''The World as It Goes'' is a 1781
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 British writer
Hannah Cowley.
The original cast included
William Thomas Lewis
William Thomas Lewis (1748?–1811), known as "Gentleman" Lewis, due to his refined acting style, was an English actor. He was said to be "the most complete fop on the stage". In later life he went into theatrical management.
Early days in Ir ...
as Sir Charles Danvers,
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 Fairfax,
John Quick as Grub,
Richard Wilson as Colonel Sparwell,
John Edwin as Bronze,
Ralph Wewitzer
Ralph Wewitzer (1748–1825) was an English actor. He won critical acclaim in supporting parts, but was never given leading roles. He had a 44-year acting career, and is thought to have learned over 400 speaking parts.
Early roles at Covent Garden ...
as Von Irkin,
Isabella Mattocks
Isabella Mattocks (1746 – June 25, 1826) was a British actress and singer.
Early life
Hallam (later Mattocks) was baptised in Whitechapel in 1746 by Lewis and Sarah Hallam Douglass. Her father and her uncle William were also actors.Jared Brown ...
as Mrs Sparwell,
Lydia Webb as Molly Grub,
Elizabeth Inchbald
Elizabeth Inchbald (née Simpson, 15 October 1753 – 1 August 1821) was an English novelist, actress, dramatist, and translator. Her two novels, '' A Simple Story'' and '' Nature and Art'', have received particular critical attention.
Life
Bo ...
as Sidney Grubb and
Elizabeth Younge
Elizabeth Younge (1740 – 15 March 1797)Her epitaph in Westminster Abbey states that she died at the age of 52 but ''The New Monthly Magazine'' which gave her d.o.b. as 1940 wrote, "How this error in her age arose there is no possibility of ev ...
as Lady Danvers.
[Hogan p.411]
References
Bibliography
* Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of English Drama 1660–1900: Volume III''. Cambridge University Press, 2009.
* Hogan, C.B (ed.) ''The London Stage, 1660–1800: Volume V''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1968.
* Hannah Cowley, ‘’The World As It Goes’’, edited by William D. Brewer, Anthem Press, 2022.
1781 plays
Comedy plays
West End plays
Plays by Hannah Cowley
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