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 = 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. Dec. 1. Stratagem. Yates: Mrs. Sullen Miss Jarratt. Archer Garrick: Scrub = = Mrs. Abington: Cherry = = 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. = Manly = 11. Not acted 3 years. Plain Dealer. 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 Stukely Palmer: Lewson = 19. Gamester. Stukely 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. = = Dodd: Lorenzo = 29. Merchant of Venice. Shylock = King: Anthonio Reddish: Bassanio Bensley: Gratiano = Vernon: Launcelot Parsons, 1st 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.) time: Portia = Young Lady, 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 preaxed 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 admirers; 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- 66 Qui utuntur vino vetere, sapientes puto, 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"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 |