Flashes of Lightning

By C.J. Cronin

Kean – The genius who made acting real.

Edmund Kean is acknowledged as the greatest-ever Shakespearean actor, and the world’s first superstar. He is also credited with being the first actor to bring naturalistic acting to the modern era, breaking the hold of the tragedian-style as perfected by masters such a Kemble.

The status given to the first actor of the British stage meant that one was immediately in the company of gentry, all the way up to and including the Royal Family. But unlike other first actors, Kean was lower class. Born of a prostitute mother and drunkard father, he could not shake off the shame of his humble beginnings and rebelled against the inherent snobbery of the age. He was himself a drunkard and womanizer and indulged in all forms of outrageous behavior, with scandal his constant companion. Such was his power on stage, however, he was still regarded as the greatest actor in the Empire - this, when he was also short and quite plain-looking - the antithesis of the classic tragedian actor.

When his excesses became too extreme he attempted to take refuge on tour in the US. Here he was met with such moral outrage and derision that there were mass riots and the Boston Theater was burned to the ground.

Kean had a contemporary and ally - that other controversial man-of-words - Lord Byron. But Kean was hell-bent on cramming as much passion into a short life as possible - for a flame to burn so bright it must also burn shorter.

It seems that every era has a Kean-like figure, and so too does modern Hollywood. In “Flashes of Lightning” Kean is mirrored by Nick Lathuro, an American superstar who travels to England, and despite howls of protest is contracted to play their greatest-ever actor. Just as Kean was not accepted by the gentry, yet triumphed, so too must Lathuro overthrow his doubters and take his place as the leading actor of the age.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.J. Cronin
• Release date: Sep 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466103917

C.J. Cronin

The author of 42 feature films, 5 television series, 4 plays, 11 novels, 2 novellas, & 3 non-fiction books. Directed and narrated the documentary “Treasure the Gulf of Thailand Incident". Authored and designed the concept and function of the seven electronic games in the electronic book “Seven” in association with the Acme games company. Invented and designed the concept and function of the electronic component of “Slip Slap”, an indoor game and exercise invention.

Book preview

Flashes of Lightning © C.J. Cronin

45,000 words

Copyright. © Smashwords edition. ISBN: 9781466103917 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, C.J. Cronin, his agent, or a properly authorized officer bearing a written authority from C.J. Cronin to that end, excepting brief quotes used in connection with reviews written specifically for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, internet article or on any form of multi-media book show.

For my mother,

Shirley Cronin.

Content

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Dual Characters Contemporary & 19th Century

Studio Head - Whitbread

Jack Mason - Mr. Arnold

Mr. Arthur - Elliston

Nick Lathuro - Edmund Kean

Tony - Pope

Richards - Gratten

Jenny - Mary

Will - Grenfell

Critic 1 - Coleridge

Critic 2 - Hazlitt

Businessman - Norfolk

Mrs. Crosby - Mrs. Cox

Mr. Crosby - Alderman Cox

Betty More - Jane Porter

Rice McKonakee - Winston

Swanson - Macready

Mr. Stewart - Lord Essex

Lawyer - Sigell

CHAPTER 1

Onscreen an ornate picture frame appears on a magenta blushed wall. Bellicose Comédie dell’arte masks on the upper corners magically hold up the frame as music emotes Shakespearean theater (circa 1800) and launches brisk crossfade images within the frame. Below, movie credits materialize and dissolve away, synchronized to the image pulse.

Somewhere in the slums of eighteenth century London, just-born baby Kean is handed, naked and bloody, to Nance, his mother. The baby's deliverer looks on, frowning. It is Aaron, Kean's father. As Aaron drinks from a leather cask, which he hands on to Nance, it is obvious neither parent is pleased to see their child enter the world. Unwittingly Nance dribbles wine onto the baby's face, causing it to cry. Semi-feral, neither parent pays heed to the baby's distress.

As the credit below the frame changes from A John Makkiar Presentation to In association with Firstlook Productions, two year old infant Kean plays in a filthy, garbage-strewn street. His mother, Nance - sluttish attractive - cavorts drunkenly with a stranger nearby. A man's leg enters frame and the baby looks up. Moses, Aaron's brother and Kean's kind uncle, peers down upon him. He looks from the child to its mother and shakes his head in disgust. Sighing ruefully, he picks up Kean and takes him along. Nance does not even notice the theft of her child, and Aaron is nowhere to be seen.

The film’s title is accompanied by a sound splash and flurry - Flashes Of Lightning printed in ornate black with classic red edging. At this time the image within the frame has Moses carrying baby Kean and entering his mistress' house - Charlotte Tidswell (Aunt Tid). Childless, she is all bustling motherhood as she sees the deplorable condition of the toddler. As the titles change to Starring Nick Lathuro a cleaned up infant Kean plays on the sitting room floor in Aunt Tid’s house. There is a knock at the door. Aunt Tid answers and a drunken Nance sways in the doorway, demanding her son's return. Aunt Tid slaps her face hard and beats her into the street, Nance retreating under the onslaught. As Aunt Tid hurls objects at her, Nance retreats, cursing like the harridan she is. Aunt Tid turns and sees the stunned child standing at the front door. Her face softens as she picks him up, closing the door while slinging a last contemptuous look Nance's way.

The actor's credit Steve Motebelli changes to Herb Longfellow as the image crossfades to Charlotte, sitting in a Theater dressing room (Drury Lane) and dabbing makeup on her face. Young Edmund Kean, now four, scoots about, playing. Actresses in the cast corner him and bombard him with cuddles and kisses.

Sondra Chase yields to Merta Llyoid as Charlotte is found on stage, playing a supporting role to the leading actor of the day, Philip Kemble. Four year old Kean loiters in the wings, noting every move, fascinated with the magic of theater.

In a reversal, Kemble, his tall, elegant body still held in the rigid style of the tragedian, observes from the wings as the Incantation scene belonging to the Fourth Act of Macbeth unfolds. The infant goblins, the last of which is a seven-year-old Kean, scurry on stage to line up at the mouth of the ‘cave’. His attention captivated by the audience, Kean bumps into the next goblin, creating a domino collapse. Kemble is unimpressed.

And Featuring Carol Buchanan as 'Aunt Tid' surrenders to the first production credit - Production Supervisor William-Thomas Goodfellow - as the same seven-year-old Kean sits watchfully at the back of a Georgian-era schoolroom. The teacher looks away and this very naughty Kean scurries for the door.

In a tavern he parades upon a table, serenading the drinkers, his upturned hat a request that they donate. A passing patron drops in a coin and Kean's delight curtails to apprehension as he notices the tavern door. The large, dark form of Moses enters. He halts, remonstrating with a shake of his head. Moses’ hand is held out in silent command, and the boy gets down and takes it. As Casting by Petra Collins and Associates appears he is led to the door in shame, but at the last moment breaks away, dashing back to collect his earnings and his hat, before rejoining with his captor.

In extreme close up the metal shield on a dog collar is inscribed with: Bring this boy to Miss Tidswell, 12 Tavistock Row. The engraver hands the collar to Moses, who passes it on to Aunt Tid. She fastens it around the young truant's neck and locks it off with a small padlock. When Production Designer Manuel Bramar surfaces below, the frame reveals a nine year old Kean, still wearing the collar, and being coached by the Drury Lane music master, Incledon. This sequence is replaced by D'Egville, the dancing master, instructing the boy, and the fencing master, Angelo, showing the correct use of foil and saber. As the Drury Lane pantomimist shows him flips and tumbles, the credits change to Costume Design Shannon McKintyre.

Nance, appearing sober and repentant, now stands in the street outside Aunt Tid’s house. She is accompanied by Kean's younger half-brother and sister. A more middle-aged Aunt Tid opens the door and looks solemnly down upon them. Kean appears behind her, carrying a satchel, and his Aunt kisses him tenderly, propelling him toward his mother. Composer Clifford Young in Association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra appears to match the custody transfer of Kean. As Aunt Tid glares, Nance nods her thanks and leads her small band away, and Kean steals mournful glimpses back to his beloved Aunt.

A village fair emerges with eleven-year-old Kean performing tumbles for a chortling crowd of toothless peasants. He is dressed as Harlequin, while Nance and her two other children appear as background players.

Director Of Photography Ronald Holland sees a young gentleman Edmund Kean reciting verse for an aristocratic dinner party. The door to the dining room is slightly ajar, and Nance peeps through, anxious. The aristocrats burst into applause, enchanted with the lad, and Nance grins with smug delight.

The appearance of the Covent Garden stage coincides with Editor Will Toohey. A fifteen year old Kean performs to a packed house and is applauded rapturously. Nance, offstage, has money counted into her hand by the Theater Manager as Written by Samuel T. Beck dissolves away below.

Behind his mother, Kean exits the stage and notices her pocketing the money. A look of resentment mars his dark, young features as he crosses quickly to the dressing rooms, a determination in his stride.

Executive Producers Tim Hanron and Michael MaGowan sees the teenage Kean stealthily exit a doorway at dawn. He places a satchel into a small wheelbarrow and makes his way hastily along a back alley.

As he passes through wet slum streets, pushing his barrow through the cling of morning mist, Produced by Jack Mason emerges, and both images are treated to a slower dissolve that sees painfully beautiful English countryside materialize. It is a glorious day and this young-man-Kean smiles optimistically as he pushes his barrow hard. He departs frame and the yearning gap coupled to music crescendo ushers the triumphant final credit, Directed by John Makkiar .

Vertical blind curtains let in only a small amount of light at the room's edges…

A white-lit projection screen declared the showing at an end. In the gloom, men dressed in blue-grey suits attended a long teak conference table. Many were smoking, with the marked exception of the man at the head of the table, the Studio Head, Rommel B. Anderson. He was chewing. Raw nuts and sunflower seeds resided in a bowl at the table edge, and as he popped another nut he scanned his execs. The men swiveled deferentially away from the screen to look his way.

There was, however, one exception; the writer, Samuel Beck, third from his left, sitting back and obscured behind the Production Manager. From the Studio Head’s position all that could be seen of Beck's unruly appearance was a garish riding boot resting against the table edge. It was completely at odds with the business demeanor of the room, and a lazy puff of smoke, expelled by Beck, drifted across that boot. Trying to ignore it, the Studio Head looked to his right, to the film's producer, Jack Mason.

Jack? he asked.

Mason collected his thoughts while stubbing out a cigarette, I think it’s great...No, he corrected, …brilliant. He looked across at Beck, disliking the man intensely but prepared to give credit where it was due, He’s shown Kean’s entire childhood in the opening credits. We’ve got the rest of the film for his life, Kean the man. He looked directly at Beck and as he extracted another cigarette from a pack added with a congratulatory nod, It’s good.

Another grey cloud drifted across Beck’s boot.

Will? asked the Studio Head, referring to the man past Mason.

Will was the lead editor - a man whose taste he trusted.

Yeah...Yeah…works, replied Will, playing with an ash tray.

The Studio Head noted the ambiguous tone in 'works', and how Will played with the ash tray instead of looking his way.

Anyone? he asked, glancing around, a hint of exasperation in his tone.

There was no answer. He didn’t expect one. He stood and strolled to the curtains. Without looking round he shook his head.

An angry stream of smoke rushed past Beck's boot.

The Studio Head turned, What if you’re five minutes late? What if you’re screwing around trying to get comfortable or the couple in the next row are still talking ’cause they don’t think the movie’s really started?

He paced slowly across the back of the room, his voice becoming stronger to the point of viciousness, "Every man in this room is here because he fought his way here. We all clawed with our hands and fingers and nails and we fucked people three times over and got here because we wanted to be here." He