Voyage of Sindbad in the Arabian Nights- the songs and business of the piece were printed. Jan. 2. Romeo and Juliet. Romeo Kean, 1st = time Mercutio= Elliston: Juliet Mrs. Bartley: Nurse Mrs. Sparks. = 4. Miss Walstein acted Lady Teazle. 12. Macbeth - Elliston :--Kean was hoarse. 14. Rae acted Romeo. 17. Birthday. Junk Bannister. = Capt. Bertram = Munden: Jack 20. All in the Wrong. Sir John Restless = Wroughton Beverley Elliston: Lady Restless = Miss Walstein: Belinda- Mrs. Glover. = 21. Romeo and Juliet. Romeo Kean: Juliet= = Miss L. Kelly, from Edinburgh, 1st time. 27. All in the Wrong. Belinda Mrs. Davison. Feb. 1. As you like it. Touchstone Bannister : Jaques = Wroughton Orlando Rae, 1st time : Rosalind Miss Walstein. 3. Provoked Husband. Lord Townly Pope : Sir Francis Dowton: Count Basset Wrench: = = Lady Townly Miss Walstein: Miss Jenny Miss Kelly, 1st time. 4. Hamlet. Ophelia Miss L. Kelly. 13. Never acted there, Town and Country. = Reu ben Glenroy Kean: Plastic J. Wallack: Trot = Munden Cosey Dowton: Capt. Glenroy Rae: Hawbuck = Knight Hon. Mrs. Glenroy = Mrs. Glover. 16. Macbeth. 2d Witch Munden. Knight: 3d Witch= 25. Hamlet-with, never acted, Poor Relations— Munden-Knight, &c.-acted but once. = 28. Douglas, Norval S. Penley, from the English theatre at Brussels, 1st app.: Stranger = Wroughton Glenalvon Raymond: Matilda = Mrs. Bartley. March 7. West Indian. Belcour S. Penley. = 9. First time Richard 2d-(with considerable alterations and additions from the writings of Shakspeare.) Richard 2d = Kean: Bolingbroke = Elliston: John of Gaunt = Pope York = Holland: Norfolk Rae: Northumberland Powell: Aumerle = = = = = Wallack: Harry Percy Bernard: Bishop of Carlisle Marshall: 1st Gardener Gattie : Queen = Mrs. Bartley: Blanche (with a song)= Miss Poole-acted 13 times for Tate's alteration of Richard 2d see T. R. 1681 for Theobald's see L. I. F. Dec. 10 1719-the original play was revived at C. G. Feb. 6 1738-the alterations made on this evening were made by Wroughton. Act 1st-the 1st scene differs but little from the original till the King, instead of appointing the Lists, pronounces the sentence of banishment at once upon Norfolk and Bolingbroke after the King's exit, Wroughton has been guilty of an oversight-the Lord Marshal still speaks 2 lines as in the original, tho' no such character is mentioned in the D. P. of the altered play-the act concludes as before-the unimportant scene between Gaunt and the Duchess of Gloster is omitted as no longer necessary-but the scene at the Lists is left out with peculiar impropriety. Act 2d-the 1st scene proceeds with omissions only-the Queen does not make her appearance, as she had but one line to speak-Wroughton, in the enumeration of Hereford's friends, has very properly availed himself of Steevens' note-when the Queen enters, a Lady (who is called Blanche in the D. P.) is substituted for Bushy-one change must not pass without notice-Shakspeare makes York say-" Heaven for his mercy"-for heaven is substituted a word, which can hardly be introduced on the stage without impropriety-the short conversation between Bushy, Bagot and Green is properly omitted, and the Queen concludes the act with a soliloquy borrowed from Henry 6th part 2d, act 3d, scene 1st. Act 3d begins with the Wilds in Gloucestershire the scenes follow in their proper order for the most part, but the acts are differently divided-in Northumberland's 1st speech to his son, Johnson and Steevens have placed the mark of a break after "whencesoever" by the omission of which the speech is turned into nonsense-only slight alterations are made till York goes out-then Bolingbroke speaks apart about 16 lines, which belong to the Duke of York in Henry 6th part 2d-act 3d-scene 1st-in Richard's boast of the indefeasible right of kings 2 lines are omitted - "The breath of worldly men cannot depose -it is observable that these 2 lines had been before omitted by Tate, who gives the other 2 lines to the Bishop of Carlisle. Act 4th-Camp before Flint Castle-in the original, Percy, after enumerating the King's friends who were with him, adds "Besides a clergyman "Of holy reverence, who I cannot learn." North. Belike it is the Bishop of Carlisle. -it is not easy to conceive why these lines are omitted the alterations are slight till the garden scene, when the Queen is discovered reclined on a sopha, and one of her ladies sings an air-the Queen in her last speech speaks 5 lines from Titus Andronicus-it should seem from the manner in which this play is printed, that some passages, which Wroughton retained, were afterwards curtailed in the representation-in the original the Queen concludes with 2 weak lines "Gardener for telling me these news of woe, "I would, the plants, thou graft'st, may never "grow." Shakspeare properly says these news, which Wroughton has improperly changed to this newsthe 2 lines are marked with commas as omitted in representation, but the Gardener is still made to say- "I would my skill were subject to thy curse". which is quite wrong, if the Queen utters no curse -the next scene is improperly changed from the Parliament-house to a Palace-Wroughton seems not to have understood that there was a material difference between the 2 places-Bolingbroke speaks 4 lines and half, and then York enters-the King says "With mine own tears I wash away my balm”hence it appears of what wonderful efficacy are royal tears-Richard had before told us that "all the "water in the sea could not wash the balm from "an anointed king"-Bolingbroke concludes the act with a soliloquy partly taken from Henry 6th part 3d -this scene is greatly curtailed - the quarrels between the noblemen and all that the Bishop of Carlisle says are omitted-these passages have no particular merit, but as they represent the manners of the times, and were historically true, it would have been better to have retained them-Bolingbroke in his soliloquy twice mentions majesty-Wroughton was perhaps not aware that the kings of England did not assume that title till the reign of Henry the 8th. Act 5th-York enters with Aumerle instead of his Duchess her whole character is omitted, together with the discovery of Aumerle's conspiracy against Bolingbroke-some few lines are added from Henry 6th-in the scene which is omitted, there is a note by Theobald, in which he says the Duke of Exeter was own brother to Richard 2d-tho' in fact he was only brother by the mother's side-(Rapin) - this mistake is not noticed by Johnson or Steevens-next comes the scene between Richard and his Queensome lines are borrowed from the parting between Suffolk and Queen Margaret in Henry 6th part 2dthe scene changes to a Palace--Bolingbroke speaks a soliloquy from Titus Andronicus-the Queen enters, and a short conversation is patched up from Antony and Cleopatra-Troilus and Cressida-Titus Andronicus and elsewhere-Bolingbroke concludes with a new soliloquy, the sentiments of which are quite unsuitable to his character-the last scene is improperly laid at the Tower instead of Pomfret |