Event Comment: [
Maria Macklin w
rote he
r fathe
r (13 Ma
rch 1773):
Smith has
rais'd such a fu
ry in the Town, owing to
Colman's having
refus'd
Mrs Yates to play fo
r him, that last Satu
rday [6 Ma
rch] being the fifth night of
Alzuma, when the play ought to have begun, the Audience made a most violent noise, called fo
r Colman, insisted that the play should not begin till he was found & the
reasons given why M
rs Yates was not suffe
red to play fo
r Smith. In vain did
Bensley endeavo
r f
requently to speak and tell them that Colman was not to be found. The still continued hissing and
roa
ring, and this last till past seven o'clock.
Dagge and
Harris we
re behind in a d
readful conste
rnation least the house should be demolished, of which indeed it was in some dange
r. At last they said something must be said to quiet them, when
Smith in the confusion
ran on and told them that the manage
rs had consented M
rs Yates should play fo
r him. Then they sent him off to tell them that his day must be settled wheneve
r he thought p
rope
r, to give he
r time to come he
re. He went off and made them fix it fo
r the 19th of Ap
ril, went on and told them it was settled. They then insisted that
Smith should tell them whethe
r eve
rything was settled to his enti
re satisfaction. He assu
red them it was. The play was then o
rde
red to begin. I am told they have given him up his a
rticles fo
r th
ree yea
rs, at his desi
re. Seve
ral Gentlemen went
round into the Hall and sent fo
r Smith, telling him his p
rivate qua
rrels with the manage
rs we
re nothing to them. That if M
rs Yates play'd they should be glad to see he
r, but that as she was not in the company it was not
right in him to distu
rb the play and hinde
r them f
rom seeing it. He expostulated with them and told his sto
ry. The Town
rings with this affai
r. Va
rious a
re the opinions. Some think it is he
r plan to get once mo
re upon the stage, and they say the
re is a most powe
rful Pa
rty making to oppose he
r & that she shall not play that night. Othe
rs say Colman is ve
ry w
rong to hinde
r he
r. I find she enti
rely built upon you
r playing fo
r me, and the
re has been a ve
ry impatient ca
rd in the
Ledger</i> to Colman insisting upon his telling the town why Mrs Yates was hindered to play, and why Mr Macklin had any more right to be suffered to come over so long unmolested to play for Miss Macklin? But that everybody sees thru'....Colman I am certain has not a thing against your playing for me. He seems rather to wish for your coming....I do not think the Yeats's will be engag'd tho' the Town rail much at Mrs Hartley & Miss Miller</a>, and sure enough they are bitter bad....On Tuesday I shall send you the fate of Dr Goldsmith's Comedy, which comes out on Monday next. It is call'd the Mistakes of a Night....Foote's Rary Shew has been rehears'd three mornings but he got no money, so he shews off again at night instead-but it does not fill violently. Alonzo goes on but Barry is too ill to play. The great support of it is Mrs Barry's acting." (Harvard Theatre Collection, A.L.S.)] Receipts: #196 19s