Харви Тиздэйл: «Адам-маймыл» клоунының өмірі мен қайта өркендеуі

Harvey Teasdale (1817–1904) was a Victorian performer best known for his success as the 'man monkey' stage character. Teasdale was born in Sheffield to a family of cutlers. He performed several times as the clown in pantomimes and harlequinades before cultivating a reputation for playing the 'man monkey'. Teasdale toured the United Kingdom with this act with much success. His most famous stunt was his attempt to sail down the River Don, Sheffield, in a barrel pulled by ducks. As well as performing, Teasdale managed several theatres. In 1862, Teasdale's wife, Sarah, separated from him, taking their two daughters with her. Teasdale discovered Sarah's whereabouts and attacked her with an empty pistol before a neighbour intervened. He was convicted of attempted murder and served two years in Wakefield Prison (1862 1864). Teasdale came out of prison a 'converted clown', having become a devout Christian. He gave up the theatre and joined the Hallelujah Band in Sheffield. In 1878 he published his autobiography, The Life and Adventures of Harvey Teasdale, the Converted Clown and Man Monkey, with his remarkable conversion in Wakefield Prison, and by 1881 he purported to have sold over 40,000 copies. During his later life Teasdale preached Methodism in and around Sheffield. He was reunited with Sarah and lived with her until she died in 1883. He remarried in 1886. Teasdale died in 1904 in Firvale Workhouse Asylum and is buried in the General Cemetery, Sheffield.

In 1862 Teasdale's wife, Sarah, separated from him, taking their two daughters with her. Teasdale struggled to track them down and when he did begged them to return to him. After much chasing, Teasdale finally confronted Sarah, accusing her of earning a living as a prostitute and encouraging their daughters to do the same. He broke into her lodgings and fired a blank at her before attempting to cut her throat and his own. A neighbour intervened and alerted the authorities. Sarah survived the attack and was taken to hospital and Teasdale was arrested and taken to court. Most newspapers documenting the trial mention Teasdale's over dramatic performance on the stand, reporting that there was laughter in the court room when Teasdale said 'I determined to fire it off and cut my throat in the smoke'. In his own defense he made the following claims: 'Four months ago we were staying at Leeds. I have been married to her 26 years. I loved the ground she walked on and she hated me. While we were in Leeds she left home one Saturday morning. I went in search of her and for the first time I found she was getting her living on the streets, and she boasted that I had not found her out'. He was sentenced to two years hard labour in Wakefield Prison.

Teasdale was interned at Wakefield between 1862 and 1864. He claimed that whilst in prison he underwent a conversion and decided to leave behind his life of vice in the performing industry and preach the doctrines of Methodism. Once released from prison Teasdale moved back to Sheffield and joined the Hallelujah Band to spread the message of Methodism. However, his sincerity is questionable: in an attempt to rid himself of his former persona and the monkey that had become his alter ego, Teasdale advertised that he would burn his effects, including his monkey costume, in Sheffield's Temperance Hall. The Sheffield Daily Telegraph reported that 'placards have been circulated within the town, stating that Harvey Teasdale, the well known man monkey and clown, would relate his experiences and destroy his dresses and theatrical effects'. Yet a different newspaper documents him burning his effects in Leeds and the Era suggests they were for sale: 'The whole of Harvey Teasdale's pantomimes, monkey pieces, manuscripts to be sold for £2 10s'. In spite of his self proclaimed conversion, there is evidence to suggest that Teasdale's former life style did not allude him. Teasdale claims he then went to Totley and bought a donkey named Charley, with whom he would travel around the moors searching for work and food. He suggests it was his faith which got him through this lean period. Yet, it is questionable whether he was sincerely struggling or painting himself as a martyr. He was later reunited with Sarah, whom he converted to Methodism.

Teasdale died in 1904, aged 86. His obituary doesn't give a definite cause of death instead stating that 'for some time his brain had been affected'. He died in Firvale Workhouse Asylum, where he had been living for a fortnight. He is buried in the General Cemetery, Sheffield.

Teasdale published the first edition of his autobiography in 1878. It went through several editions and by 1881 it had sold over 40,000 copies. Teasdale continued to sell his autobiography, alongside signed photographs of himself. The Life and Adventures of Harvey Teasdale, the Converted Clown and Man Monkey, with his remarkable conversion in Wakefield Prison is an unusual example of Victorian life writing, detailing the extraordinary life of a working class performer who described himself as 'Harvey Teasdale, the converted clown, and once the greatest impersonator of the man monkey in the world, now a sinner saved by grace, fighting the battle of the cross!’ The autobiography has been noted for its highly dramatic tone, heavy use of Shakespearean and biblical quotations and the author's questionable sincerity. Over the past few years a renewed local interest in Teasdale has developed. Efforts are being made towards the reprinting of his memoir within the University of Sheffield. In September 2014, Point Blank Theatre Company premiered their production, Harvey Teasdale: the Sheffield Man Monkey, based on Teasdale's life as part of Sheffield's Festival of the Mind. The production featured Vern Griffiths as Harvey Teadale, Jack Windle as the Chorus and Dr Butler's Hatstand Medicine Band as the Hallelujah Band.