Sunday, 10 January 2010

Thomas settles in

3 Feby 1761 Paid Mr Hall Two Pounds Eleven Shilings in full for six weeks Bord & Lodgeing Due ys Day

It's the thorn again - "ys" represents "this".

4 Paid Mr Hall for 6 Cups & 6 Sausers and Two China Basons 8/6

11 Went to Drury Lane to See much ador abt. Nothing with Edgar and Emmelia 2/-

Well, Much Ado needs no explanation but the second piece is an opera called Edgar and Emmeline composed by Michael Arne. The libretto is available here but to save you reading PAGES of impenetrable verse, I'll tell you that the hero is the Earl of Kent, disguised as a woman, the heroine is the daughter of the Earl of Northumberland, disguised as a man and most of the rest of the cast are fairies! Thomas was seeing this production early in its run as the premier was only on the 31st January.

Emmeline was played by Mary Ann Yates who was most famous as a tragedian (but nothing with a fairy called "Grotilla" in it can be a tragedy!). This is a portrait of Mrs Yates.


She played opposite a Mr O'Brien - I think this is him

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