''The Richmond Heiress'' is a 1693

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

Thomas D'Urfey Thomas d'Urfey (a.k.a. Tom Durfey; 165326 February 1723) was an English writer and wit. He wrote plays, songs, jokes, and poems. He was an important innovator and contributor in the evolution of the ballad opera. Life D'Urfey was born in Devonsh ...

. It was staged by the

United Company The United Company was a London theatre company formed in 1682 with the merger of the King's Company and the Duke's Company. Both the Duke's and King's Companies suffered poor attendance during the turmoil of the Popish Plot period, 1678&ndas ...

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 ...

. The original cast included John Freeman as Charles Romance, George Bright as Sir Quibble Quere, George Powell as Tom Romance,

Samuel Sandford Samuel Sandford (fl. 1661–1699) was an English character actor, known for his roles as villains. Career He joined William D'Avenant's company at Lincoln's Inn Fields about a year after its formation, and was, on 16 December 1661, the original ...

as Doctor Guaiacum, Joseph Williams as Frederick, John Bowman as Rice ap Shinken, Cave Underhill as Dick Stockjobb, John Hodgson as Hotspur, Thomas Doggett as Quickwit, William Bowen as Cummington, Anne Bracegirdle as Fulvia,

Elizabeth Barry Elizabeth Barry (1658 – 7 November 1713) was an English actress of the Restoration period. Elizabeth Barry's biggest influence on Restoration drama was her presentation of performing as the tragic actress. She worked in large, prestigious ...

as Sophronia,

Frances Maria Knight Frances is a French and English given name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'free one.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from the ...

as Madame Squeamish,

Elizabeth Bowman Elizabeth Bowman (c. 1677 – 1707) was an English stage actor of the seventeenth and early eighteenth century.Caines p.149 The daughter of Sir Francis Watson, 1st Baronet she was adopted by the actor manager Thomas Betterton. In 1692 she married ...

as Mrs Stockjobb and

Elinor Leigh Elinor Leigh was a British stage actor of the seventeenth century. Born Elinor Dixon, she was billed as Mrs Leigh or Mrs Lee after she married the actor Anthony Leigh in 1671. This has led to some difficulty distinguishing on playbills between he ...

as Marmalette. Henry Purcell composed incidental music for the play.Keates p.242

References

Bibliography

* Keates, Jonathan. ''Purcell: A Biography''. UPNE, 1996. * Watson, George. ''The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature: Volume 2, 1660-1800''. Cambridge University Press, 1971. * Van Lennep, W. ''The London Stage, 1660-1800: Volume One, 1660-1700''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960. 1693 plays West End plays Comedy plays Plays by Thomas d'Urfey {{17thC-play-stub