''False Delicacy'' is a 1768

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 endi ...

by the Irish playwright Hugh Kelly, with some assistance by

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

. It premiered at the

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

on 23 January. The play was a major success for Kelly, being performed over twenty times during its first season and selling ten thousand printed copies within a year. It was subsequently translated into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and Portuguese. The original Drury Lane cast included Thomas King as Cecil, Samuel Reddish as Lord Winworth, Charles Holland as Colonel Rivers, John Palmer as Sir Harry Newburgh,

Samuel Cautherley Samuel Cautherley (c.1747–1805) was a British stage actor. His surname is sometimes spelt as Cautherly. Born to the actress Jane Green (actress), Jane Green, he was reputed to be the son of David Garrick, actor-manager at the Theatre Royal, Dru ...

as Sidney,

Frances Abington Frances Abington (; 1737 – 4 March 1815) was an English actress who was also known for her sense of fashion. Writer and politician Horace Walpole described her as one of the finest actors of their time, and Richard Brinsley Sheridan was said to ...

as Lady Betty Lambton, Ann Street Barry as Mrs Harley and

Sophia Baddeley Sophia Baddeley born Sophia Snow (1745 – July 1786) was an English actress, singer and courtesan. Early life, musical career She was born in London, the daughter of Mary and Valentine Snow, who was the sergeant-trumpeter to George II of ...

as Miss Marchont. It was staged at the same time

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and hack writer. A prolific author of various literature, he is regarded among the most versatile writers of the Georgian e ...

's '' The Good Natur'd Man'' was being performed at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, and the two plays were seen as being in competition.Bataille p.47

Plot

Lord Windworth and Lady Betty Lambton are in love, but Betty is too shy and delicate to admit it, feeling rejected. Winworth seeks Miss Marchmont, and she only accepts him because she believes that Betty agrees.

References

Bibliography

* Bataille, Robert R. ''The Writing Life of Hugh Kelly: Politics, Journalism and Theater in Late-Eighteenth Century London''. Southern Illinois University Press, 2000. * Sherburne, George and Bond, Donald F. ''A Literary History of England, Volume III: The Restoration and Eighteenth Century''. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1967. * Dunn, Joseph & Lennox, P.J. ''The Glories of Ireland''. Bastian Books, 2008. Plays by Hugh Kelly (poet) 1768 plays Comedy plays West End plays {{18thC-play-stub