27. King John -30. Egerton acted Villeroy. Nov. 1. Henry 4th 1st part. Falstaff = Fawcett. 2. Young acted Kitely. = = 21. Provoked Husband. Lord Townly Young. 22. As you like it. Touchstone Fawcett : Jaques = Kemble: Orlando C. Kemble: Adam Murray: Rosalind Mrs. H. Johnston: Audrey = Mrs. C. Kemble. = 23. Child of Nature by Miss S. Booth, her 1st app. there. = = = 29. Never acted, Gustavus Vasa-founded on the Hero of the North. Gustavus Vasa Young: Marcoff Fawcett: Gabriel Emery: Casimir Rubenski Murray: Carlowitz Egerton: Sigismund of Calmar Incledon: Princess Gunilda = Mrs. H. Johnston: Frederica Rubenski = Mrs. Dickons : Alexa Mrs. C. Kemble: Ulrica Mrs. Liston: Santa Michaelwina Mrs. Weston :-acted 14 times = -this is only the Hero of the North with a new name-Dimond had made alterations and improvements in his play-in particular he meant to have exhibited to the view of the audience some of the actions of Gustavus which had been before only related -the piece had been announced for representation under the title of Gustavus of Sweden-at the last rehearsal but one, Kemble called Dimond aside, and said he had received a note from that unaccountable fellow Mr. Larpent to prohibit the play-as soon as the rehearsal was over, Kemble posted to the Chamberlain's Office, where of course he met with no redress -he was told with the usual insolence of the Chamberlain's deputies-"they had not time to read the VOL. VIII. "play-should not point out particulars, but it must "be laid aside"-on his return to the theatre, he told Dimond that he must undo every thing that he had done-and that the piece must be played as originally written at the next rehearsal, he particularly insisted that every performer who had to mention the word Gustavus should tack Vasa to it for the high and mighty potentates had condescended so far as to intimate that such was their will and pleasure -they would probably have prohibited the revival of the Hero of the North at this time, if it had been in their power-the only reason that could be conjectured for this absurd and arbitrary conduct of these petty tyrants was, that the Ex-king of Sweden being in England at this time, and ministers being determined not to acknowledge him, they were afraid that people should imagine, that a play called Gustavus of Sweden had some reference to him. Dec. 1. Henry 8th. Buckingham Buckingham = Barrymore, 1st app. at New C. G.-with (2d time) Spoil'd Child. Little Pickle Miss S. Booth: Tag=Liston Old Pickle Emery. = 6. Othello Young: Iago = C. Kemble: Cassio= Brunton: Desdemona = Mrs. H. Johnston: Æmilia Mrs. Weston. 8. All the World's a Stage. Kitty Sprightly = Miss S. Booth. 11. Isabella, with, never acted, X. Y. Z. Neddy Bray Liston: Roscius Alldross (a manager)= Fawcett Ralph Hempseed = Emery: Grumbleton = Blanchard Capt. Galliot Hamerton: Dora Mumwell (an actress) = Mrs. Davenport: Maria Miss Bolton Mrs. Mouser = Mrs. Weston :-this is a moderate Farce by Colman Jun.-it was well acted -Alldross and Neddy Bray separately put an advertisement into the newspaper, under the signature of X. Y. Z,-one for an actress-the other for a wife -each of them gets the answer designed for the other this produces equivoque, but nothing sterling -see Beggar on Horseback, Hay. June 16 1785— after the 2d night this Farce was laid aside in consequence of an order from the Court of Chancery. 13. Kemble acted Shylock. = = 18. Macbeth, with Miss Lucy, or the Virgin Unmasked. Coupee = Liston: Blister Blanchard : Quaver Taylor: Miss Lucy Miss S. Booth :-this Farce was originally called the Old Man taught Wisdom, or the Virgin Unmasked-it had been played for many years under the second title-why Kemble chose to call it Miss Lucy, was best known to himself-the title of the sequel was Miss Lucy in Town. 28. Every one has his Fault-the characters as formerly advertised-at this time the name of the play was just mentioned, and the rest of the bill dedicated to the service of a new Pantomime-it appears from the bottom of the bill for the 27th that Egerton acted Capt. Irwin, and Miss S. Booth, Edward-Miss Wooburn was omitted-the rest of the cast was as in the last season. 29. New Way to Pay old Debts. Sir Giles Overreach Kemble: Wellborn C. Kemble: Marrall Liston: Lord Lovell = Munden: Justice Greedy = Barrymore: Lady Allworth garet Miss S. Booth. = Mrs. Weston: Mar = Jan. 5. Twelfth Night. Malvolio Liston: Sir Andrew Aguecheek Blanchard: Sir Toby Belch= Emery : Orsino = Barrymore: Sebastian = Brunton : Clown = Fawcett : Viola = Mrs. S. Booth : Olivia = Mrs. C. Kemble: Maria = Mrs. Gibbs :-acted 7 times-Liston was truly comic in the scene when he read the letter, and in that when he entered crossgartered, but on the whole Malvolio was a part out of his line-Kemble has introduced into the bill several names which Shakspeare never dreamt of. 8. Jealous Wife. Major Oakly = Barrymore : Capt. O'Cutter = Hamerton : Harriet = Miss Bolton: -rest as before. 16. Merry Wives. Falstaff = Fawcett : Ford = Young: Hugh Evans (Sir Hugh) = Blanchard: Dr. Caius = Farley : Shallow = Simmons : Slender = Liston : Host = Emery : Mrs. Ford = Mrs. C. Kemble : Mrs. Page= = Mrs. Gibbs : Anne Page = Miss S. Booth : Mrs. Quickly = Mrs. Davenport. 18. Inconstant. Young Mirabel = C. Kemble: Duretete = Liston : Old Mirabel = Munden: Bisarre = Mrs. C. Kemble : Oriana = Miss S. Booth. 22. Confederacy. Corinna = Miss S. Booth. 26. Cato. Cato = Kemble : Syphax = Egerton : Juba = C. Kemble : Sempronius = Barrymore : Portius = Young : Marcus = Brunton : Marcia = Mrs. H. Johnston: Lucia = Miss S. Booth :-acted 16 times-Cato was very properly revived with change of scenes, in order to obviate the absurdities, in which Addison had involved himself by making the whole play pass in Cato's great hall-see Dennis' remarks in Dr. Johnson's Life of Addison. A nearer view of the principles on which the unities of time and place stand, will perhaps diminish their value, and draw from them the veneration, which, from the time of Corneille, they have generally received, by discovering that they have given more trouble to the poet than pleasure to the auditor -the necessity of observing the unities of time and place arises from the supposed necessity of making the drama credible-but without these the drama is credited with all the credit due to a drama-the delight of tragedy proceeds from our consciousness of fiction-if we thought murders and treasons real, they would please no more-the truth is, the spectators are always in their senses, and know from the first act to the last, that the stage is only a stage, and that the players are only players-they come to hear a certain number of lines recited with just gesture and elegant modulation-the lines relate to some action, and an action must be in some placebut the different actions that complete a story may be in places very remote from each other-and where is the absurdity of allowing that space to represent first Athens and then Sicily, which was always known to be neither Sicily, nor Athens, but a modern theatre ?—the time required by the fable elapses for the most part between the acts-and time is, of all modes of existence, most obsequious to the imagination-a lapse of years is as easily conceived as a passage of hours-the unities of time and place are not essential to a just drama, and tho' they may sometimes conduce to pleasure, they are always to be sacrificed to the nobler beauties of variety and instruction-he that, without diminution of any other excellence, shall preserve all the unities unbroken, deserves the like applause with the architect, who shall display all the orders of architecture in a citadel, without |