Event Comment: AAsh Wednesday. Publish'd this day. Price only 1s.
Letters which have passed between John Beard Esq Manager of Covent Garden Theatre, and John Shebbeare, M.D. Wherefore I thus entreat with due Submission, Between
the Bard and me you'd make decision,
The whole now on your Approbation waits.
Prologue to
the Perplexities, sung by
Mr Beard. Printed for
G. Kearsly N.B. This Pamphlet is entered at
Stationers Hall, whoever pyrates any part of it will be prosecuted. [This pamphlet of 50 pages is given a four-column review in
the Gentleman's Magazine for March (p. 124).
The controversy was over a play which
Shebbeare submitted to
Beard and which
the latter finally rejected after holding it two seasons. Beard's letters are quoted.
The reviewer is severe upon Shebbeare: Upon
the whole for anything that has hi
therto appeared,
the managers of both
theatre have ra
ther been to blame for receiving some pieces that
they should have rejected, than for rejecting any
they should have received. No piece has yet been printed, by
the rejection of which
the managers have betrayed
their trust, or neglected
their duty to
the public.
There may be such pieces in manuscript, but, if
there are,
the most effective way of avenging
the author on
the manager is to print
them, for
the voice of
the public would instantly and effecturally do justice to
the writter...by compelling
the representation.' Shebbeare was
Joseph Pittard?]