William Young (playwright)
William Wallace Young (7 September 1847 – 2 October 1920) was an American playwright, writer, and actor, best known for his play adaptation of the novel Ben-Hur in 1899.[1][2][3]
William Young | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 September 1847 Monmouth, Illinois, United States |
| Died | 2 October 1920 Burkhaven, Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire |
| Resting place | Monmouth, Illinois |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Monmouth College (Illinois) |
| Occupation(s) | Playwright, poet, actor |
| Known for | Play adaptation of the novel Ben-Hur in 1899 |
| Spouse(s) | Arvilla Joan Parry, 1866 |
Young was born in Monmouth, Illinois on 7 September 1845, the son of Dr. John A Young and Isabella Hogue Wallace. He was valedictorian and last surviving member of Monmouth College class of 1863, and married Arvilla Joan Parry there in 1866. He was still at home with his parents in the 1870 census of Monmouth, with "literature" listed as his occupation. He was shown as a playwright with his wife and 2 children in the 1880 census of Monmouth, Illinois; his obituary stated he left Monmouth 30 years prior to his death (circa 1890), but always considered it his home.
His first play Jonquil opened at Booth's Theatre in New York in 1871. His first play to receive significant attention was Pendragon in 1881. His 1883 comedy The Rajah was panned by critics but commercially successful, playing for 256 shows in New York before going on the road.[1]
He also acted some roles, and published a number of poems, including a volume titled Wishmaker's Town in 1885 which was republished in 1898 with an introduction by Thomas Bailey Aldrich.
Young died at his summer residence, Burkhaven, Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire on 2 October 1920, and was buried in Monmouth, Illinois on 10 October 1920.[4][5] Knowing that his time was short, he had just finished a historical play prior to his death (title unknown), asking that his daughter Nina transcribe it and ready it for publication.
Selected works
- Jonquil (1871)[6]
- Pendragon (1881) (featuring actor Lawrence Barrett on Broadway)
- The Rajah (1883)
- Wishmaker's Town (poems) (1885)
- Ganelon (1889) (featuring actor Lawrence Barrett on Broadway)[7]
- Joan of Arc (1890) (adaptation of Jules Barbier)
- If I Were You (1892)
- Ben-Hur (adaptation of novel) (1899)
- A Chinese Nightingale (1903) (from Winnifred Eaton novel)[8][9]
References
- Bates, Alfred; Boyd, James Penny; Lamberton, John Porter (1903). The Drama: Its History; Literature and Influence on Civilization. Athenian Society. p. 144.
- Burt, Daniel S. (2004). The Chronology of American Literature: America's Literary Achievements from the Colonial Era to Modern Times. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-618-16821-7.
- Current Literature. Current Literature Publishing Company. 1899. Vol. XXV, No. 5, p. 402.
- Burns Mantle Best Plays and the Year Book of the Drama in America. Dodd, Mead. 1921. p. 464.
- Critic and Good Literature. Critic Printing and Publishing Company. 1889. p. 311.
- (17 April 1871). "Jonquil" at Booth's Theatre (review), The New York Times
- (8 October 1889). Lawrence Barrett as Ganelon, The New York Times
- Fisher, James; Londré, Felicia Hardison (2009). The A to Z of American Theater: Modernism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 531. ISBN 978-0-8108-6884-7.
- Authors Club, New York (1902). Manual. Robarts – University of Toronto. New York. p. 109.
External links
- William Young at the Internet Broadway Database
- William Young at IMDb
- William Young Correspondence, at Syracuse University
- Wishmaker's Town (1898 edition with introduction by Thomas Bailey Aldrich), via Google Books
- William Wallace Young, on Find A Grave