Event Comment: The United Company.
The date of
the first performance is not known.
The January issue of
the Gentleman's Journal, wnich did not appear until some time in February, stated:
Mr Congreve...hath written a Comedy, which will be acted in a little time, and is to be call'd,
The Old Batchelor (p. 28).
The Gentleman's Journal, February 1692@3 (issued in March 1693):
The success of Mr Congreve's
Old Batchelor has been so extraordinary, that I can tell you nothing new of that Comedy; you have doubtless read it before t
his, since it has been already printed thrice. And indeed
the Wit which is diffus'd through it, makes it lose but few of those Charms in
the Perusal, which yield such pleasure in
the Representation. Mr Congreve will in some time give us ano
ther play; you may judge by t
his how acceptable it will be (p. 61). In addition, a reference in
the Epilogue indicates that it was produced during
Lent, ano since
the third edition was advertized in
the London Gazette, No. 2856, 23-27 March 1693, early March seems
the most likely date for
the premiere. According to
The Female Wits (ca. 1696),
The Old Batchelor was acted fourteen days successively.
John Barnard of
Yale University states that
Narcissus Luttrell's copy of
The Old Batchelor in
the Newberry Library bears
the notation: "10d Mar. 16 1692@3."
BM Add. Mss. 4221 (341)
Memoirs Relating to Mr Congreve Written by Mr Thomas Southern (in
Macdonald,
Bibliography of Dryden, p. 54n): When he began
his Play
the Old Batchelor haveing little Acquaintance with
the traders in that way,
his Cozens recommended him to a friend of
theirs, who was very usefull to him in
the whole course of
his play, he engag'd
Mr Dryden in its favour, who upon reading it sayd he never saw such a first play in
his life, but
the Author not being acquainted with
the stage or
the town, it woud be pity to have it miscarry for want of a little Assistance:
the stuff was rich indeed, it wanted only
the fashionable cutt of
the town. To help that Mr Dryden,
Mr Arthur Manwayring, and
Mr Southern red it with great care, and Mr Dryden putt it in
the order it was playd, Mr Sou
therne obtained of
Mr Thos. Davenant who
then governd
the Playhouse, that Mr Congreve should have
the privilege of
the Playhouse half a year before
his play was playd, wh. I never knew allowd any one before.
The music for
the play was composed by
Henry Purcell. See
Purcell's Works,
Purcell Society, XXI (1917), iii-v