In the midst of writing, Mr. Bucke also clashed on occasion with fellow writers, and, in one instance, an actor,
Edmund Kean. In the dispute with Kean, Mr. Bucke relates that in 1817 he submitted his play "The Italians, or; The Fatal Accusation" to the Committee of Management at
Drury Lane where it was accepted and put on the bill for future performance. Upon the death of
Princess Charlotte of Wales the theatre closed for three weeks out of respect and Bucke conceded his priority in favour of a play that was thought to better appeal to the feelings of the general public regarding the princess's death. After various delays and assurances that the play was well-liked and would be performed, Kean made an offhand comment suggesting that one of the female supporting actors had a superior role than his and that his part should be rewritten to be more centre-stage, much to the surprise of Bucke. After speaking with the theatre management, the issue was pushed aside in favour of focusing on the current production of a play by
Jane Porter, who Kean had a personal dislike for, that was to be shown in February 1819. The play was performed and, according to Bucke who was at opening night (and also according to popular media at the time), it was almost as if the entire production staff and actors were against the play's performance. Despite a concerted effort by some of the actors, Porter's play was a devastating failure and was not repeated. Upon witnessing this spectacle and bearing in mind the strange reaction he'd received previously from Kean, he went back stage to the management and requested his play to be pulled. After being called back by the theatre's committee and the insistence of the theatre's benefactors that 'The Italians' still be performed, Mr. Bucke then later had it republished with a preface concerning the incident, including excerpts from correspondences between himself, the theatre, and Mr. Kean which was later challenged in two books,
The Assailant Assailed and
A Defense of Edmund Kean, Esq. The ending result was loss of face on both sides and the play being performed anyway on 3 April 1819 to disastrous results due to the
sensationalism surrounding Kean's contempt for the play as well as his behaviour towards the production of Jane Porter's piece beforehand. ==Death==