''The Ton'' is a 1788 comedy play by the Scottish writer

Eglantine Wallace Eglantine Wallace, Lady Wallace (''née'' Maxwell; died 28 March 1803), was an 18th-century Scottish playwright and political commentator. She was the younger sister of society hostess Jane Gordon, Duchess of Gordon and a controversial figure in ...

. 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 ...

in London on 8 April 1788.Greene p.4496 The original cast included Ralph Wewitzer as Lord Bonton, William Farren as Lord Raymond, Alexander Pope as Lord Ormond,

Charles Lee Lewes Charles Lee Lewes (1740 – 13 July 1803) was an English actor. Biography He was born the son of a hosier in London. After attending a school at Ambleside he returned to London, where he found employment as a postman. In about 1760 he went on th ...

as Captain Daffodil,

John Henry Johnstone John Henry Johnstone (1749–1828), also known as 'Jack' Johnstone or 'Irish' Johnstone, was an Irish actor, comedian and singer. Life Johnstone was born probably on 1 August 1749, in the horse-barracks in Kilkenny, where his father, a quarter ...

as MacPharo,

Francis Aickin Francis Aickin (died 1805), was an Irish actor, who worked at the Edinburgh Theatre in Scotland, and the between 1765 and 1792 in theatres in the West End of London. Francis Aickin first appeared in London in 1765 as Dick Amlet in John Vanbrug ...

as Villiers,

James Fearon James D. Fearon (born 1963) is the Theodore and Francis Geballe Professor of Political Science at Stanford University; he is known for his work on the theory of civil wars, international bargaining, war's inefficiency puzzle, audience costs, and ...

as Truffly, John Quick as Ben Levy, Isabella Mattocks as Lady Bonton, Jane Pope as Lady Raymond, Ann Brunton as Lady Clairville, Mary Wells as Clara and Charlotte Morton as Mademoiselle. The title is a reference to the

Ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

, the fashionable social elite.

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. * O'Shaughnessy, David . ''The Censorship of Eighteenth-Century Theatre: Playhouses and Prohibition, 1737–1843''. Cambridge University Press, 2023. 1788 plays Comedy plays West End plays British plays Plays set in London {{1790s-play-stub