Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time at a public theatre; C 3, by
Elizabeth Craven,
Baroness Craven, afterwards
Margravine of Anspach, 1st acted privately at the
Town-Hall, Newbury, 6 Apr. 1780. Text (
G. Riley, 1781) assigns no parts. Prologue by
Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Epilogue by
Joseph Jekyll (see text)]: With new Dresses, &c. "The Prologue [the first 30 lines
and the concluding couplet of which were used by Sheridan as the Prologue to
Pizarro (see
dl, 24 May 1799)] was so much admired that at the request of the
Duchess of Devonshire and several other of the nobility it was respoken after the piece; but as
King was absent from the theatre, it was delivered by
Palmer" (
Town and Country Magazine, May 1780, p. 23 ). "The chief singularity was that [
Lady Craven] went to it herself the second night, in form; sat in the middle of the front row of the stage-box, much dressed, with a profusion of white bugles
and plumes, to receive the public homage due to her sex
and loveliness. The
Duchess of Richmond,
Lady Harcourt,...
Mrs Damer,
Lord Craven,...
and I were with her. It was amazing to see so young a woman entirely possess herself-but there is such an integrity
and frankness in her consciousness of her own beauty
and talents, that she speaks of them with a naivete as if she had no property in them, but only wore them as gifts of the gods. Lord Craven on the contrary was quite agitated by
his fondness for her
and with impatience at the bad performance of the actors, which was wretched indeed, yet the address of the plot, which is the chief merit of the piece,
and some lively pencilling carried it off very well, though
Parsons murdered the
Scotch lord,
and Mrs Robinson (who is supposed to be the favourite of the
Prince of Wales) thought on nothing but her own charms, or him. There is a very good though endless prologue written by Sheridan
and spoken in perfection by King, which was encored (an entire novelty) the first night:
and an epilogue that I liked still better
and which was full as well delivered by
Mrs Abington, written by Mr. Jekyl. The audience, though very civil, missed a fair opportunity of being gallant, for in one of those ----logues, I forget which, the noble authoress was mentioned,
and they did not applaud as they ought to have done, especially when she condescended to avow her pretty child
and was there looking so very pretty...Yet Lady Craven's tranquillity had nothing displeasing;...
and it was tempered by her infinite good nature, which made her make excuses for the actors instead of being provoked at them" (
Walpole [28 May 1780], XI, 178-80).
Public Advertiser, 14 July 1781: T
his Day at Noon will be published
The Miniature Picture (price not listed). Receipts: #144 9s. (94.9; 48.3; 1.17)