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 o
ther 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)