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PLAYBILLS
Dramatic
Romance &
Comic Opera
—With Hot Air Balloons!  (Theater Playbills). Theatres-Royal. London, 1783–84. Folios. [1] f.Each: $450.00• Benefit performances, dances with great names, in-theatre “balloon ascensions,” two pantos, and wonderfully *various* evenings are offered — although this is too early for “Mr. Kite” and there appear to be no “effects” involving trampolines. The broadside bills below advertise productions at the Theatres-Royal in Covent Garden and Drury Lane, with dates running from the winter of 1783 through the spring of '84.
Secondary attractions range from dances to minor dramatic works to pantomimes, with sheets for consecutive evenings showing how a main attraction might be paired with a comedy one night and a musical entertainment the next. John Kemble and his sister Sarah Siddons appear together on several playbills, while William Lewis (that "airiest and most mercurial of comedians," according to the Oxford Companion to the Theatre) takes the lead role in many productions. All of the playbills list cast members by part, and the majority have a final banner promoting the next evening’s production. Many include the phrase "Vivant Rex & Regina," while on several sheets it is mentioned that the main play’s accompaniment will be a "Pantomime Entertainment called Fortunatus / In which will be introduced an Air Balloon." Throughout the series, the typography is workmanlike — reflecting speedy job-printing — but is surprisingly accurate, with only a few reversed letters, hardly any letters dropped, and consistent orthography. • In Mylar folders. Most leaves with chipped edges, in a
few cases touching last lines; a few leaves with small holes. Leaves in
overall good condition, with varying degrees of off-setting, fading, and
age-toning or soiling to edges.
|
Mr.
Baddeley as
“Old Wrongward”
6 December 1783, Drury-Lane. The Gamester
(Edward Moore) [for the fifth time] with The Deaf Lover (Frederick Pilon).
• Mr. Kemble, Mr. Brereton, Mr. Packer, Mr. R. Palmer, Mr. Phillimore,
Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Brereton, Mrs. Siddons. • Advertised for the next day:
The Metamorphosis. In Mylar folder. Shallowly chipped edges and soiling
that is notable but not off-putting; a playbill in overall good condition. (5060)
Click the image for an enlargement.
That
Typical Creative
Typography Here
. . .
12 December 1783, Covent-Garden. More
Ways than One (Henry Carey) [Fifth night] with The Poor Soldier (John
O’Keeffe). • Mr. Lewis, Mr. Quick, Mr. Edwin, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Wewitzer,
Mr. Fearon, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Wroughton, Mrs. Kemble, Mrs. Wilson, Miss Platt,
Miss Younge. In Mylar folder. Lightly age-toned with shallowly chipped edges
and and soiling; early paper repair at left edge affecting two letters (not
badly). (5061) 
Click the image for an enlargement.
Bifolium!
— Balloon Ascension!
— TWO
Theatres Represented!
17 December 1783, Covent-Garden
[conjoined with] 18 December 1783, Drury-Lane. (17th) More
Ways than One (Henry Carey) [Eighth night] with The Poor Soldier (John
O'Keeffe) . • Mr. Lewis, Mr. Quick, Mr. Edwin, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Wewitzer,
Mr. Fearon, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Wroughton, Mrs. Kemble, Mrs. Wilson, Miss Platt,
Miss Younge. • Advertised for the next day: Venice Preserv'd.
(18th) The Gamester (Edward Moore) [Sixth time; ending
with a new comic ballet by Mr. and Miss Hamoir] with Who's the Dupe?
(Hannah Cowley). • Mr. Kemble, Mr. Brereton, Mr. Aickin, Mr. R. Palmer,
Mr. Phillimore, Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Brereton, Mrs. Siddons. • Advertised for
the next day: The Chances with Fortunatus [with air balloon].
In Mylar folder. Lightly age-toned with shallowly chipped edges and traces of
soiling; in overall good condition. (5063) 
Click the image for an enlargement.
Harlequin
in SWIFT-World
?? —
“A New Pantomime”
22 December 1783, Covent-Garden. More
Ways than One (Henry Carey) [Tenth night, "being the last time of performing
it till after the holidays"] with The Poor Soldier (John O’Keeffe).
• Mr. Lewis, Mr. Quick, Mr. Edwin, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Wewitzer, Mr. Fearon,
Mr. Thompson, Mr. Wroughton, Mrs. Kemble, Mrs. Wilson, Miss Platt, Miss Younge.
• Advertised for the next day: The Winter’s Tale and Friar Bacon,
or Harlequin’s Adventures into Lilliput, Brobdingnag, &c. In Mylar folder.
Lightly age-toned with shallowly chipped edges and a bit of soiling thereto;
in overall good condition. (5035)
Click the image for an enlargement.
“For
the Benefit of Mr. Mattocks”
22 April 1784, Covent-Garden. The Castle
of Andalusia (John O’Keeffe) with The Rival Knights and Barnaby
Brittle (Thomas Betterton). • Mr. Mattocks, Mr. Reinhold, Mr. Bannister,
Mr. Quick, Mr. Edwin, Mr. Brett, Mr. Booth, Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Bannister, Mrs.
Wilson, Signora Sestini. • Advertised for the next day: Which Is the
Man? and The Flitch of Bacon. In Mylar folder. Shallowly chipped
edges, traces of soiling in lower margin; in overall good condition. (5037)
Click the image for an enlargement.
This
is “To Conclude
with a Grand Dance”
6 May 1784, Covent-Garden. All in
the Wrong (Arthur Murphy) with The Rival Knights and The Sultan
["To conclude with a grand dance"]. • Mr. Wroughton, Mr. Thompson,
Mr. Whitfield, Mr. Fearon, Mr. Helme, Mr. Wewitzer, Mr. Lewis, Mrs. Mattocks,
Miss Stuart, Mrs. Davenett, Mrs. Morton, Mrs. Abington. • Advertised for
the next day: The Wives Revenged with Man and Wife and Poor
Vulcan. In Mylar folder. Shallowly chipped edges, a bit of soiling in top
margin; in overall good condition. (5040)
Click the image for an enlargement.
Two
“Excessively
Rare” Performances?
8 May 1784, Drury-Lane. Tancred and
Sigismunda (James Thomson) with The Deaf Lover (Frederick Pilon).
• Mr. Kemble, Mr. Bensley, Mr. Farren, Mr. R. Palmer, Miss Kemble, Mrs.
Siddons. • Advertised for the Monday: (not acted these 14 years)
Love Makes a Man; or, the Fop’s Fortune with (2d time these 20 years)
Duke and No Duke. Shallowly chipped edges, traces of soiling in the margins;
in overall good condition. (5041)
Click the image for an enlargement.
Robin
Hood +
(among other things) “a
Caledonian Reel”
11 May 1784, Covent-Garden. Robin Hood; or,
Sherwood Forest (Leonard MacNally) [Seventh night; ending with the dance
"Rural Merriment"] with The Commissary (Samuel Foote). •
Mr. Bannister, Mr. Quick, Mr. Edwin, Mr. Johnstone, Mr. Brett, Mr. Davies, Mr.
Fearon, Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Martyr, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Kemble, Mrs. Bannister.
In Mylar folder. Lightly age-toned, corner dog-eared, soiling in the margins;
in overall good condition. (5042)
Click the image for an enlargement.
Robin
Hood Adelaide
&
“Three Weeks
after Marriage”
12 May 1784, Covent-Garden. Robin Hood;
or, Sherwood Forest (Leonard MacNally)with Adelaide de Brabant, or The
Triumph of Virtue and Three Weeks after Marriage (Arthur Murphy).
• Mr. Bannister, Mr. Quick, Mr. Edwin, Mr. Johnstone, Mr. Brett, Mr. Davies,
Mr. Fearon, Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Martyr, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Kemble, Mrs. Bannister.
In Mylar folder. Lightly age-toned with shallowly chipped edges and traces of
soiling in the margins; in overall good condition. (5043)
Click the image for an enlargement.
Robin
Hood Adelaide
& “The Deuce”
13 May 1784, Covent-Garden. Robin Hood;
or, Sherwood Forest (Leonard MacNally) [Ninth night] with Adelaide de
Brabant, or, The Triumph of Virtue and The Deuce Is in Him (George
Colman). • Mr. Bannister, Mr. Quick, Mr. Edwin, Mr. Johnstone, Mr. Brett,
Mr. Davies, Mr. Fearon, Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Martyr, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Kemble,
Mrs. Bannister. In Mylar folder. Lightly age-toned with shallowly chipped edges
(touching capital A in bottom line); soiling to margins. Iin overall good condition. (5047)
Click the image for an enlargement.
Last
Time This Season!
Mrs. Kemble's
Benefit!
14 May 1784, Covent-Garden. More Ways Than
One (Henry Carey) ["Positively the last time of performing it {this
season} For the benefit of Mrs. Kemble" at top, first line shaved with
loss] with Midas (Kane O’Hara). • Mr. Lewis, Mr. Quick, Mr. Edwin,
Mr. Booth, Mr. Wewitzer, Mr. Fearon, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Wroughton, Mrs. Kemble,
Mrs. Wilson, Miss Younge. In Mylar folder. Lightly age-toned with chipped edges
and top edge closely trimmed cutting off part of top line; lightest soiling.
(5050) 
Click the image for an enlargement.
Robin
Hood &
“The Poney Races”
(a dance) . . .
19 May 1784, Covent-Garden. Robin Hood; or,
Sherwood Forest (Leonard MacNally) [Eleventh night; ending with the dance
"The Poney Races"] with All the World’s a Stage (Isaac Jackman).
• Mr. Reinhold, Mr. Quick, Mr. Edwin, Mr. Johnstone, Mr. Brett, Mr. Davies,
Mr. Booth, Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Martyr, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Kemble, and Mrs. Bannister.
• Advertised for the next day: The Man of the World with Harlequin
Rambler, or The Convent in an Uproar. In Mylar folder. Lightly age-toned
with shallowly chipped edges (cutting off parts of letters, especially in bottom
line); soiling to margins. (5051)
Click the image for an enlargement.
Playbill-lovers
should see
also, perhaps,
OUR
NEWEST
ARRIVALS!
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All material © 2013
The Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts
Company
These theatrical ephemera are quite scarce: While 19th-century examples are fairly common, a check of ESTC found only a few scattered instances of 18th-century Theatre-Royal playbills, none with more than one holding.
A
few playbills are actually bifolia — double spreads — with conjoined leaves
for consecutive nights at the two different theaters, showing that Covent-Garden
and Drury-Lane sent their bills in to be printed at the same time.