''Conscience; or, The Bridal Night'' is an 1821

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

by the Irish writer James Haynes. It premiered at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

on 21 February 1821. The original cast included

Sarah West Sarah West (born 1972) is a retired Royal Navy officer, the first woman to be appointed to command a major warship in the Royal Navy. West was born in Lincolnshire and studied mathematics at the University of Hertfordshire before entering Brita ...

as Elmira, John Powell as Duke of Venice, John Cooper as Arsenio,

James William Wallack James William Wallack (c. 1794–1864), commonly referred to as J. W. Wallack, was an Anglo- American actor and manager, born in London, and brother of Henry John Wallack. Life Wallack's father was named William Wallack and his sister was nam ...

as Lorenzo. It was acted five times on its original run. It then appeared at the

Anthony Street Theatre The Anthony Street Theatre was an early New York City theatre which operated intermittently from 1812 to 1821. It opened as the Olympic Theatre in May 1812 and had multiple names during its brief existence. History The theatre was converted fr ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in May 1821. Haynes dedicated the play to James Perry.

John Genest John Genest (1764–1839) was an English clergyman and theatre historian. Life He was the son of John Genest of Dunker's Hill, Devon. He was educated at Westminster School, entered 9 May 1780 as a pensioner at Trinity College, Cambridge, and ...

considered the play's language better than its plot.Genest p.89

References

Bibliography

* Genest, John. ''Some Account of the English Stage: From the Restoration in 1660 to 1830, Volume 9''. H.E. Carrington, 1832. * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of Early Nineteenth Century Drama 1800-1850''. Cambridge University Press, 1930. * Odell, George Clinton Densmore . Annals of the New York Stage: 1798-1821''. AMS Press, 1970. 1821 plays West End plays British plays Irish plays category:Tragedy plays Historical plays Plays set in Italy {{19thC-play-stub