Theatre Aboard a British Ship
H.M.S. Calliope
Among the numerous British ships that, since the days of Free Trade, have anchored in the port of Buenos Aires, few have left behind more interesting memories than the Calliope, a 28-gun frigate commanded by Captain Thomas Herbert, which was engaged in patrol duties along our coasts during the French blockade.
She arrived in the River Plate on 26 July 1838, and the following account of her arrival appeared in the British Packet, No. 623 (28 July 1838):
“H.M. frigate Calliope yesterday saluted the city with 19 guns, which were answered by an equal number from the fort; and the ship’s salute produced a splendid effect along the shore, the report of her heavy guns echoing across it, while, as the smoke gradually cleared, her lofty mast and enormous bulk came into view.”
With her arrival there continued the agreeable custom of entertaining on board prominent members of the community whose flag the vessel flew — courtesies that would later be returned on land by compatriots and friends.
During the Rosas period this custom was observed frequently. Manuela Rosas, for example, often attended festivities held aboard ships lying in our harbour, and picturesque accounts of some of these occasions have survived.
The receptions aboard the frigate Calliope, however, amounted to rather more than mere formal entertainments. They became genuine spectacles, as we shall see.
Her patrol mission in the River Plate and the Atlantic lasted for almost two years, during which time the Calliope entered and left our harbour on several occasions.
At the time of her final departure in 1840, the British Packet recorded all the warship’s movements in an article:
“H.M.B. frigate Calliope,” it stated in No. 700 (18 January 1840), “*has spent a considerable period in the River Plate. She arrived here from Rio de Janeiro on 26 July 1838. On 5 October she sailed for Montevideo. She returned on the 23rd of that month, departing once more for Colonia on 3 November. She returned on the 7th and sailed for Rio de Janeiro on 15 December, returning from there on 1 April 1839.
She remained in our harbour until 6 June, when she left for Montevideo; she returned on the 15th and once again sailed for Montevideo on the 20th. From there she returned on 15 July and remained among us until 16 January 1840, when she finally departed for Montevideo and subsequently for the Pacific.
She has therefore spent 432 days in the River Plate, 376 of them anchored in our outer roads.*”
These comings and goings through peaceful waters, without incident, were enormously tedious for sailors accustomed to the hardships of war.
Moreover, the sailors of the Calliope had a Muse as their ship’s namesake — and none other than the epic Muse par excellence, the inspirer of heroic deeds and adventures.
They must therefore have thought that their uneventful voyages, filled with long hours of boredom, were hardly worthy of so august a patroness. Something more appropriate had to be done if they were not to dishonour her patronage.
And so it was that one member of the crew, a keen reader and theatre enthusiast, conceived the idea of forming a theatrical company among his shipmates and erecting a stage on deck.
The idea was well received and also gained the support of the officers. A midshipman who owned several volumes of English drama made them available and took charge of the fledgling amateur dramatic company as its director.
The tedious voyages and empty hours now had a new attraction: theatrical rehearsals.
As the idea began to take shape, difficulties naturally arose — costumes, female characters and so forth — but none of these obstacles proved insurmountable.
A subscription among the crew provided the first funds for costumes.
As for the ladies… the lighter repertoire of the English theatre contained a considerable number of plays whose casts included no young women, but only a few female character roles which could be performed by a suitably made-up man.
Thus, one by one, the difficulties were overcome.
The Calliope also possessed a respectable band, which intensified its rehearsals in order to achieve a tighter ensemble, since the company hoped to perform short works with musical accompaniment.
Needless to say, the preparations took a long time. Everything had to be created from scratch, from the acting company to the stage itself.
But everything was eventually achieved: a dismantlable stage that could be erected on deck in fine weather or in one of the ship’s interior compartments when conditions were poor; a varied wardrobe suited to the demands of the repertoire; and an excellent band.
The sailor-actors then began to perform.
At first they appeared before their comrades and officers. Later, in port, they performed before outsiders.
By the time they arrived for the last time in the port of Buenos Aires in July 1839, they were already veterans of the stage.
Perhaps, however, it is inaccurate to speak of the ‘port’ of Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires did not yet possess a proper harbour. Larger vessels had to anchor in the outer roads, as the Calliope did after each of her voyages.
Getting ashore required the use of box-like carts and boats, with the inevitable jolts, alarms and soakings.
For that reason, when a delegation from the ship came ashore, presented itself before Her Britannic Majesty’s ambassador and invited him — and, through him, prominent members of the British community — to attend a theatrical entertainment aboard the vessel, they failed to arouse much enthusiasm.
Disappointed, the members of the committee returned to their ship complaining of the ingratitude and lack of interest shown by the community towards their dramatic efforts.
Captain Thomas Herbert, however, who had rented a mansion in the city on Calle de la Paz — now Reconquista Street — skilfully intervened.
In order to arouse public interest, and to entertain both his compatriots and Buenos Aires society, he organised a ball at the house on 19 August 1839.
Contemporary accounts remembered the occasion as something fantastic and unforgettable for its magnificence and splendour.
It is worth noting that a list of those who attended the ball has survived, providing information from which we may also infer something of the audience that later attended the performances aboard ship.
The ball began at eight in the evening, following dinner, and continued until four o’clock in the morning.
Music was provided by the Calliope’s band and, among other surprises, the actors from the shipboard company gave a brief demonstration of their talents.
Their performance awakened considerable curiosity, and when invitations were again issued for theatrical performances aboard the frigate, they met with a much more favourable response.
The first dramatic performance aboard the frigate Calliope took place on 26 September 1839.
The entertainment attracted extraordinary attention, and those who returned ashore afterwards were so enthusiastic that one of them placed the following report in the British Packet, No. 685 (5 October 1839):
“Extraordinary theatrical performances — On the 26th of last month three pieces were performed aboard H.M.B. frigate Calliope, in the outer roads, by a company composed of members of the crew and sailors belonging to that vessel: The Unkeeper of Abbeville, The Pirate of Mediterraneam and Lottery Ticket. The performance was extraordinary.”
A further performance was organised and, on this occasion, the audience was so numerous that transporting everyone from the quay to the ship and back again became a genuine problem, with some people being delayed until nightfall.
Reports of this performance are likewise brief, but interesting.
“On Monday (30 September 1839),” stated the British Packet, “*they performed The Miller and His Men and The Minstrel.
A neat theatre has been fitted up aboard the vessel, with a good stage, and the costumes have been purchased by means of a subscription among the crew.
The excellent band of the Calliope takes part on this occasion, and the charming music of The Miller and His Men undoubtedly produces a most pleasing effect.
We have often heard theatrical people speak of ‘dressing up’ a drama, but until now we never expected a company of sailors to do so in such a manner; and it greatly enhances their credit that, combining improvement with amusement, they should do honour to the name of their ship — Calliope, one of the Muses.*”
The following day, Tuesday 31 October, the crew came ashore and were themselves entertained in turn.
That evening they were taken to the Teatro Argentino, where, for the benefit of the actor Juan Villarino, a version of the Tenorio was performed under the title No Hay Plazo que no se Cumpla ni Deuda que no se Pague, or El Convidado.
The contemporary account states that that evening:
“*The house was overflowing and, being well illuminated, looked brilliant, recalling the old days of that theatre.
A number of the crew and sailors of H.M.B. frigate Calliope attended and paid close attention to the performance.
They appeared particularly interested in the costumes.
Their arrival, their conduct and their clean appearance aroused considerable curiosity.*”
(British Packet, No. 689, 2 November 1839)
Before taking their leave of Buenos Aires, the sailors of the British frigate offered another performance, of which only a single announcement survives in the weekly newspaper we have been quoting:
“The theatrical performances aboard H.M.B. ship Calliope,” stated No. 689 (2 November 1839), “*carried out by her crew, will continue with great spirit, new costumes and scenery.
Next Monday (6 November 1839) they will perform Jhon Bull and the farce Captain Steves, thereby commemorating, on that date and in that manner, the second anniversary of the ship’s commission.
We have been favoured with a playbill announcing future performances, with the arms of the United Kingdom placed above the printed lettering and sketched aboard the vessel so admirably that they appear rather to have been produced by lithographic means.*”
The frigate sailed from our shores on 16 January 1840, carrying her actors to other ports like a new cart of Thespis.
Of her stay, only a playbill and a handful of notices in the English-language weekly have survived.
Nevertheless, few ships can have left behind more interesting memories.
Sources
Castagnino, Raúl Héctor — Esta noche función en el Calliope — Aquí está, Buenos Aires (1943)
Efemérides — Patricios de Vuelta de Obligado
Máscara — Asociación Argentina de Actores, Buenos Aires, April 1946
Portal revisionistas.com.ar
Turone, Oscar A. — Teatro a bordo de una nave inglesa