''Kensington Gardens'' is a 1719
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 Irish actor
John Leigh. It is also known as ''Kensington Gardens, or, The Pretenders''. It follows the attempts of several suitors to woo a wealthy rich widow, and the serious of complications that ensue.
Leigh himself played the role of Lord George Belmour, with
Lacy Ryan
Lacy Ryan (c. 1694–1760), English actor, appeared at the Haymarket Theatre about 1709.
Life
By 1718 he had joined the company at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he shared the lead with his friend James Quin. He took leading roles in ''Richard ...
as Colonel Lovely,
George Pack as Sir Vanity Halfwit,
William Bullock as Sir Politick Noodle,
James Spiller James Spiller (c.1761–1829) was an English architect and surveyor, a close associate of Sir John Soane. His designs included the Church of St John-at-Hackney, and the Great Synagogue, London.
Life
Spiller was a pupil of the architect James Wy ...
as Captain Hackit,
Christopher Bullock
Sir Christopher Llewellyn Bullock, KCB, CBE (10 November 1891 – 16 May 1972), a prominent member of the Bullock family, was Permanent Under-Secretary at the British Air Ministry from 1931 to 1936. Appointed at the age of 38, he remains one o ...
as Bardach,
John Harper as Grogram
John Egleton as Varnish and
Elizabeth Spiller
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...
as Melissa.
The production at the
Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre lasted for estimated seven performances. The play is dedicated to
Lord Brooke, a patron of the theatre.
[Nicoll p.6]
References
Bibliography
* Burling, William J. ''A Checklist of New Plays and Entertainments on the London Stage, 1700-1737''. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1992.
* Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of Early Eighteenth Century Drama: 1700-1750''. CUP Archive, 1927.
1719 plays
British plays
Irish plays
West End plays
Comedy plays
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