Cast Lists

For the sake of concision, the editors of The London Stage, 1660-1800 used what they called a "ladder" system to abbreviate cast lists, which were often the lengthiest part of a performance entry. If the cast listed in the playbills and newspaper advertisements for a particular play stays fairly consistent over the course of a season, it is reproduced in full the first time it appears with that cast, and subsequent performances of the same play by the same company record the cast following the syntax "As [date], but [substitutions, if any]."

So, for example, a performance of The Busy Body at Drury Lane on 31 May 1739 is recorded "THE BUSY BODY. As 28 Dec. 1738, but Whisper-Winstone." The user of the reference book can then turn to the entry for The Busy Body at Drury Lane on 28 December 1738 and read the cast list for that date: "As 23 Sept., but Marplot-Macklin; Whisper-Woodward." Turning back to September, the reader finds a full cast list: "Marplot-Cibber; Sir George-Mills; Sir Francis-Griffin; Miranda-Mrs Clive; Sir Jealous-Turbutt; Charles-Wright; Whisper-Macklin; Isabinda-Mrs Mills; Patch-Mrs Pritchard; Scentwell-Mrs Bennet."

Making the appropriate substitutions, the reader can infer that the cast list advertised for the December performance was "Marplot-Macklin; Sir George-Mills; Sir Francis-Griffin; Miranda-Mrs Clive; Sir Jealous-Turbutt; Charles-Wright; Whisper-Woodward; Isabinda-Mrs Mills; Patch-Mrs Pritchard; Scentwell-Mrs Bennet," and that for the May performance it was "Marplot-Macklin; Sir George - Mills; Sir Francis - Griffin; Miranda - Mrs Clive; Sir Jealous - Turbutt; Charles - Wright; Whisper-Winstone; Isabinda - Mrs Mills; Patch - Mrs Pritchard; Scentwell - Mrs Bennet." Tracing these ladder cast lists without the aid of a database can be painstaking work if several substitutions are made over a series of performances.

The London Stage Database attempts to reconstruct the cast list wherever the "as [date]" syntax occurs for a mainpiece or afterpiece. However, it ignores entries that follow other patterns. For example, the editors sometimes provide notes about an advertised cast list (or the lack thereof) and direct readers to "see [date]." This is an invitation to comparison; it represents the editors' conjecture that these two dates' cast lists bear some kind of relation. It does not, however, consistently represent a correspondence between advertised casts in the same way that the "as [date]" syntax does, so we have chosen not to attempt cast lists for these "see [date]" entries.

Note that the program that reconstructs "as [date]" cast lists ignores the roles of prologue and epilogue. Because these short pieces were often occasional and might only be spoken at initial performances of a play (or as reflections on special events, like an author or actor benefit), they are not assumed to carry forward through subsequent performances in the same way that other roles do.