the American architect, scenic designer, and muralist, see James Monroe Hewlett. For the English comic creator, see Jamie Hewlett.

James Hewlett as Richard III in a c. 1821 production

James Hewlett (fl. 1821 – 1849) was an African-American actor. He was principal actor in and co-creator of William Alexander Brown's African Grove Theatre in New York City.[1][2][3][4]

## Life[edit]

Hewlett started performing as a vocalist and as an actor described as "Shakespeare's proud Representative" in the African Grove when it was just an exhibition held in Brown's tea garden.[5] Hewlett is best known for starring in African Grove's performance of Richard III.[6] After the closure of the theatre, he began to tour performing excerpts from plays; historian Shane White suggests that Hewlett may have been "the best-known black New Yorker" around 1831.[7] He also visited the United Kingdom and apparently performed in Liverpool, although documentary evidence of this is limited.[8] His career seems to have entered into a decline by and after 1834, when he was imprisoned for larceny. He is reported to have died around 1849.[8]

George Thompson, who has researched the history of the theatre, concluded that Hewlett was a tailor and may have been an emigrant from the West Indies.[9]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Tue, 05.29.1821: The African Grove Theater begins | African American Registry". www.aaregistry.org. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
2. ^ Thompson, George (1998). A Documentary History of the African Theatre. Northwestern University Press. pp. 53–60. ISBN 978-0-8101-1461-6.
3. ^ Kinshasa, Kwando Mbiassi (2006). African American Chronology: Chronologies of the American Mosaic. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-313-33797-0.
4. ^ Smith, Jessie Carney; Lean'tin Bracks; Linda T. Wynn (June 1, 2015). The Complete Encyclopedia of African American History. Visible Ink Press. p. 197\. ISBN 978-1-57859-583-9.
5. ^ Dewberry, Jonathan (January 1, 1982). "The African Grove Theatre and Company". Black American Literature Forum. 16 (4): 128–131. doi:10.2307/2904218. JSTOR 2904218.
6. ^ "Alexander Street Press Authorization". solomon.bld2.alexanderstreet.com. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
7. ^ Worrall, David (September 30, 2015). Harlequin Empire: Race, Ethnicity and the Drama of the Popular Enlightenment. Routledge. p. 57\. ISBN 978-1-317-31549-0.
8. ^ a b Lindfors, Bernth (2011). Ira Aldridge. University of Rochester Press. pp. 47–55, 304. ISBN 978-1-58046-381-2.
9. ^ George Thompson (1998). A Documentary History of the African Theatre. Northwestern University Press. pp. 3–12. ISBN 978-0-8101-1461-6.

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