''Begone Dull Care'' is an 1808

comedy play Comedy is a genre of dramatic performance having a light or humorous tone that depicts amusing incidents and in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. For ancient Greeks and Romans, a comedy was a stage-play with a happy endin ...

by the English writer Frederick Reynolds. It premiered at the

Theatre Royal, Covent Garden The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 9 February 1808. The original Covent Garden cast included

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

as Sir Arthur St Albyn,

Charles Kemble Charles Kemble (25 November 1775 – 12 November 1854) was a Welsh-born English actor of a prominent theatre family. Life Charles Kemble was one of 13 siblings and the youngest son of English Roman Catholic theatre manager/actor Roger Kemble ...

as Algernon St Albyn,

William Thomas Lewis William Thomas Lewis (1748?–1811), known as "Gentleman" Lewis, due to his refined acting style, was an English actor. He was said to be "the most complete fop on the stage". In later life he went into theatrical management. Early days in Ir ...

as Modern, John Brunton as Danvers, John Fawcett as Lord Blushdale, John Emery as Solace, William Chapman as Trusty,

Samuel Simmons Samuel Simmons (1640–1687) was an English printer, best known as the first publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditional ...

as Geoffrey, Sarah Smith as Selina,

Mary Ann Davenport Mary Ann Davenport ée Harvey(1759 – 8 May 1843) was a British Shakespearean actress. Life She was born at Launceston, Cornwall. She first appeared on the stage at Bath in December 1784, as Lappet in Henry Fielding's ''The Miser''. After two ...

as Deborah. The Irish premiere took place at the

Crow Street Theatre Crow Street Theatre was a theatre in Dublin, Ireland, originally opened in 1758 by the actor Spranger Barry. From 1788 until 1818 it was a patent theatre. History Spranger Barry and Henry Woodward The actor Spranger Barry (1719–1777), born i ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

on 30 March 1808.Greene p.3633

References

Bibliography

* Greene, John C. ''Theatre in Dublin, 1745-1820: A Calendar of Performances, Volume 6''. Lexington Books, 2011. * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of English Drama 1660–1900: Volume IV''. Cambridge University Press, 2009. 1808 plays Comedy plays West End plays British plays Plays by Frederic Reynolds Plays set in London {{play-stub