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She Would If She Could
''She Would If She Could'' is a 1668 comedy play by the English writer George Etherege. It was originally staged at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre by the Duke's Company. The play's novelty lies in its shedding of the romantic verse element to attain a unified tone. The play deals with the lustfulness of Cockwood couple; the title referring to Lady Cockwood looking for an opportunity to cheat Sir Oliver Cockwood. The original cast included William Smith as Courtall, John Young as Freeman, Henry Harris as Sir Joslin, James Nokes as Sir Oliver, Moll Davis as Getty and Anne Shadwell as Lady Cockwood.Van Lennep p.129 Plot Act One opens as Mr Courtall and his friend, Mr Freeman, are discussing the wickedness of London. A servant arrives to announce that Courtall has a female visitor. To protect the lady's honour he hides Freeman in a cupboard. The female visitor is Mrs Sentry, the maid of the middle-aged Lady Cockwood. She has come to announce the arrival in town of her mistress ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Etherege
Sir George Etherege (c. 1636 – c. 10 May 1692) was an English dramatist. He wrote the plays '' The Comical Revenge or, Love in a Tub'' in 1664, '' She Would If She Could'' in 1668, and '' The Man of Mode or, Sir Fopling Flutter'' in 1676. Biography Early life George Etherege was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in about 1636, to George Etherege and Mary Powney, as the eldest of their six children. Educated at Lord Williams's School, where a school building was later named after him, he was rumoured to have attended the University of Cambridge, William Oldys, '' Biographia Britannica.'' Vol. III, 1750. p. 1841. although John Dennis states that to his certain knowledge Etherege understood neither Greek nor Latin, thus raising doubts that he could have been there. Etherege served as an apprentice to a lawyer and later studied law at Clement's Inn, London, one of the Inns of Chancery. He probably travelled abroad to France with his father, who stayed with the exiled queen He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Nokes
James Nokes (Noke, Noak, Noakes) (died c.1692) was an English actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ..., whose laughter-arousing genius was attested by Cibber and other contemporaries. Life Nokes was one of the male actors who played female roles in the newly reopened playhouses shortly after the Restoration of Charles II. This practice didn't last long, as Thomas Killigrew's King's Company put the first English actress on the stage in December 1660, and from then on they appeared more and more frequently, until in 1662 Charles II ordered that only women should play female roles. There was a brief period in late 1660 and early 1661 when both men and women were playing female roles. On 29 January 1661, the diarist Samuel Pepys went to the Duke's playhouse, where "a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West End Plays
West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance languages (''ouest'' in French, ''oest'' in Catalan, ''ovest'' in Italian, ''vest'' in Romanian, ''oeste'' in Spanish and Portuguese). As in other languages, the word formation stems from the fact that west is the direction of the setting sun in the evening: 'west' derives from the Indo-European root ''*wes'' reduced from ''*wes-pero'' 'evening, night', cognate with Ancient Greek ἕσπερος hesperos 'evening; evening star; western' and Latin vesper 'evening; west'. Examples of the same formation in other languages include Latin occidens 'west' from occidō 'to go down, to set' and Hebrew מַעֲרָב (maarav) 'west' from עֶרֶב (erev) 'evening'. West is sometimes abbreviated as W. Navigation To go west using a compass for navigati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1668 Plays
Events January–March * January 23 – The Triple Alliance of 1668 is formed between England, Sweden and the United Provinces of the Netherlands. * February 13 – In Lisbon, a peace treaty is established between Afonso VI of Portugal and Carlos II of Spain, by mediation of Charles II of England, in which the legitimacy of the Portuguese monarch is recognized. Portugal yields Ceuta to Spain. * c. February – The English Parliament and bishops seek to suppress Thomas Hobbes' treatise ''Leviathan''. * March 8 – In the Cretan War, the navy of the Republic of Venice defeats an Ottoman Empire naval force of 12 ships and 2,000 galleys that had attempted to seize a small Venetian galley near the port of Agia Pelagia. *March 22 – Notable Privateer Henry Morgan lands in Cuba to raid and plunder the inland town of Puerto del Príncipe during the latter stages of the Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660). * March 23 – The Bawdy House Riots of 166 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vauxhall Gardens
Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames. Originally known as New Spring Gardens, it is believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660, being mentioned by Samuel Pepys in 1662. From 1785 to 1859, the site was known as Vauxhall, a pleasure garden and one of the leading venues for public entertainment in London from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. The Gardens consisted of several acres of trees and shrubs with attractive walks. Initially entrance was free, with food and drink being sold to support the venture. The pleasure grounds was accessed by boats on the Thames until the erection of Vauxhall Bridge in the 1810s. The area was absorbed into the metropolis as the city expanded in the early to mid-19th century. The site became Vauxhall Gardens in 1785 and admission was charged for its attractions. The Gardens drew enormous crowds, with its paths being noted for roman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Britain's Bourse
Britain's Bourse, also known as the New Exchange, was a shopping arcade located on the Strand, London opened by James I in 1609. It was demolished in 1737. History Inigo Jones submitted a design, but these were not used. It was built by Sir Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury. Building commenced on 10 June 1608. The site had previously been occupied by the stables of Durham House, now 52 to 64 Strand. Salisbury faced some opposition from shopkeepers who petitioned the Lord Mayor, and in July 1608 he drafted a response comparing complaints about his "handsome range" to objections that could have been raised in 1570 about the founding of Sir Thomas Gresham's Exchange. The building was briefly known as the Salisbury Exchange, but was renamed when James I opened the building on 11 April 1609. He was accompanied by his queen, Anne of Denmark, his son, later Charles I of England and daughter Elizabeth, later Queen of Bohemia. The opening included a theatrical production by Ben Jonson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Shadwell
Anne Shadwell was an English stage actor of the seventeenth century. She was one of the first English actresses to appear on stage following the Restoration She was one of six actors recruited in 1660 by William Davenant for the new Duke's Company, acting under her maiden name Anne Gibbs. Sometime between 1663 and 1667 she married the playwright Thomas Shadwell with whom she had four children. While some sources have her acting late into the century, it may be she effectively retired with the formation of the United Company in 1682. Her appearances had decreased since 1672. Following her husband's death in 1692 she was left the bulk of his estate. She had an investment in the Drury Lane Theatre in 1709, when she joined a petition to Queen Anne by the manager Christopher Rich, but nothing is known about her after this point.Highfill, Burnim & Langhans p.275-277 Selected roles * Lucia in '' The Cutter of Coleman Street'' by Abraham Cowley (1661) * Decio in '' The Slighted Maid'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moll Davis
Mary "Moll" Davis (c. 1648 – 1708), also spelt Davies or Davys, was a courtesan and mistress of King Charles II of England. She was an actress and entertainer before and during her role as royal mistress. Early life Mary Davis was born in Westminster, as a presumed illegitimate child of Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Berkshire. The diarist Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ... called her "a bastard of Collonell Howard, my Lord Barkeshire." Her parentage is also attributed to Thomas's elder brother Charles Howard. Mary's birth date is disputed, but believed to be around 1648. In 1663 Mary had installed herself as an actress in the Duke's Theatre Company and boarded with the company's manager, Sir William Davenant.Olive Baldwin and Thelma Wilson, '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry Harris (actor)
Henry Harris (c. 1634 – 1704) was an English stage actor and theatre manager. Initially a painter he was a founder member of the new Duke's Company in 1660 following the Restoration which established itself at the old Salisbury Court Theatre before moving to the new Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre shortly afterwards. Due to his background Harris may have been a set designer and painter during his early years with the company. However, by 1661 he was acting, and his first recorded role was in William Davenant's '' The Siege of Rhodes'' that summer. He quickly established himself as the second actor in the troupe after Thomas Betterton. In 1663 he was briefly arrested, likely due to an attempt to change allegiance to the rival King's Company which was illegal at the time. The dispute seemed to be over pay, and he remained with the Duke's Company. In these years he also mentored an emerging actor Joseph Williams who would go on to have a long stage career of his own. In 1664 Harr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre
Lisle's Tennis Court was a building off Portugal Street in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. Originally built as a real tennis court, it was used as a playhouse during two periods, 1661–1674 and 1695–1705. During the early period, the theatre was called Lincoln's Inn Fields Playhouse, also known as The Duke's Playhouse, The New Theatre or The Opera. The building was rebuilt in 1714, and used again as a theatre for a third period, 1714–1732. The tennis court theatre was the first public playhouse in London to feature the moveable scenery that would become a standard feature of Restoration theatres. Historical background The period beginning in England in 1642 and lasting until 1660 is known as the Interregnum, meaning "between kings." At this time, there was no monarch on the throne, and theatre was against the law. Spanning from 1642 to 1649, the English Civil War occurred. This war was an uprising by Parliamentarians against the current King of England ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Young (stage Actor)
John Young was an English stage actor of the seventeenth century. He was a member of the Duke's Company during the Restoration Era, appearing at Lincoln's Inn Fields and then at the Dorset Garden Theatre when the company relocated. Not much is known about his background. He was repeatedly in debt during his acting career. In 1667 he stood in for Thomas Betterton after he fell ill during the run of ''Macbeth'' appearing as the title role. The diarist Samuel Pepys described him as "a bad actor at best".Roberts p.99 Selected roles * Cardinal in ''The Duchess of Malfi'' by John Webster (1662) * Bontefeu in '' The Villain'' by Thomas Porter (1663) * Octavio in '' The Adventures of Five Hours'' by Samuel Tuke (1663) * Corbulo in '' The Slighted Maid'' by Robert Stapylton (1663) * Adolph in '' The Stepmother'' by Robert Stapylton (1663) * Arcon in ''The Rivals'' by William Davenant (1664) * Cardinal of Veradium in '' Mustapha'' by Roger Boyle (1665) * Lord Dartmouth in '' Sir Martin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Smith (stage Actor)
William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to: Academics * William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic * William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University College, Oxford * William Smith (scholar) (1711–1787), English classical scholar and Anglican Dean of Chester * William Smith (Episcopal priest) (1727–1803), Scottish-born first provost of University of Pennsylvania * William Pitt Smith (1760–1796), American physician, educator and theological writer * William Andrew Smith (1802–1870), American college president and clergyman * William Smith (lexicographer) (1813–1893), English editor and publisher of dictionaries * William Robertson Smith (1846–1894), Scottish philologist, physicist, archaeologist and Biblical critic * William Benjamin Smith (1850–1934), American professor of mathematics at Tulane University * William Ramsay Smith (1859–1937), Australian anthropologist * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
