''The Fatal Retirement'' is a 1739

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

by the writer Anthony Brown. In his published version of the work, Brown complained about the last minute withdrawal of star actor

James Quin James Quin (24 February 1693 – 21 January 1766) was an English actor of Irish descent. Life Quin was born in King Street, Covent Garden, London, an illegitimate son of James Quin, an Irish-born barrister, and his partner (whom he apparently ...

from the play and the generally poor performance of the rest of the cast which he blamed for its public failure.The Oxford Handbook of the Georgian Theatre 1737-1832 p.138 The original Drury Lane cast included William Mills as Artamon,

William Milward William Milward (1702–1742) was a British stage actor. He began his career with John Rich's company at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre and also appeared at the Haymarket. From 1734 he became part of the company at Drury Lane where he remained ...

as Lanertes,

Edward Berry Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Berry, 1st Baronet, KCB (17 April 1768 – 13 February 1831) was a British Royal Navy officer primarily known for his role as flag captain of Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson's ship HMS ''Vanguard'' at the Battle of the Ni ...

as Ceron,

Anna Marcella Giffard Anna Marcella Giffard (1707–1777) was an Irish stage actress. She was a member of the Lyddal acting family of Dublin, and began appearing herself at the Smock Alley Theatre under the name of Nancy Lyddal in the 1720s. In around 1728 she marri ...

as Semandra, Elizabeth Butler as Sabia and Elizabeth Mills as Leonora.

References

Bibliography

* Avery, Emmett Langdon . ''The London Stage, Volume III: A Calendar Of Plays, Entertainments And Afterpieces, Together With Casts, Box Receipts And Contemporary Comment''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1961. * Swindells, Julia & Taylor, David Francis. ''The Oxford Handbook of the Georgian Theatre 1737-1832''. OUP, 2014. 1739 plays British tragedy plays West End plays {{18thC-play-stub