''The Welch'' (or Welsh) ''Heiress'' is a 1795
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 ...
written by
Edward Jerningham
Edward Jerningham was a poet who moved in high society during the second half of the 18th century. Born at the family home of Costessey Park in 1737, he died in London on 17 November 1812. A writer of liberal views, he was savagely satirised later ...
. Although it had only a single stage performance, the published script had some success.
Performance
''The Welch Heiress'' was given a single performance at the rebuilt
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 17 April 1795. The original cast included
John Palmer John Palmer may refer to:
People
Politicians
* John Palmer (fl. 1377–1394), English politician
* Sir John Palmer, 5th Baronet (1735–1817), British politician
*John Palmer (1785–1840), U.S. congressman from New York
* John Palmer (1842–190 ...
as Lord Melcourt,
James William Dodd
James William Dodd (1740?–1796) was an English actor, one of David Garrick's picked company.
Early life
Born in London about 1740, he is said to have been the son of a hairdresser. He was educated at the grammar school in Holborn. A success ...
as Sir Pepper Plinlimmon,
William Barrymore as Mr Fashion,
Thomas Hollingsworth as Taffy,
John Bannister as Mr Phrensy,
Richard Suett
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...
as Cautious,
Robert Palmer
Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...
as Mr Fancy,
James Aickin
James Aickin (died 1803), was an Irish stage actor who worked at the Edinburgh Theatre in Scotland and in theatres in the West End of London.
He was the younger brother of the actor Francis Aickin (died 1803) with whom he shared the stage at t ...
as Steward,
Elizabeth Farren
Elizabeth Stanley, Countess of Derby (c. 175923 April 1829), known as Elizabeth Farren, was an Irish actress of the late 18th century. She was born in Cork in 1759 to George Farren, a surgeon. His drinking habits brought on early death and his ...
as Lady Bellair,
Jane Pope
Jane Pope (1744 – 30 July 1818) was an English actress.
Life
Pope was the daughter William and Susanna Pope. Her father was a London theatrical wig-maker for the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. (There has been confusion over her date of birth wi ...
as Lady Plinlimmon and
Dorothea Jordan
Dorothea Jordan (née Bland; 22 November 17615 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish actress, as well as a courtesan. She was the long-time partner of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), and the mother of 10 illegitimate children ...
as Miss Plinlimmon. When objections were raised to it, the play was withdrawn, but a revised version was published soon afterwards in which the characters of the Steward and Cautious were not retained.
Plot
Lord Melcourt is engaged to marry an heiress for the sake of her money and the naïve and romantic Miss Plinlimmon is puzzled by the fact that his behaviour does not live up to her expectations of the ideal lover. In fact he does not care for the girl's liveliness and eventually breaks off the engagement, whereupon his friend Mr Fashion takes his place.
A farcical subplot involves Mr Phrensy, a writer who cannot make the world agree that he is a genius. Even the false news of his death in the papers does not lead to a revival of his reputation and he therefore plans to have a second item published, announcing that he died while visiting Melcourt for the wedding. Meanwhile he masquerades as a friend of Phrensy's, raising subscriptions for an edition of his collected works.
Reception
Jerningham’s revised text went through four editions in three years. The play is in the
Restoration style, where the names of characters suggest their role: the quick-tempered Sir Pepper Plinlimmon, for example; Classical Phrensy, the dramatic poet; and Mr Fancy, the painter. A contemporary reviewer was reminded by the book of
John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restor ...
's "A Journey to London", but the play was given a generally critical reception mixed with some grudging praise. The ''
Analytical Review
The ''Analytical Review'' was an English periodical that was published from 1788 to 1798, having been established in London by the publisher Joseph Johnson and the writer Thomas Christie. Part of the Republic of Letters, it was a gadfly publi ...
'' found it "more a conversation piece than a comedy", echoing ''
The Monthly Review
''The Monthly Review'' (1749–1845) was an English periodical founded by Ralph Griffiths, a Nonconformist bookseller. The first periodical in England to offer reviews, it featured the novelist and poet Oliver Goldsmith as an early contributo ...
s suggestion that it was "a play without a plot" and sometimes bordering on the offensive.
References
Bibliography
* Hogan, C.B (ed.) ''The London Stage, 1660–1800: Volume V''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1968.
* Jerningham, Edward
''The Welch Heiress'' 18th Century Collections Online.
* Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of English Drama 1660–1900
Volume III', Cambridge University Press, 2009.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welch Heiress
1795 plays
British plays
British comedy plays
West End plays