''The World as It Goes'' is a 1781

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 Hannah Cowley. The original cast included

William Thomas Lewis William Thomas Lewis (c.1748–1811), known as "Gentleman" Lewis, due to his refined acting style, was an English actor. Raised in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, he made his name on the Dublin stage before moving to the Theatre Royal, Covent Gard ...

as Sir Charles Danvers,

Charles Lee Lewes Charles Lee Lewes (1740 – 13 July 1803) was an English actor. Biography He was born the son of a hosier in London. After attending a school at Ambleside he returned to London, where he found employment as a postman. In about 1760 he went on th ...

as Fairfax, John Quick as Grub, Richard Wilson as Colonel Sparwell, John Edwin as Bronze,

Ralph Wewitzer Ralph Wewitzer (1748–1825) was an English actor. He won critical acclaim in supporting parts, but was never given leading roles. He had a 44-year acting career, and is thought to have learned over 400 speaking parts. Early roles at Covent Garde ...

as Von Irkin,

Isabella Mattocks Isabella Mattocks (1746 – June 25, 1826) was a British actress and singer. Early life Hallam (later Mattocks) was baptised in Whitechapel in 1746 by Lewis and Sarah Hallam. Her father and her uncle William were also actors. Her grandfather T ...

as Mrs Sparwell,

Lydia Webb Lydia Webb (1736 or 1737-1793) was an English actress. She started acting in Norwich. She was married twice. First, she married a man named Mr. Day. Second, she married a Mr. Webb. Her first notable performance was on 21 November 1772 at the Theat ...

as Molly Grub,

Elizabeth Inchbald Elizabeth Inchbald (née Simpson, 15 October 1753 – 1 August 1821) was an English novelist, actress, dramatist, and translator. Her two novels, '' A Simple Story'' and '' Nature and Art'', have received particular critical attention. Life B ...

as Sidney Grubb and

Elizabeth Younge Elizabeth Younge (1740 – 15 March 1797)Her epitaph in Westminster Abbey states that she died at the age of 52 but ''The New Monthly Magazine'' which gave her d.o.b. as 1940 wrote, "How this error in her age arose there is no possibility of e ...

as Lady Danvers.Hogan p.411

References

Bibliography

* Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of English Drama 1660–1900: Volume III''.

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

, 2009. . * Hogan, C.B (ed.) ''The London Stage, 1660–1800: Volume V''.

Southern Illinois University Press Southern Illinois University Press or SIU Press, founded in 1956, is a university press located in Carbondale, Illinois, owned and operated by Southern Illinois University. The press publishes approximately 50 titles annually, among its more th ...

, 1968. * Hannah Cowley, ‘’The World As It Goes’’, edited by William D. Brewer, Anthem Press, 2022. 1781 plays Comedy plays West End plays Plays by Hannah Cowley {{18thC-play-stub