Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Downes (p. 30): This Comedy in general was very well Perform'd. Pepys, Diary: I alone to the Duke of York's house, to see the new play, called The Man is the Master, where the house was, it being not above one o'clock, very full. But my wife and Deb. being there before, with Mrs Pierce and Corbet and Betty Turner, whom my Wife carried with her, they made me room; and there I sat, it costing me 8s. upon them in oranges, at 6d. apiece. By and by the King come; and we sat just under him, so that I durst not turn my back all the play. The play is a translation out of French, and the plot Spanish, but not anything extraordinary at all in it, though translated by Sir W. Davenant, and so I found the King and his company did think meanly of it, though there was here and there something Pretty: but the most of the mirth was sorry, poor stuffe, of eating of sack posset and slabbering themselves, and mirth fit for clownes; the prologue but poor, and the epilogue little in it but the extraordinariness of it, it being sung by Harris and another in the form of a ballet

Event Comment: As it was alter'd from Shakespear by Sir Will. d'Avenant, and the late Mr Dryden, Poets Laureat: With new Scenes, Machines, and all the original Decorations proper to the Play

Event Comment: As it was altered from Shakespear by Sir William D'Avenant and Mr Dryden. With all the Songs, Dances, and other Decorations proper to the Play

Event Comment: As it was alter'd from Shakespear by Sir William D'Avenant and Mr Dryden. With all the Songs, Dances, and other Decorations proper to the Play. At Common Prices

Event Comment: As it was alter'd from Shakespear, by Sir William D'Avenant and Mr Dryden. With all the Songs, Dances, and other Decorations proper to the Play

Event Comment: Mainpiece: As it was alter'd from Shakespear by Sir William D'Avenant and Mr Dryden. With all the Songs, Dances, and other Decorations proper to the Play. At Common Prices

Event Comment: As it was alter'd from Shakespear by Sir William D'Avenant and Mr Dryden. With all the Songs, Dances, and other Decorations proper to the Play

Event Comment: Not Acted these Twelve Years. Written by Sir William D'Avenant, and carefully revised. Receipts. #28 7s. 6d

Event Comment: As it was altered from Shakespear by Sir William D'Avenant and Mr Dryden. With all the Songs, Dances, and other Decorations proper to the Play. [The Rural Modes intended, but deferred by the indisposition of a player.

Event Comment: As it was alter'd from Shakespear by Sir William D'Avenant and Mr Dryden. With all the Songs, Dances, and other Decorations proper to the Play

Event Comment: Alter'd from Shakespear by Sir Wm. Davenant and Mr Dryden. With Songs, Machines, and other Decorations proper to the Play

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Alter'd from Shakespear, by Sir William Davenant and Mr Dryden

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Alter'd form Shakespear by Sir William Davenant and Mr Dryden

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Alter'd from Shakespear by Sir Wm. Davenant and Mr Dryden

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Mainpiece: Alter'd from Shakespear by Sir W. Davenant and Mr Dryden. Afterpiece: Written by the Author of the Toy Shop

Event Comment: As altered by Mr Dryden and Sir William Davenant from Shakespear

Event Comment: As alter'd by Mr Dryden and Sir William Davenant from Shakespeare

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A Comedy [in 5 Acts by Sir William Davenant, slightly altered for the stage by Henry Woodward] never acted there. [The lady identified by Hopkins MS Notes and named in the Edition of 1775. The Westminster Magazine for Nov. suggests Shuter instead of Quick for Sancho. The review thought it an indifferent Comedy which "yet could be made a most excellent farce....The dialogue has all the rust of antiquity about it, and the modernizing scenes are left to the discretion of the performers. However, in representation, this piece cannot fail of entertaining....Miss Leeson, who appeared in the character of Isabella, has an agreeable plaasing figure, a good face and a marking eye; her voice is weak, but after she got rid of her fright was sufficiently articulate; there was an ease and nature in her deportment and dialogue that entitles her to encouragement."

Event Comment: [Advertised as performed but once, but see 18 Jan. Sheridan in Preface to Edition of 1775 (2nd) refers to withdrawing the piece to remove those imperfections in the first representation which were too obvious to escape reprehension, and too numerous to admit of hasty correction." He blames his inexperience and want of judgment in theatrical effects, the extreme length of the play act by act, and haste in writing. From the Westminster Magazine Feb., which outlined the plot in five columns: The present state of the Rivals is widely different from that in which we found it on the first night's representation. Sir Lucius O'Trigger being re-touched, has now the appearance of a character; and his assigning Beverley's reflection on his country as the grounds for his desire to quarrel with him, is a reasonable pretence, and wipes off the former stigma undeservedly thrown on the sister Kingdom. An alteration of a principal incident gave a very favorable turn to the fable and the whole piece: that where young Acres now delivers his challenge to his friend Absolute, begging him to carry it to his Rival Beverly, not knowing the two characters composed but one man; its being at first given to Sir Lucius, the person who indited it, was highly inconsistent...we should be induced from many evident traits of literary genius to pronounce the Rivals a good comedy."

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@142, p. 81: At the Man of Mode. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 348. Nell Gwyn also attended this performance. See VanLennep, Nell Gwyn's Playgoing, p. 407. It is uncertain whether this is the premiere, but the licensing date of 3 June 1676 suggests that the first production may have occurred at this time. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 36): This Comedy being well Cloath'd and well Acted, got a great deal of Money. One song, As Amoret with Phyllis sat, the words by Sir Car Scroope and the music by Nicholas Staggins, is in Choice Ayres and Songs, The Second Book, 1679; another, When first Amintas charmed my heart, the music by Staggins, is in the same collection, Fifth Book, 1684. John Dennis: I remember very well that upon the first acting this Comedy, it was generally believed to be an agreeable Representation of the Persons of Condition of both both Sexes, both in Court and Town; and that all the World was charm'd with Dorimont (A Defence of Sir Fopling Flutter, 1722, p. 18). For the full text of Dennis' discussion of this play, see The Critical Works of John Dennis, ed. E. N. Hooker (Baltimore, 1943), II, 241-50

Event Comment: Benefit Cibber. At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by Sir George Etheridge. Afterpiece: Taken from the French of Moliere