Frances Aymar Mathews (1865 – September 10, 1925) was an American playwright and novelist. Her most successful play was Pretty Peggy (1902), starring Grace George.[1]
Her first play was Bigamy (1881), a five-act society drama.[1] In 1887, she sued producers Daniel Frohman, David Belasco, and Henry C. De Mille, alleging that scenes in their hit The Wife (1887) were taken from a play she submitted to Frohman. The suit was rejected by the New York Supreme Court in 1891.[2] In 1889, Mathews was the first woman in America to publish a collection of one-act comedies, To-night at Eight.[2]
Actress Fanny Davenport engaged Mathews to write a play about Joan of Arc with Davenport in the starring role. Mathews wrote a blank verse drama called A Soldier of France that was based in historical research, but also took significant liberties, such as a love interest for Joan of Arc. The play premiered in Boston in 1897 and, despite the lavish and expensive effects, it was a critical failure.[2]
Mathew's biggest success was Pretty Peggy (1902). The play was about the early career of 18th century actress Peg Woffington, played by Grace George, and her romance with actor David Garrick. A highlight of the play was costumed actors appearing in the audience commenting on Woffington's performance of Rosalind in William Shakespeare'sAs You Like It.[1]
Mathews also wrote novels, including My Lady Peggy Goes to Town (1901), a historical romance of an 18th century woman trying to reconcile with her lover. Mathews penned a sequel, My Lady Peggy Leaves Town (1913).[1]
Frances Aymar Mathews died on 10 September 1925 in New York City and was buried at Trinity Church.[3][4]
Bibliography
The New Yorkers and other people
Bigamy (1881).
To-night at Eight; Comedies and Comediettas (1889).
