John Gay's The Beggar's Opera and other Eighteenth Century plays

In these plays, which come from a great age of acting, we are reminded of Garrick, Kean and others who acted and produced them at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, the Theatre Royal, Lincoln's Inn Fields, and the 'Theatre in the Hay-Market'.

Memorable performances were often given by Garrick and Mrs Siddons even with poor material at their command, but the plays in this book represent some of the best pieces of their time. Garrick, whose hand in the matter may have been more critical than creative, is himself represented in perhaps the best contemporary comedy, The Clandestine Marriage, with George Colman as co-author (and with whom, as partner in Drury Lane, Garrick was involved in lawsuits).

But it was Mr Gay's The Beggar's opera which took the town by storm as a completely new diversion. Colley Cibber refused to stage it at 'the Lane', so Lincoln's Inn Fields was first in setting Macheath and Polly before the footlights where they were to remain in public favour for 150 years. The titivating farce that made 'Gay rich and Rich gay' has been as successful in revival in our own day.

On the more serious side there is Addison's Cato, a successful attempt at the resurrection of classical tragedy, and the Tragedy of Jane Shore, written in imitation of Shakespeare's style by that Nicholas Rowe who was also Shakespeare's first editor and biographer: Henry Fielding's Tragedy of Tragedies, or Tom Thumb the Great (one of the best burlesques written), George Lillo's The London Merchant and Cumberland's The West Indian, a play which was a great popular success.
- from the back cover