The Good-Natur'd Man is a 1768 comedy play written by the Irish author Oliver Goldsmith. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 29 January 1768.[1] The original cast included Mary Bulkley as Miss Richland, Isabella Mattocks as Olivia, Ann Pitt as Mrs Croaker, Jane Green as Garnet, William Powell as Mr Honeywood, Edward Shuter as Croaker, Henry Woodward as Lofty, Matthew Clarke as Sir William Honeywood, Robert Bensley as Leontine, John Dunstall as Jarvis, John Cushing as Butler and John Quick as Potboy. The prologue was written by Samuel Johnson.
| The Good-Natur'd Man | |
|---|---|
 Mr Honeywell introduces the bailiffs to Miss Richland as his friends by William Powell Frith, 1850 | |
| Written by | Oliver Goldsmith |
| Date premiered | 29 January 1768 |
| Place premiered | Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | London, present day |
It was a middling success for Goldsmith, and the printed version of the play became popular with the reading public. It was released at the same time as Hugh Kelly's False Delicacy, staged at Drury Lane Theatre. The two plays went head to head, with Kelly's proving the more popular.[2] Garrick rejected The Good-Natur'd Man, possibly because the story is an antidote of False Delicasy.[3]
References
edit- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Bulkley née Wilford; other married name Barresford, Mary, by John Levitt
- ^ Sherbune & Bond p.1041
- ^ Thomson p.139
Bibliography
edit- Sherburne, George and Bond, Donald F. A Literary History of England, Volume III: The Restoration and Eighteenth Century. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1967.
- Thomson, Peter. The Cambridge Introduction to English Theatre, 1660-1900. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
External links
edit
The Good-Natured Man public domain audiobook at LibriVox- the GOODNATURED MAN;A COMEDY, IN FIVE acts; By Dr.GOLDSMITH. AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN. Script, with remarks by Elizabeth Inchbald. Printed some years after 1768.
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