classical plays but found a talent for making villains credible, such as Job Trotter in the Dickens' adaptation, Pickwick. But in 1879, some ill-judged comments led to Cartwright leaving the Lyceum. The company was on tour, sailing from Scotland to Ireland, when Henry Irving became ill with seasickness. Cartwright quipped that Irving didn't look like the young Hamlet. When the company was back in London, Irving informed Cartwright that his role in the forthcoming Hamlet revival would be that of the servant of Polonius - a part with barely any lines. Cartwright left Irving's company and travelled to Bombay, where he had been hired to manage the launch programme of 35 musical and theatrical productions at the city's new Gaiety Theatre, which opened on 6 December 1879. 1880s Arriving back in London in 1881, Cartwright joined William Creswick's company at the Surrey Theatre for a Shakespearean revival season, before joining Edwin Booth’s 1882 tour in the north of England. In Liverpool, he appeared as Troy in J Commyns Carr’s adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd. The popular adaptation, in which Thomas Hardy was personally involved, premiered on 27 February 1882, before going on a provincial tour and then transferring to London. He established himself in London and, in 1883, appeared with Kyrle Bellew and Marie Litton in a hugely successful production of Moths, an adaptation by Henry Hamilton of a novel by Ouida. He would go on to reprise his role in Moths a number of times in London, the provinces and colonies. The success of Moths guaranteed Cartwright a steady stream of leading roles. In 1887, he joined the company at the Adelphi Theatre in London, appearing in a number of productions alongside Olga Nethersole and William Terris. He was in 102 consecutive performances of The Silver Falls, winning plaudits for his powerful and clever characterisation of the villain and appeared in long runs of melodrama such as The Bells of Haslemere, The Union Jack and Harbour Lights. 1890s The heavy performance and touring schedule took a toll on Cartwright's health. In October 1890, in search of a better climate, he took a company on a ten month tour of Australia, opening in Melbourne's Bijou Theatre, on contract to the Brough and Boucicault Comedy Company. After Australia, Cartwright returned to the Adelphi, where his performances included Oliver Cromwell in The White Rose (23 April – 10 June 1892)