The Town: Its Memorable Characters and EventsHunt, Leigh
History
The Town: Its Memorable Characters and Events
Hunt, Leigh
London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- History
"1st (May 1668). To the King's playhouse, and there saw the
'Surprizall;' and a disorder in the pit by its raining in from
the cupola at top.
"7th (May 1668). To the King's house; where going in for Knipp,
the play being done, I did see Beck Marshall come dressed off
of the stage, and look mighty fine, and pretty and noble; and
also Nell in her boy's clothes mighty pretty. But lord! their
confidence, and how many men do hover about them as soon as
they come off the stage, and how confident they are in their
talk. Here was also Haynes, the incomparable dancer of the
King's house.
"16th (May 1668). To the King's playhouse, and there saw the
best part of 'The Sea Voyage' (Beaumont and Fletcher), where
Knipp did her part of sorrow very well.
"18th (May 1668). It being almost twelve o'clock, or little
more, to the King's playhouse, where the doors were not then
open; but presently they did open, and we in, and find many
people already come in by private ways into the pit, it being
the first day of Sir Charles Sedley's new play so long
expected 'The Mulberry Garden,' of whom, being so reputed a
wit, all the world do expect great matters. I having sat here a
while and eat nothing to-day, did slip out, getting a boy to
keep my place; and to the Rose Tavern (Will's, in Russell
Street), and there got half a breast of mutton off the spit,
and dined all alone. And so to the playhouse again, where the
King and Queene by and by come, and all the court, and the
house infinitely full. But the play, when it come, though there
was here and there a pretty saying, and that not very many
neither, yet the whole of the play had nothing extraordinary in
it at all, neither of language nor design; insomuch that the
King I did not see laugh nor pleased from the beginning to the
end, nor the company; insomuch that I have not been less
pleased at a new play in my life, I think.
"30th (May 1668). To the King's playhouse, and there saw
'Philaster;' where it is pretty to see how I could remember
almost all along, ever since I was a boy, Arethusa, the part
which I was to have acted at Sir Robert Cooke's; and it was
very pleasant to me, but more to think what a ridiculous thing
it would have been for me to have acted a beautiful woman.
"22nd (June 1668). To the King's playhouse, and saw an act or
two of the new play, 'Evening Love' again (Dryden's) but like
it not.
"11th (July 1668). To the King's playhouse, to see an old play
of Shirley's, called 'Hyde Parke,' the first day acted; where
horses are brought upon the stage; but it is but a very
moderate play, only an excellent epilogue spoken by Beck
Marshall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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