Garrick took up his pen to reply, and in his poem
"The Fribbleriad"--the hero of which is named Fizgigg--he rather
severely satirised his critic. Churchill, following suit, to the
eighth edition of his "Rosciad" added fifty lines, scourging Mr.
Fitzpatrick savagely enough. The "half-price" disturbance was the
method of replying to these attacks of the actor and his friend, which
Mr. Fitzpatrick found to be the most suitable and convenient. Arthur
Murphy, however, says for Mr. Fitzpatrick, that he was admired for his
talents and amiable manners, and that Churchill caricatured him in the
"Rosciad" to gratify the resentment of Garrick. In any case, however,
it would be hard to justify the riot of which Fitzpatrick was
certainly the instigator.
In 1817, the experiment was tried at the English Opera House, or
Lyceum Theatre, of giving two distinct performances in the evening, in
lieu of taking half-price at nine o'clock. The management alleged that
objection had been taken to the length of theatrical performances,
which were often made to extend over five hours; that the half-price
system did not remedy the evil complained of by those whose habits of
life or avocations would not permit their early attendance at the
theatre.
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