Joseph+Haines

Figure 1 - Harvard Theatre Collection Joseph Haines Joseph Haines, or Jo Haines, was a 17th century actor, author, comedian, singer, dancer, guitar player, and fortune-teller. As a man of many talents, Haines was quite popular and loved by English society. He loved to make people laugh starting from a very young age, and even got his start in his career by receiving the admiration of people around him for his performances. He was the favorite performer of the Roman Pope of that time.
 * Joseph Haines (1648-1701 A.D.) **

More than his acting, people would watch him for his comedic personality that was shown through everything he did. He was even deemed as the comic on stage and off stage. He contributed to the characters he played on stage through including his own ideas to make them more enjoyable to watch. In terms of his character and humor style, Haines can be compared to the current Jim Carrey.

Nothing is certain about Haines’ birth, including where he was born, and who his parents were either. However, as a boy, Haines attended school at St. Martin’s Lane in London. It was said that he showed lots of silly actions to his peers and would often joke around mischievously. Due to his talents and sense of humor, a group of gentlemen urged him to pursue his later studies at Oxford University. He received his M.A degree at Cambridge and joined some performers as a student. It was there where Haines met Sir. Joseph Wilkinson who was appointed Secretary of State in England. Wilkinson made Haines his Latin Secretary. This however, didn’t last too long as Haines lost the honorable position due to his unique and witty personality, which lead to his not being able to keep state secrets (Chambers).
 * Early Life and Education**

After leaving his position as the Latin Secretary, Haines was able to find a better- suited job for himself as one of the king’s company actors in Drury Lane. As he could be his true self here, Haines flourished as an actor and gained lots of praise from the higher rank society. He was getting so popular that a noble duke took him on a trip to France as a mere companion. He complemented the young Haines and said that he was an incomparable dancer. In Paris, the actor took on a new name, as he dubbed himself Count Haines. He claimed that this new title would help him achieve higher positions and status, which it did. Haines ended up returning to the London stage due to financial reasons, and acted there (Chambers).
 * Actor Life**

Despite his very visible personality, Haines kept his personal life very private, but he was mentioned to have a wife in 1682. It is rumored that his wife was a singer, often performing where he would.

Among Joe's nicknames were "Signior Salmatius" and "Signior Giuseppe Hanesio.

Due to his comedic approach to everything, Haines was usually given the role of an entertainer and comedian in plays. He always managed to take his roles a step further as he strived to make all his characters over-the-top silly. Theater attendees were shocked when Haines came out on stage on top of an ass wearing matching wigs delivering his epilogue one day! This portrayed his sense of humor, creativity, and willingness to make people laugh, as well as being a spin-off base for other comedians. This situation became a source of connection between comedians. Comedian Pinkethman was always competing against Haines and even delivered his lines on an elephant, one-upping his fellow performer. (Soloman)
 * Style of Performance**

Theater audiences loved his memorable dancing in //The Rehearsal,// and his slapstick approach as Sparkish in //The Country Wife,// “burlesque is a hocus-pocus trick they / have got, which by virtue of the ‘//hictius doctius//, / topsy turvey,’ they make a wise and witty man in / the world a fool upon the stage, you know not how (III.ii.110-13).”



Figure 2 - Haines performing on the back of an ass

Haines wrote many witty prologues and epilogues and was the author of one play entitled //The Fatal Mistake// in 1690//.// Unfortunately, none of his works were a commercial success or received praise during his lifetime. However, the public heavily enjoyed his epilogues.
 * Writing Works**

Due to his mischievous character, Haines often found himself in a lot of trouble. His colleague Mountfort made a complaint against Haines in October 15, 1689. Even though the source of the issue is not made clear to the public, this caused lots of satire to be written about Haines called "The City Regiment," which appeared in “Poems on Affairs of State”.
 * Scandals**


 * Some of his Play Roles**
 * Sparkish in “The Country Wife”
 * Captain Bluffe in “The Old Bachelor”
 * Pamphlet and Rigadoon in “Love and a Bottle”
 * Bayes in “The Rehearsal”
 * Sneaksby in “A Very Good Wife”
 * Bully in “The Female Virtuosos”

Figure 3 - The original script of The Country Wife

Joe Haines died on April 4, 1701, while at his lodgings in Hart Street, Longacre, due to an illness at the age of 53. A biography was written in his honor, written by a fellow actor named Tobias Thomas, called “The Life of the Late Famous Comedian, Jo Hayns”:
 * Death**

An Elegy on the death of Mr. Joseph Haines, the late Famous Actor in the King’s Play-House: Lament, you Beaus and Players every one, The only champion of your cause is gone: The stars are surly, and the fates unkind, Joe Haines is dead, and left his Ass behind! Ah, cruel fate! Our patience thus to try, Must Haines depart, while asses multiply? If nothing but a player down would go, There’s choice enough besides great Haines the beau! In potent glasses, when the wine was clear, The very looks declared thy mind was there. Awful, majestic, on the stage at sight, To play (not work) was all thy chief delight: Instead of danger and hateful bullets, Roast beef and goose, with harmless legs of pullets! Here lies the Famous Actor, Joseph Hainea, Who, whiel alive, in playing took great pains, Performing all his acts with curious art, Till Death appear’d, and smote him with his dart. (Dickens 598)

**Works Cited**

Dickens, Charles, and George Cruikshank. //Bentley's Miscellany//. Vol. 9. London: Richard Bentley, 1837. Print.

Heard, Elisabeth J. //Experimentation on the English Stage, 1695-1708: The Career of George Farquhar//. London: Pickering & Chatto, 2008. Print.

Highfill, Philip H., Kalman A. Burnim, and Edward A. Langhans. //A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800//. Vol. 7. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1991. Print.

Hugh Ormsby-Lennon, 9781611490121 | Rowman & Littlefield. "Hey Presto! Swift and the Quacks." //Rowman & Littlefield//. Lexington Books, n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

Robert Chambers. //The Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in Connection with the Calendar, Including Anecdote, Biography, & History, Curiosities of Literature and Oddities of Human Life and Character//. Vol. 1. Harvard University: W. &R. Chambers, 1863. Print.

Solomon, Diana. //Prologues and Epilogues of Restoration Theater: Gender and Comedy, Performance and Print//. Newark: U of Delaware, 2013. Print.

Thomas, Tobyas, and Thomas Brown. //The Life of the Late Famous Comedian, Jo. Hayns.: Containing His Comical Exploits and Adventures, Both at Home and Abroad//. London: Printed for J. Nutt..., 1701. Print.