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01 March 1662

Event Information
Theatre: Lincoln's Inn Fields
Theatrical Season: 1661-1662
Volume: 1
Comments: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Opera, and there saw Romeo and Juliet, the first time it was ever acted; but it is a play of itself the worst that ever I heard in my life, and the worst acted that ever I saw these people do, and I am resolved to go no more to see the first time of acting, for they were all of them out more or less. Downes (p. 22): Note, There being a Fight and Scuffle in this Play, between the House of Capulet, and House of Paris; Mrs Holden Acting his Wife, enter'd in a Hurry, Crying, O my Dear Count! She Inadvertently left out, O, in the pronuntiation of the Word Count! giving it a Vehement Accent, put the House into such a Laughter, that London Bridge at low-water was silence to it. This Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, was made some time after into a Tragi-comedy, by Mr James Howard, he preserving Romeo and Juliet alive; so that when the Tragedy was Reviv'd again, twas Play'd Alternately, Tragical one Day, and Tragicomical another; for several Days together. [No specific notices are known which would indicate when Howard's version appeared.

Performance List

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  • Original Data

    Source: London Stage Information Bank

    *p?lif Romeo and Juliet. [$Downes= (<i>Roscius Anglicanus</i>, p. 22):% Romeo-Harris; Mercutio-Betterton; Paris-Price; Fryar-Richards; Sampson-Sandford; Gregory-Underhill; Juliet-Mrs Saunderson; Count Paris' Wife-Mrs Holden. [$Spencer= (<i>Shakespeare Improved</i>, p. 73) thinks that $James Nokes= acted the <i>Nurse</i>r.% *c?lif The <i>Duke's Company</i>. <i>Pepys, Diary</i>: To the Opera, and there saw <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, the first time it was ever acted; but it is a play of itself the worst that ever I heard in my life, and the worst acted that ever I saw these people do, and I am resolved to go no more to see the first time of acting, for they were all of them out more or less. $Downes= (p. 22): Note, There being a Fight and Scuffle in this Play, between the House of Capulet, and House of Paris; $Mrs Holden= Acting his Wife, enter'd in a Hurry, Crying, O my Dear Count! She Inadvertently left out, O, in the pronuntiation of the Word Count! giving it a Vehement Accent, put the House into such a Laughter, that London Bridge at low-water was silence to it. This Tragedy of <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, was made some time after into a Tragi-comedy, by $Mr James Howard=, he preserving <i>Romeo</i>r and <i>Juliet</i>r alive; so that when the Tragedy was Reviv'd again, twas Play'd Alternately, Tragical one Day, and Tragicomical another; for several Days together. [No specific notices are known which would indicate when Howard's version appeared.]
  • Cleaned Data

    *p1662 03 01 lif Romeo and Juliet. $Downes= (<i>Roscius Anglicanus</i>, p. 22): Romeo-Harris; Mercutio-Betterton; Paris-Price; Fryar-Richards; Sampson-Sandford; Gregory-Underhill; Juliet-Mrs Saunderson; Count Paris' Wife-Mrs Holden. $Spencer= (<i>Shakespeare Improved</i>, p. 73) thinks that $James Nokes= acted the <i>Nurse</i>r.*c1662 03 01 lif The <i>Duke's Company</i>. <i>Pepys, Diary</i>: To the Opera, and there saw <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, the first time it was ever acted; but it is a play of itself the worst that ever I heard in my life, and the worst acted that ever I saw these people do, and I am resolved to go no more to see the first time of acting, for they were all of them out more or less. $Downes= (p. 22): Note, There being a Fight and Scuffle in this Play, between the House of Capulet, and House of Paris; $Mrs Holden= Acting his Wife, enter'd in a Hurry, Crying, O my Dear Count! She Inadvertently left out, O, in the pronuntiation of the Word Count! giving it a Vehement Accent, put the House into such a Laughter, that London Bridge at low-water was silence to it. This Tragedy of <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, was made some time after into a Tragi-comedy, by $Mr James Howard=, he preserving <i>Romeo</i>r and <i>Juliet</i>r alive; so that when the Tragedy was Reviv'd again, twas Play'd Alternately, Tragical one Day, and Tragicomical another; for several Days together. [No specific notices are known which would indicate when Howard's version appeared.]
  • Parsed Data

    Event: 234 | 16620301 | lif | The <i>Duke's Company</i>. <i>Pepys, Diary</i>: To the Opera, and there saw <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, the first time it was ever acted; but it is a play of itself the worst that ever I heard in my life, and the worst acted that ever I saw these people do, and I am resolved to go no more to see the first time of acting, for they were all of them out more or less. $Downes= (p. 22): Note, There being a Fight and Scuffle in this Play, between the House of Capulet, and House of Paris; $Mrs Holden= Acting his Wife, enter'd in a Hurry, Crying, O my Dear Count! She Inadvertently left out, O, in the pronuntiation of the Word Count! giving it a Vehement Accent, put the House into such a Laughter, that London Bridge at low-water was silence to it. This Tragedy of <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, was made some time after into a Tragi-comedy, by $Mr James Howard=, he preserving <i>Romeo</i> and <i>Juliet</i> alive; so that when the Tragedy was Reviv'd again, twas Play'd Alternately, Tragical one Day, and Tragicomical another; for several Days together. [No specific notices are known which would indicate when Howard's version appeared.
    Performance: 234 | 234 | p | Romeo And Juliet | $Downes= (<i>Roscius Anglicanus</i>, p. 22): Romeo-Harris; Mercutio-Betterton; Paris-Price; Fryar-Richards; Sampson-Sandford; Gregory-Underhill; Juliet-Mrs Saunderson; Count Paris' Wife-Mrs Holden. $Spencer= (<i>Shakespeare Improved</i>, p. 73) thinks that $James Nokes= acted the <i>Nurse</i>.
    Cast:
    106 | 234 | Romeo | Harris
    107 | 234 | Mercutio | Betterton
    108 | 234 | Paris | Price
    109 | 234 | Fryar | Richards
    110 | 234 | Sampson | Sandford
    111 | 234 | Gregory | Underhill
    112 | 234 | Juliet | Mrs Saunderson
    113 | 234 | Count Paris' Wife | Mrs Holden. $Spencer=

Mainpiece

Comments:
Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 22): Romeo-Harris; Mercutio-Betterton; Paris-Price; Fryar-Richards; Sampson-Sandford; Gregory-Underhill; Juliet-Mrs Saunderson; Count Paris' Wife-Mrs Holden. Spencer (Shakespeare Improved, p. 73) thinks that James Nokes acted the Nurse.
Cast:

Cite this page

Chicago: "London Stage Event: 01 March 1662 at Lincoln's Inn Fields." London Stage Database. Accessed March 28, 2025. https://londonstagedatabase.uoregon.edu/event.php?id=234.
MLA: "London Stage Event: 01 March 1662 at Lincoln's Inn Fields." London Stage Database, https://londonstagedatabase.uoregon.edu/event.php?id=234. Accessed 28 March 2025.