Event Comment: Mr Lacy a Proprietor of this
Theatre made his first appearance upon
the Stage in
the part of
Alexander. He is very Tall, & Thin, a good Voice but His Fright took away from it's power--he was rec'ed with Applause.
Mr Garrick wrote a
New Occasional Prologue to introduce him, which was Spoken by
Mr King & rec'ed with great Applause (
Hopkins Diary). Paid 4 days list at #91 8s. 10d. per diem #365 15s. 4d.;
Mr J. French on Acct #10 10s. (Treasurer's Book). [
The Westminster Magazine commented on
Willoughby Lacy's performance (Oct. 1774): "His performance was far from answering
the expectations we had been taught to form from a friend and pupil of our
English Roscius. Indeed Mr Lacy is a very young man:
therefore we ought not to draw
the line of our expectation. His figure is at present lank, awkward, and unengaging; his voice distinctly powerful, but inharmonious; his action outre, vulgar and forced: his attitudes unnatural, affected and disgustful; and his delivery a continued rant, without proper change, a pleasing variety, or a just discrimination of
the necessary difference of tone demanded by
the different passions.
These...capital defects...are not unsurmountable...
The play was prefaced by a
new Prologue, evidently
the production of Mr Garrick. It had some humor and was well received.
The purport of it was to beg favor for
the hero of
the evening, whom it compared to a young swimmer, who had tried to float in two shallow streams, and was now about to venture himself in
the great deep. This image is certainly an apt one, though, it is no great compliment to
the audiences of
Norwich and
Birmingham."] Receipts: #248 19s. (Treasurer's Book)