Thomas Odell (writer) facts for kids

Thomas Odell (born 1691, died 1749) was an English writer who wrote plays. He also managed a theatre he built called Goodman's Fields Theatre for a short time.

Odell's Early Life and Career

Thomas Odell was born in 1691. He was the son of a wealthy landowner from Buckinghamshire, England. Around 1714, he moved to London. He knew some important political leaders (called Whigs). He wanted to write funny, critical pieces about people.

He received money, a "pension" of £200, thanks to powerful friends like Lord Wharton and the Earl of Sunderland. This money was for him to write things that supported a politician named Robert Walpole. William Oldys, a historian, said that Odell wrote many critical poems about another famous writer, Alexander Pope. However, Walpole stopped him from publishing them. Walpole worried it might upset other important people who liked Pope.

In 1721, Odell's first play, The Chimera, was shown. It was a comedy that made fun of people who gambled a lot in the stock market area called Change Alley. The play was performed at a theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. It wasn't very popular on stage. But when it was printed, it sold well and had a second edition that same year.

Running a Theatre

In October 1729, Odell built his own theatre in Goodman's Fields. He hired actors, including a main actor named Henry Giffard. In his first season, he put on popular plays like The Recruiting Officer and The Orphan. He also showed two new comedies that became successful: Henry Fielding's The Temple Beau and John Mottley's The Widow Bewitched.

However, in 1730, the Lord Mayor and other city leaders asked the king to close Odell's theatre. They thought there were too many theatres in London. Odell tried to avoid trouble by closing the theatre for a while. But this made it hard for his theatre to succeed. So, in early 1731, he had to sell it to his friend Giffard.

A writer named William Rufus Chetwood believed Odell failed because he didn't know how to manage a group of actors.

Later Years and Work

Odell lost his pension when the fourth Earl of Sunderland died. His plays were not very successful either. For some years, he struggled to make a living.

However, in February 1738, things changed for him. A new law called the Licensing Act 1737 was introduced. This law meant that all plays had to be approved before they could be performed. William Chetwynd became the first person to approve plays, with a good salary. Odell still had enough friends in high places to get the job of deputy licenser. This meant he helped approve plays and earned £200 a year. He kept this job until he died.

Thomas Odell passed away at his home in Westminster on May 24, 1749. He left behind his wife. William Oldys, the historian, said that Odell was very good at noticing interesting things people said. He was also like a walking history book, full of stories about important people, writers, actors, and booksellers from his time. Oldys also mentioned that Odell was popular during elections. However, later in life, he had to live quietly because of his debts.

Odell's Written Works

Besides The Chimera, Thomas Odell wrote other plays:

• The Smugglers, a Farce (1729): This was a short, funny play. It was performed successfully at a small theatre in the Haymarket. It was later re-released with the title The Smugglers: a Comedy. This version also included a long poem called "The Art of Dancing."
• The Patron; or the Statesman's Opera of two Acts (1730): This play was performed at the Haymarket theatre. It also included the music for each song.
• The Prodigal; or Recruits for the Queen of Hungary (1744): This play was based on an older play by Shadwell. It had a small, short success because Maria Theresa, the Queen of Hungary, was very popular in London at the time.

William Oldys also said that Odell was working on two other books when he died. One was a "History of the characters he had observed," which was about the people he had met. The other was "A History of the Play House in Goodman's Fields," about his own theatre. Sadly, neither of these books exists today.