Rich as theatre manager The exact date of John Rich's birth has not been established. He was baptised on 19 May 1692 at St Andrew, Holborn, the eldest son of the theatre manager
Christopher Rich, who died on 4 November 1714, and his wife Sarah (née Bewley). Christopher Rich left his eldest son three-quarters of his share in the Lincoln's Inn Fields theatre, and its associated patent, in his will. John Gay was a long-time friend of Pope's and a frequent collaborator of his. A couple of years after the success of ''The Beggar's Opera'', Rich moved his company from Lincoln's Inn Fields to a new theatre in Covent Garden. It is still a common misconception that Rich built
Covent Garden Theatre with the profits from ''The Beggar's Opera''. The true facts have been readily available since at least 1906, when Henry Saxe Wyndham's history of the theatre was published. Rich did what any entrepreneur might do - he advertised for investors, raised the money, and with it built the theatre. A complete paper-trail showing these events still exists: a copy of his
Proposals, which all the prospective investors signed, is in the
British Library. The subsequent share allocation for each investor is entered in the Middlesex Deeds Register at the
London Metropolitan Archives, and the records of
Hoare’s Bank in
Fleet Street show when the money was received. These facts can now be found elsewhere, in a variety of sources, and show that the profits from
The Beggar’s Opera were not involved in any way. The
Survey of London even includes an Appendix giving the names of all the investors. Rich's theatre opened in 1732 and was the first of three theatres on the site, now known as the
Royal Opera House. Rich commissioned some of the great landscape artists of his day to paint scenery for the Theatre, including
George Lambert. Rich's Lincoln's Inn, and then Covent Garden, theatres were in competition throughout his lifetime with Cibber's
Drury Lane. Indeed, the two theatres twice put on the same play on the same night, with
Romeo and Juliet and
King Lear in 1756–57. Rich's company also staged a number of Shakespearean plays that are rarely seen today, among them
Cymbeline. In Cibber's
Apology, he blames the degradation and skyrocketing costs of play productions on Rich. The general opinion of satirists was that Cibber was thoroughly as guilty as Rich. Though he may have been portrayed poorly by his rivals, Rich earned a reputation for being a good manager among other players, for good business practices, as well as supporting actors who had left the stage. However, the operas were now out of fashion, and had lost their popularity. Performances were discontinued after a couple of years. On the other hand, the
oratorio performances proved to be extremely successful. They were performed on those days in
Lent when theatrical performances were forbidden by the
Lord Chamberlain, and conveniently filled a niche in the theatrical calendar. The performances became an annual event, and continued long after the deaths of both Handel and Rich. According to Soame Jenyns in
The Art of Dancing, Rich was a fine dancer, noted for his elevation: That Pindar
Rich despises Vulgar Roads, And soars an Eagle’s height among the Clouds, Whilst humbler Dancers, fearful how they climb, But buzz below amidst the flow’ry Thyme: Now soft and slow he bends the circling Round, Now rises high upon the spritely Bound, Now springs aloft, too swift for Mortal sight, Now falls unhurt from some stupendous Height; Like
Proteus, in a thousand Forms is seen, Sometimes a
God, sometimes an
Harlequin. After Rich's death on 26 November 1761, pantomime was criticised for losing the artistry he exhibited with his performances, relying instead more on spectacle and choral numbers. They had four daughters who survived into adulthood: Henrietta (1727), Charlotte (c.1727?), Mary (1730) and Sarah (1733). Rich considered them to be his legitimate children, although no marriage has yet been found. Amy died in November 1737, and was buried as 'Amie, wife of Mr J Rich' on 1st December in the family tomb in Hillingdon. During this period Rich also had two children with another of his actresses, Ann Benson - Charles Rich was born in 1729, but nothing further is known about him; and he was followed by Catherine Benson c. 1730. Rich acknowledged Catherine as his 'natural daughter' in his will, and left her a bequest. Finally, in 1744, Rich married Priscilla Wilford, who used the stage name, Mrs Stevens. She survived him, and Rich's estate was eventually distributed equally between her and the four daughters. ==See also==