19. (and 21) Winter's Tale in 3 acts. Leontes = Melmoth: Old Shepherd Clarke: Hermione= Mrs. Melmoth: Perdita by the Lady, who acted Indiana -see March 12 1774. = = = 24. King Lear = Barry: Edgar Lewis, 1st time : Bastard = Bensley: Gloster - Hull: Kent = Clarke : Gentleman Usher Quick: Cordelia Mrs. Barry. 25. West Indian. Belcour Lewis: Charlotte Rusport Miss Barsanti: Lady Rusport = Mrs. Green -on the 30th Mrs. Bulkley acted Louisa Dudley 1st time. Dec. 2. Artaxerxes, with, never acted, Romance of an Hour. Sir Hector Strangeways (an Admiral) Shuter: Orson (his son) son) = Quick: Bussora (a Gentoo) Lee Lewes Col. Ormsby = Clarke: Brownlow = Bensley: Pillage = Dunstall : Zelida (an Indian lady) Mrs. Bulkley: Lady Di. Strangeways = Mrs. Green-Zelida's father had bequeathed her to Col. Ormsby for his wife-the Colonel had sent her to England under the care of Brownlow, who was his particular friend - Zelida, tho' born in India, has had an European education-she is in love with Brownlow-he is in love with her, but from motives of honour he conceals his passion for her-Col. Ormsby returns to England-Zelida, to avoid a marriage with him, determines to go back to India—for this purpose she leaves the house of Lady Di. Strangeways, with whom she had resided, and takes a lodging at the house of Pillage's sister-Pillage sends Sir Hector word, that a pretty girl is come to lodge at his sister's-Sir Hector takes the hint, and to his surprise finds Zelida-Zelida consents to marry Col. Ormsby, in order to prevent a duel between him and Brownlow-Bussora, Zelida's faithful servant, declares that she is in love with Brownlow-Col. Ormsby resigns Zelida- -this is a neat C. in 2 acts by Kelly—it is professedly founded on one of Marmontel's Tales-the comic characters are better than the serious ones. = = 3. Zara. Lusignan Barry: Osman - Lee: Nerestan Wroughton: Zara Mrs. Barry. 6. Bold Stroke for a Wife. Col. Feignwell = Woodward: Obediah Prim Shuter: Periwinkle= Quick Tradelove Dunstall: Anne Lovely Miss Macklin. 9. Lady Jane Gray. Lord Guilford Dudley = Lewis, 1st time: Pembroke = Bensley: Gardiner= Clarke Northumberland = Hull: Duchess of Suffolk Mrs. Hull: Lady Jane Gray Mrs. Hartley. 12. Love makes a Man. Carlos Bensley: Louisa = Mrs. Mattocks: Angelina Mrs. Bulkley: Elvira Mrs. Hull. = = Barry: Iago Bensley: Cassio= Lewis Roderigo Woodward: Brabantio = Hull: Desdemona = Mrs. Barry: Æmilia Mrs. Mattocks, 1st time. = 17. Jane Shore. Hastings = Barry: Dumont= Bensley Gloster Clarke: Belmour Hull: Jane Shore Mrs. Hartley: Alicia = Mrs. Barry. = = = 26. Earl of Essex Clinch, 1st time: Southampton = Wroughton: Burleigh Hull: Queen Mrs. Melmoth, 1st time: Rutland Mrs. Hartley, 1st time. Jan. 3. Hamlet, by a Gentleman, being his 1st appearance in Europe: King Clarke: Ghost= Bensley: Horatio = Hull: Laertes = Wroughton, 1st time: Osrick Lee Lewes : Polonius = Shuter : = 1st Gravedigger Dunstall: Ophelia = tocks: Queen Mrs. Hull, 1st time. 7-9-11-14 and 16. Distressed Mother. = = Mrs. Mat Orestes= Barry: Pyrrhus Bensley: Pylades Clinch: Hermione = Mrs. Barry: Andromache = Mrs. Hartley: -this T. was revived at both theatres in opposition -the advantage was certainly at C. G. = 17. Never acted, Rivals. Sir Anthony Absolute Shuter: Capt. Absolute Woodward: Faulkland Lewis Acres Quick: Sir Lucius O'Trigger = Lee: Fag= Lee Lewes David Dunstall: Lydia Languish Miss Barsanti: Julia Mrs. Bulkley: Mrs. Malaprop=Mrs. Green: Lucy = Mrs. Lessingham :-acted 14 or 15 times-Moore in his Life of Sheridan says" this C., as it is well known, failed "in its first representation-chiefly from the bad "acting of Lee in Sir Lucius-Clinch was substi"tuted in his place; and the play, being lightened "of this and some other incumbrances, rose at once "into public favour"—the Rivals is an excellent C. on the whole-but Faulkland is not a pleasing character-Acres and Mrs. Malaprop are caricatures— the scenes between Sir Anthony and Capt. Absolute are exquisite. 18. Rivals after this night it was withdrawn for alteration on the 10th night Sheridan wrote a new Prologue-this was spoken by Mrs. Bulkley, who, pointing to the figure of Comedy (which at that time stood on one side of the Stage, as Tragedy did on the other) said— "Look on this form-where Humour quaint "and sly "Dimples the cheek, and points the beaming eye; "Where gay Invention seems to boast its wiles, “In amorous hint and half-triumphant smiles ; "Look on her well-does she seem form'd to "teach ? "Shou'd you expect to hear this Lady-preach ?* "Is grey experience suited to her youth? "Do solemn sentiments become that mouth? "Yet thus adorned with every graceful art "To charm the fancy and yet reach the heart— "Must we displace her? and instead advance "The Goddess of the woeful countenance— "The Sentimental Muse!-her emblems view "The Pilgrim's progress, and a sprig of rue!— “There fix'd in usurpation should she stand, "She'll snatch the dagger from her sister's hand: "And having made her votaries weep a flood, "Good Heav'n! she'll end her Comedies in "blood "Bid Harry Woodward break poor Dunstall's " crown! Imprison Quick--and knock Ned Shuter down; "While sad Barsanti-weeping o'er the scene, "Shall stab herself-or poison Mrs. Green." Acres in the 3d act says "'tis certain I have most * Dramatizing the penal laws and making the Stage a Court of ease to the Old Bailey is vastly moral, but vastly dull-We go to Church to be edified, to the Theatre to be amused. "Antigallican Toes"-the same thought occurs in the Wasps of Aristophanes, where the old man on being desired to put on a pair of Lacedemonian boots, endeavours to excuse himself by saying that one of his toes is πανυ μισολακων--a sworn enemy to the Lacedemonians. What Acres says of swearing (in act 2d) "that "the best terms will grow obsolete" and that "Damns have had their day"-corresponds with an Old Epigram by Sir John Harrington— In elder times an ancient custom was, "To swear in weighty matters by the mass; 66 "note, They sware then by the cross of this same groat: "And when the cross was likewise held in scorn, "Then by their faith the common oath was "sworn. "Last having sworn away all faith and troth, 66 Only G―d damn them is their common oath. "Thus custom kept decorum by gradation, "That losing mass, cross, faith, they find damna"tion." Matthew Paris says the Normans came with horrible oaths and such as the English had not been used to -several of our Monarchs of that formidable race had each of them a particular oath of which he became the protector and patron-some few of these have survived to this day, but, like other favourites without merit, find no respect now, when their masters are no more-(Ogden)-of modern oaths Gadso |