Town and Country (play)

Town and Country, or Which is Best? is an 1807 play by English playwright Thomas Morton. It was regularly performed in England and America during the 19th century.

Town and Country
Illustration from 1860 printing, Cumberland's British Theatre series
Written byThomas Morton
Date premiered10 March 1807
Place premieredRoyal Opera House, London
Original languageEnglish
GenreComedy

Background

The play debuted at Covent Garden in London on 10 March 1807. Morton obtained a payment of £1,000 from theatre manager Thomas Harris for the script regardless of whether the play was a success, which was a notable sum for its time. John Philip Kemble played the role of Reuben Glenroy and Charles Kemble filled the role of Plastic.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Edmund Kean later played the lead role of Reuben Glenroy to great success.[7]

Advertisement for 1888 production at Wallack's Theatre in New York City. The cast included John Gilbert and Rose Coghlan.

The play was first performed in the United States in New York City on 2 November 1807 at the Park Theatre, with Thomas A. Cooper as Reuben Glenroy and Ellen Darley as Rosalie Somers.[8][9]

Legacy

After Morton's death in 1838, The Gentleman's Magazine commented "Mr. Harris was well regarded for his liberality" in paying Morton £1,000 for the play, because "it is one of the stock pieces of every theatre in the kingdom."[10] However, it has also been said that Town and Country was "among the least successful productions" of Morton, but that John Kemble's acting in the role of Reuben Glenroy "is supposed to have saved the piece."[11] T. Allston Brown's 1902 history of the New York stage shows the play being performed in the 1850s and 1860s,[12][13] though it was revived at Wallack's Theatre as late as 1888.[14][15][16]

A much later commentator referred to the "long popular" play as "a rather inane play that lived, I believe, because of the fondness of actors of the Kemble school for the character of Reuben Glenroy."[17] In addition to John Kemble and Edmund Kean, well-known actors who played Reuben Glenroy include Thomas Apthorpe Cooper (New York debut in 1807), Charles Kean (son of Edmund), Junius Brutus Booth, Thomas S. Hamblin, James William Wallack, Lester Wallack, James Edward Murdoch, and George Vandenhoff.[14]

Original London cast (10 March 1807)

Original New York cast (2 November 1807)
  • Reuben Glenroy by Thomas Apthorpe Cooper
  • Rev. O. Glenroy by Mr. Tyler
  • Capt. Glenroy by Mr. Claude
  • Plastic by Mr. Darley
  • Cosey by Mr. Twaits
  • Trott by Ms. Harwood
  • Hawbuck by Mr. Comer
  • Mrs. Glenroy by Mrs. Turner
  • Rosalie Somers by Mrs. Darley (Ellen Darley)
  • Mrs. Trott by Mrs. Oldmixon (Georgina George Oldmixon)
  • Mrs. Moreen by Mrs. Simpson
  • Taffline by Mrs. Claude[9]

References
  1. Booth, Michael R. Front Cover Theatre in the Victorian Age, p. 142 (1991)
  2. Universal Pronouncing Dictionary of Biography and Mythology, Vol. II, p. 1773 (3rd Ed. 1901) ("His dramas entitled "Town and Country" and "A Roland for an Oliver" still retain their place on the stage.")
  3. Biographia Dramatica Or a Companion to the Playhouse, Vol. III, p. 345 (1812)("Though not one of Mr. Morton's best productions, it was performed several nights.")
  4. (August 1807). Reviews: The Stage, Monthly Literary Recreations, pp. 143-44 (review)
  5. (March 1807). Account of the new Comedy called... (review), The Lady's Magazine, pp. 150-52
  6. (April 1807). Disascalia -Covent Garden (review), Literary Panorama, p. 93-95
  7. The Life of Edmund Kean, p. 290 (1869)
  8. The Richmond Stage, 1784-1812, p. 283 (1977) ("Town and Country (September 8, 1809), a comedy in five acts by Thomas Morton, was brought out at Covent Garden on 10 March 1807. It was first acted in America in New York on 2 November 1807, and was acted in Charleston ...")
  9. Ireland, Joseph Norton Records of the New York Stage: From 1750 to 1860, Volume 1, p. 247
  10. (May 1838). Obituary, The Gentleman's Magazine, pp. 551-52
  11. The Modern Standard Drama: A Collection of the Most Popular Acting Plays (New York 1848)
  12. A History of the New York Stage from the First Performance in 1732 to 1901, p. 266 (Wallacks' 1867; see also p. 171 for 1858 performance and p. 247 for 1862 production)
  13. (16 April 1839) Advertisement, Morning Herald (advertisement for April 1839 performance)
  14. (15 March 1888). Entre Nous, The Theatre (on 1888 revival at Wallack's)
  15. Advertisement, New York Tribune (March 12, 1888 performance at Wallack's)
  16. (6 May 1888). A Talk with John Gilbert, New York Tribune (interview with actor John Gibbs Gilbert in 1888: "The public seemed to care least for 'Town and Country', but that, I think, was to a considerable extent the fault of some of the players. All the great actors used to be fond of Reuben Gilroy, Booth, Macready, and Hamblin all played it, and the lines didn't sound mawkish or strained when they delivered them. Modern actors seem to be afraid of the speeches. I played in the piece with some of the greatest of the old tragedians.")
  17. Odell, George. Annals of the New York Stage, p. 294 (1963)
  18. (March 1807). , The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure, pp. 247-48, Vol. VII, No. XL (cast and plot summary)
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