author
George Colman
1762–1836
Best known for lively comic plays and sharp theatrical wit, this English dramatist helped shape popular entertainment in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He also managed London’s Haymarket Theatre and later served as Examiner of Plays.
5 Audiobooks
The Battle of Hexham; or, Days of Old: a play in three acts
by George Colman
John Bull; Or, The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts
by George Colman
The Surrender of Calais: A Play, in Three Acts
by George Colman
Inkle and Yarico: An opera, in three acts
by George Colman
About the author
Born in London in 1762, George Colman the Younger was the son of playwright George Colman the Elder, but he made a name for himself in his own right as a dramatist, writer, and theatre manager. He was educated at Westminster School, Christ Church, Oxford, and King’s College, Aberdeen, and was first steered toward law before turning fully to the stage.
Colman became closely associated with the Haymarket Theatre, where he built a reputation for writing works that delighted audiences, including comic operas, farces, melodramas, and sentimental comedies. Among the plays most often linked with him are Inkle and Yarico, The Iron Chest, The Heir-at-Law, and John Bull, works remembered for their energy, humor, and strong sense of theatrical effect.
Alongside his writing, he played an important part in London theatrical life as a manager and, later, as Examiner of Plays. He died in London in 1836, leaving behind a large and varied body of work that shows how closely literature and performance were intertwined in his era.