James, Joe, George and Pan

Joseph Grimaldi

In September 1805 the Theatre Royal Drury Lane opened for the season without a ballet master. James Byrne (1756-1845) had left at the close of the previous system and it was agreed that James Harvey d'Egville would succeed him.

The Honey Moon was advertised as the play for the second night, but in the absence of a ballet there was no one to arrange the dance in the piece. It was too late to change the bills but it seemed that the programme would have to be changed.

After a discussion with the stage manager, Wroughton, Joseph Grimaldi was offered an extra two pounds per week if he would arrange the dance and choregraph other pieces. Grimaldi was also given permission to hire dancers. This seems an ill considered by both Wroughton and Grimaldi as d'Egville would soon be joining the company.

Despite this there seems to have been no disagreement between Grimaldi and d'Egville after he had taken up his post. Grimaldi was cast in the role of Pan in d'Egvilles new ballet Terpsichore's Return. This was performed five times before Grimaldi walked away from the Theatre Royal Drury Lane forever.

On the 26 October, Grimaldi drew his salary and found that the additional two pounds was no longer to be paid although it seems the treasury still had the change to his contract made by the manager, Graham, on file.

There is an incisive footnote comment in a footnote to the incident in Grimaldi's memoirs.

The management of Drury Lane, in their desire of novelty, had engaged M. Joubert, and Mademoiselle Parisot, from the King's Theatre for the season. On October 24, it was underlined in the bill of the day, tliat she would appear for the first time, on that stage, on Monday, the 28th, in a new ballet, composed by M. D'Egville, entitled "Terpsichore's Return;" it was, however, "owing to the indisposition of a principal performer," deferred a few days—till November 1. In this ballet, Grimaldi had a great part, that of Pan, in which he fell in love with Terpsichore, who, after favouring his pretensions, jilted him; this allowed Joe full latitude of display, and the applause the ballet obtained had never been exceeded on the production of any drama or piece in that, or any other theatre. The ballet was performed the fifth tine, on Saturday, November 9, on which night Grimaldi quitted the theatre, and never afterwards was within its walls. "Terpsichore's Return" was performed a sixth time, on Monday, November 25, and Pan was personated by George D'Egville, a pantomimist, and brother to James D'Egville, the ballet-master. George D'Egville had performed with great eclat the part of Caliban, at the Haymarket, in a similar ballet, derived from Shakspeare's "Tempest," and as his engagement was possibly on the tapit for Drury Lane, (Pan apparently having been designed for him,) Joe fancying that two suns could not shine in the same sphere, broke the terms of his engagement, and left the course clear to his successor.

Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi 1853 With Notes and Additions, Revised by Charles Whitehead

As for George Harvey d'Egville, he took the opportunity to act the goat,

Nov. 1.— Terpsichore's Return—a ballet, composed by Mr. D'Egville, as an introduction for Mademoiselle Parisot, who certainly astonishes as an attitudinarian, but does not afford much delight as a dancer. To give something like incident to the dance, Pan is called in to make love to Terpsichore. The constitutional warmth of this Deity is well known, and, on the stage, his amours are generally rendered offensively coarse, by the grimace and gestures of the performer. The Goat, too, was disgusting. Such exhibitions reflect disgrace on the stage.

The Monthly Mirror for November 1805

Otherwise Terpsichore's Return seems to have been applauded so perhaps this criticism is not representative of the public or critical response to the performance.

Rose Parisot