see Cuckold's Haven T. R. 1685-for a cast of Eastward Hoe see D. L. Oct. 29 1751. 18. Measure for Measure. = 20. Clandestine Marriage. Lord Ogleby King: Sterling Parsons: Lovewell Brereton; Sir John = = Melvil Bensley: Canton Baddeley: Brush = Palmer: Mrs. Heidelberg = Mrs. Hopkins: Miss Sterling Mrs. Greville Fanny Miss P. Hopkins. = 21. Mourning Bride. Miss Younge: Almeria = = = = Osmyn = Grist: Zara = = 23. Not acted 10 years, She wou'd and She wou'd not. Trappanti King: Don Manuel Yates: Don Philip Bensley: Octavio Brereton: Soto= Baddeley: Diego Parsons: Hypolita Mrs. King: Flora Mrs. Greville: Viletta Mrs. Davies: Rosara Miss Hopkins. = = 24. Love in a Village. Justice Woodcock= Parsons: Hawthorn Bannister: Hodge King: Margery Mrs. Wrighten. = 25. Alchemist. Abel Drugger = Garrick: Ananias Parsons: Tribulation = Waldron. = 28. Maid of the Oaks. Hurry Parsons: Maria Miss P. Hopkins. 1 Dec. 1. Stratagem. Yates: Mrs. Sullen Miss Jarratt. = Archer Garrick: Scrub = = = ! 5. Rule a Wife. Leon Garrick : Copper Captain = King: Cacafogo Moody: Estifania = = Mrs. Abington Margarita Miss Sherry: Old Woman = Mr. Baddeley. 7. Macbeth. Macbeth Smith: Macduff Reddish Lady Macbeth Mrs. Yates. 8. Garrick acted Hamlet. = 11. Not acted 3 years. Plain Dealer. Manly = Bensley, 1st time: Jerry Blackacre Yates: Novel = King: Lord Plausible Parsons: Major Oldfox = Moody, 1st time: Vernish Packer: Quillet = Baddeley Freeman Palmer : Widow Blackacre Mrs. Hopkins: Fidelia Miss Younge Olivia= Mrs. Greville, 1st time. = 12. Richard the 3d Smith :-with, never acted, Sultan, or a Peep into the Seraglio. Solyman the Great (Emperor of the Turks) = Palmer: Osmyn (chief of the eunuchs) = Bannister: Roxalana (an English slave) = Mrs. Abington: Elmira (the Sultana) = Mrs. King: Ismena (a Persian slave) = Mrs. Wrighten the Sultan had been much enamoured of Elmira, but his love had cooled-Osmyn complains to the Sultan that Roxalana is ungovernable-the Sultan represents to her the impropriety of her conduct - she treats his remonstrance with levity-he falls in love with her-she at last gains such an influence over him, that he makes her his wife-this F. is attributed to Bickerstaffe-it is a mere trifle, but as such not bad-Mrs. Abington acted admirably -there is a pretty good Epilogue, written and spoken by her at Crow Street Dublin in 1778, after playing Roxalana. 14. Garrick acted Lusignan. = 18. Every Man in his Humour. Kitely Garrick, 1st time this season: Master Stephen Dodd: Justice Clement = Parsons: Dame Kitely ville. Mrs. Gre 19. Gamester. Stukely = Palmer: Lewson Brereton, 1st time. 20. Garrick acted Leon. 23. Stratagem. Archer Garrick Scrub = Dodd, 1st time. 26. George Barnwell Brereton, 1st time: Milwood Mrs. King, 1st time: -with, not acted 6 years, Jubilee. = = = = 29. Merchant of Venice. Shylock King: Anthonio = Reddish: Bassanio Bensley: Gratiano = Dodd: Lorenzo Vernon : Launcelot Parsons, 1st time Portia Young Lady, her 1st appearance there Nerissa Mrs. Davies: Jessica Miss Jarratt-the Young Lady was Mrs. Siddons--she was recommended to Garrick by Bate-he had seen her at Cheltenham in various characters, but was most struck with her Rosalind. (Boaden.) Jan. 2. Merchant of Venice. Portia = Mrs. Siddons, her 2d appearance. 3. Hypocrite. Mawworm Parsons, 1st time: Seyward Brereton, 1st time. 8. Old City Manners, 7th time. = = = 18. Not acted 20 years, Epicone, or the Silent Woman. Morose Bensley: Truewit Palmer: Sir Amorous La Foole King: Capt. Otter Yates: Sir John Daw Parsons: Cutbeard = Baddeley: Dauphine Brereton: Clerimont = Davies: Epicone = Mrs. Siddons: Mrs. Otter Mrs. Hopkins: Lady Haughty Miss Sherry: Lady Centaure Mrs. Davies Mrs. Mavis Miss Platt:-Mrs. Siddons acted Epicone on the 15th and 17th-on the 23d the part was given to Lamash, and his name stands to it in the play as printed-this is a most judicious alteration by Colman-he had begun it in 1767-in an advertisement prefixed to it he speaks of the excellence of this C. and the cold reception it met with -adding that he cannot pay the modern Critics so high a compliment as to suppose it incumbent on him to defend Ben Jonson and his adınirers; or to make any apology for having with the kind assistance of Garrick promoted the revival of Epicone; the perusal of which he recommends in the closet to those acute spirits who thought it unworthy of the stage. "We think our fathers fools, so wise we grow ! "Our wiser sons, no doubt, will think us so." He might have added from Ben Jonson "Art has an enemy called Ignorance." And from Plautus-in his Prologue to Casina-- Gifford says "this C. was first acted in 1609"after Cibber's retirement and the death of Wilks, "Booth, &c. who had often delighted the town in "this play, it was laid aside till 1776, when it failed "of success from a singular circumstance--the man 66 agers most injudiciously gave the part of Epicone "to a woman; so that when she threw off her female "attire in the last act, and appeared as a boy, the "whole cunning of the scene was lost, and the au"dience felt themselves rather trifled with, than sur 66 prised -Garrick was immediately sensible of his "error, and attempted to remedy it by a different "cast of the parts; but it was too late"-Gifford is quite wrong in supposing that the Silent Woman had not been acted after the retirement of Cibber, &c. till 1776—Garrick was injudicious in giving the character of Epicone to a woman; his reason for so doing, was doubtless because it had been uniformly played by a woman from 1664-it is clear from the cast of the play that its failure was not owing to the actors or the manager -- the fault was solely in the audience. Morose has such an abhorrence of all noise that he instructs his servant to answer him by signs-he has taken a dislike to his nephew, Sir Dauphine Eugenie, and is determined to marry-Cutbeard recommends Epicone to him, as being a Silent WomanTruewit, in the 2d act, does his utmost to deter Morose from marrying-his attempt only accelerates Morose's determination-Morose wishes to keep his wedding privately, but all the D. P. assemble at his house in the 3d act, Epicone recovers the full use of her tongue-Morose is very desirous of a divorce -Truewit disguises Cutbeard as a civilian and Otter as a divine-they talk over the different pleas for a divorce; but none of them seem applicable to Morose's case-Morose agrees to settle £500 a year on his nephew during his life, and the rest of his fortune. at his death, on condition that he will effect a divorce for him--this is easily done, as Epicone is a boy whom Dauphine has prepared for his purpose-Tom Otter is under petticoat government-Cutbeard is in the interest of Dauphine-there is a remarkably neat song in the 1st scene. Dryden in his Essay on Dramatick Poesie highly commends this play-he considers the dialogue of it |