''The Fair Circassian'' is a 1781

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 British writer Samuel Jackson Pratt. It is an adaptation of the novel '' Almoran and Hamet'' by John Hawkesworth. He wrote the lead role for his friend

Sarah Siddons Sarah Siddons (''née'' Kemble; 5 July 1755 – 8 June 1831) was a Welsh actress, the best-known Tragedy, tragedienne of the 18th century. Contemporaneous critic William Hazlitt dubbed Siddons as "tragedy personified". She was the elder siste ...

, but due to other commitments it ended up being played by Elizabeth Farren. It premiered at the

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

on 27 November 1781 with a cast that included William Smith as Hamet, Robert Bensley as Omar, John Hayman Packer as Ali, James Wrighten as Principle Iman and Elizabeth Farren as Almeida. The

epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the ...

was written by the Irish Whig politician Richard FitzPatrick, although it has also been attributed to

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, writer and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1780 to 1812, representing the constituencies of Stafford, Westminster and I ...

.Hogan p.479

References

Bibliography

* Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of English Drama 1660-1900: Volume III''. Cambridge University Press, 2009. * Hogan, C.B (ed.) ''The London Stage, 1660-1800: Volume V''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1968. 1781 plays Tragedy plays West End plays Plays by Samuel Jackson Pratt {{18thC-play-stub