''The Faro Table'' is a

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 John Tobin. First written in the late 1790s it was initially agreed to be staged by

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 ...

, the manager of 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 ...

who then pulled out of the arrangement. Possibly this was because the character Lady Nightshade was too obviously based on Lady Sarah Archer, one of the Faro Ladies. It drew inspiration from Sheridan's ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling S ...

'' and particularly the character of Sir Oliver, who is here renamed Barton Ragussis p.137 Around the time Tobin died of

consumption Consumption may refer to: * Eating *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption * Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...

he enjoyed great success with '' The Honey Moon'' leading to greater demand for his unstaged works. It was published posthumously by John Murray and finally premiered in the West End at Drury Lane on 5 November 1816. A

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Ancient Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier st ...

was written by

Thomas Love Peacock Thomas Love Peacock (18 October 1785 – 23 January 1866) was an English novelist, poet, and official of the East India Company. He was a close friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley, and they influenced each other's work. Peacock wrote satirical novels ...

while the cast included William Dowton as Barton,

James William Wallack James William Wallack (c. 1794–1864), commonly referred to as J. W. Wallack, was an England, Anglo-United States, American actor and Actor-manager, manager, born in London, and brother of Henry John Wallack. Life Wallack's father was named W ...

as Sedgemore,

John Pritt Harley John Pritt Harley (February 1786 – 22 August 1858) was an English actor known for his comic acting and singing. Early years Harley was the son of John Harley, a draper and silk mercer, and his wife Elizabeth. He was baptised in the parish chu ...

as Hint,

William Oxberry William Oxberry (1784–1824) was an English actor. He also wrote extensively on the theatre, and was a printer and publisher. Early life Oxberry was the son of an auctioneer, born on 18 December 1784 in Moorfields, London, opposite Bedlam. Af ...

as Sapling,

Sarah Harlowe Sarah Harlowe (c. 1765–1852) was a popular actress of the London stage around the turn of the 19th century. Biography Harlowe was born in London in about 1765. Under the name of Mrs.Harlowe, she made her first appearance on the stage at Colnbr ...

as Lady Nightshade and

Maria Rebecca Davison Maria Rebecca Davison (1780?–1858) was a British stage actress. She was billed as Miss Duncan in the early years of her career before her marriage. She appeared as a leading performer at the London patent theatres Covent Garden Theatre, Coven ...

as Lady Wellgrove.

References

Bibliography

* Greig, Hannah. ''The Beau Monde: Fashionable Society in Georgian London''. OUP Oxford, 2013. * Ragussis, Michael. ''Theatrical Nation: Jews and Other Outlandish Englishmen in Georgian Britain''. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012. Plays by John Tobin 1816 plays West End plays British comedy plays Plays set in London {{19thC-play-stub