''False Delicacy'' is a 1768

comic 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

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

playwright Hugh Kelly, with some assistance by

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...

. It premiered at the

Drury Lane Theatre 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 Drur ...

on 23 January. The play was a major success for Kelly, being performed over twenty times during its first season and selling ten thousand printed copies within a year. It was subsequently translated into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, French and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. The original Drury Lane cast included Thomas King as Cecil,

Samuel Reddish Samuel Reddish (1735–1785) was a theatre manager and an actor in England. He made a reputation with Mossop's company in Smock Alley, Dublin in the seasons of 1761-2 and appeared at Drury Lane, London, 1767, where he remained during ten seasons ...

as Lord Winworth, Charles Holland as Colonel Rivers,

John Palmer John Palmer may refer to: People Politicians * John Palmer (fl. 1377–1394), English politician * Sir John Palmer, 5th Baronet (1735–1817), British politician * John Palmer (1785–1840), U.S. congressman from New York * John Palmer (1842–19 ...

as Sir Harry Newburgh, Samuel Cautherley as Sidney,

Frances Abington Frances "Fanny" Abington (1737 – 4 March 1815) was an English actress who was also known for her sense of fashion. Writer and politician Horace Walpole described her as one of the finest actors of their time, and Richard Brinsley Sheridan was s ...

as Lady Betty Lambton,

Ann Street Barry Ann Street Barry aka Ann Dancer later Ann Crawford (1734 – 29 November 1801), was a British singer, dancer and stage actress. Life Barry was born in Bath, England, to an apothecary named James Street. Her brother, William Street, later became ...

as Mrs Harley and

Sophia Baddeley Sophia Baddeley born Sophia Snow (1745 – July 1786) was an English actress, singer and courtesan. Early life, musical career She was born in London, the daughter of Mary and Valentine Snow, who was the sergeant-trumpeter to George II. ...

as Miss Marchont. It was staged at the same time

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, dramatist and poet, who is best known for his novel ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1766), his pastoral poem ''The Deserted Village'' (1770), and his pl ...

's '' The Good Natur'd Man'' was being performed at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, and the two plays were seen as being in competition.Bataille p.47

Plot

Lord Windworth and Lady Betty Lambton are in love, but Betty is too shy and delicate to admit it, feeling rejected. Winworth seeks Miss Marchmont, and she only accepts him because she believes that Betty agrees.

References

Bibliography

* Bataille, Robert R. ''The Writing Life of Hugh Kelly: Politics, Journalism and Theater in Late-Eighteenth Century London''. Southern Illinois University Press, 2000. * Sherburne, George and Bond, Donald F. ''A Literary History of England, Volume III: The Restoration and Eighteenth Century''. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1967. * Dunn, Joseph & Lennox, P.J. ''The Glories of Ireland''. Bastian Books, 2008. Plays by Hugh Kelly (poet) 1768 plays Comedy plays {{18thC-play-stub