''Quid Pro Quo'' is an 1844

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 British writer

Catherine Gore Catherine Grace Frances Gore (''née'' Moody; 12 February 1798 – 29 January 1861), was a prolific English novelist and dramatist. The daughter of a wine merchant from Retford, Nottinghamshire, she became among the best known of the silver fork ...

, best known for her novels. It premiered at the

Theatre Royal, Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 18 June 1844. The original cast included

Louisa Cranstoun Nisbett Louisa Cranstoun Nisbett (1812 – 15 January 1858), English actress, was the daughter of Frederick Hayes Macnamara, an actor, whose stage name was Mordaunt. As Miss Mordaunt she had considerable experience, especially in Shakespearean leading ...

as Lord Bellamont,

Robert Strickland Sir Robert Strickland of Sizergh (1 January 1600 – April 1671) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in the Parliament of 1624. He supported King Charles I during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Biography S ...

as Jeremy Grigson, John Buckstone as Captain Sippet,

William Farren William Farren (13 May 1786 – 24 September 1861) was an English actor, who was the son of the actor of the same name (born 1754), who played leading roles from 1784 to 1795 at Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. Life Raised on Gower Street in ...

as Sir George Mordent,

Henry Howe Henry Howe (October 11, 1816 – October 14, 1893) was an American author who wrote histories of several states in the United States. His most celebrated work is the three volume ''Historical Collections of Ohio''. Early life Henry Howe was bo ...

as Rivers, Julia Bennett as Lady Mary Rivers,

Julia Glover Julia Betterton Glover (8 January 1779 – 16 July 1850) was an Irish-born stage actress well known for her comic roles in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Biography Glover was born Julia Butterton in 1779 or 1781 in Newry, Ireland. ...

as Mrs. Grigson, Mrs. Edwin Yarnold as Ellen and Anne Humby as Bridget Prim. The prologue was spoken by

Benjamin Webster Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor Saxophone, saxophonist. He performed in the United States and Europe and made many recordings with Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, John ...

. The play was selected in a competition by a special committee led by

Charles Kemble Charles Kemble (25 November 1775 – 12 November 1854) was a British actor from the prominent Kemble family. Life Charles Kemble was one of 13 siblings and the youngest son of English Roman Catholic theatre manager/actor Roger Kemble, and Ir ...

out of ninety six entries, for which Gore was rewarded with £500.Donohue p.364

References

Bibliography

*Donohue, Joseph Walter. ''The Cambridge History of British Theatre, Volume 2''. Cambridge University Press, 2004. * Franceschina, John (ed.) ''Gore On Stage: The Plays of Catherine Gore''. Routledge, 2004. * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of Early Nineteenth Century Drama 1800-1850''. Cambridge University Press, 1930. 1844 plays West End plays British comedy plays Works by Catherine Gore Plays set in England {{19thC-play-stub