A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Laporte, Pierre

by William H. Husk

LAPORTE, Pierre François, an eminent French comedian, came to London as a member and joint manager of a company who, in January 1824, commenced performing French plays at the theatre in Tottenham Street. On Nov. 18, 1826, he appeared on the English stage, as a member of the Drury Lane company, as Sosia in Dryden's 'Amphitryon,' and afterwards played a variety of parts, mostly original, and amongst them Wormwood in 'The Lottery Ticket.' He next joined the Haymarket company, in which he first appeared June 15, 1827. In 1828 he became manager of the King's Theatre, and continued such until 1831. In 1832 he was lessee of Covent Garden Theatre, and actor as well as manager, but was compelled to retire, with heavy loss, before the end of the season. In 1833 he resumed the management of the King's Theatre, and retained it until his death, which occurred at his chateau near Paris, Sept. 25, 1841. A notable feature of his last season was the 'Tamburini Row,' a disturbance of the performance occasioned by the admirers of Tamburini, who resented his non-engagement for that season, and by their tumultuous proceedings for two or three evenings forced the manager to yield to their wishes. Another curious feature of this year was the re-appearance of Laporte in his original capacity as an actor, with Rachel, on three nights of her first London season. Laporte first introduced to the English public, amongst other operas, Rossini's 'Comte Ory' and 'Assedio di Corinto'; Bellini's 'Pirata,' 'Sonnambula,' 'Norma' and 'Puritani'; Donizetti's 'Anna Bolena,' and Costa's 'Malek Adel': and amongst singers, Sontag, Meric Lalande, Persiani, Assandri, Albertazzi, Pisaroni, Donzelli, David jun., Ivanoff, Mario; and, above all, the famous quartet who so long held supremacy on the opera stage, Grisi, Rubini, Tamburini, and Lablache. Though his dilatory and unbusinesslike habits ruined his management, Laporte was not without good qualities. Amongst others his tact and coolness were great, and many of his bons mots were current at the time. When Cerito returned the ticket of a box on the upper tier with the remark that she was much too young to be exalted to the skies before her time, Laporte—having already given a box on the same tier to Taglioni—replied that he 'had done his best, but that perhaps he had been wrong in placing her on the same level with Mdlle. Taglioni.'

[ W. H. H.]