William Macready the Elder (1755–1829) was an Irish actor-manager.
The London Hermit, Or, Rambles in Dorsetshire is a 1793 comedy play by the Irish writer John O'Keeffe. It was staged at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket on 29 June 1793. The original cast included Richard Suett as Whimmy, James Aickin as Old Pranks, John Bannister as Young Pranks, Howard Usher as Barleycorn, Ralph Wewitzer as Barebones, John Henry Johnstone as Tully, William Parsons as Toby Thatch, Lydia Webb as Mrs. Maggs, Elizabeth Kemble as Kitty Barleycorn, Elizabeth Heard as Dian and Jane Powell as Fishwoman. The prologue was written by George Colman the Younger and spoken by William Barrymore. It was staged at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin in 1795.
The World in a Village is a 1793 comedy play by the Irish writer John O'Keeffe. It was staged at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 23 November 1793. The original cast included John Powell as Sir Henry Check, John Henry Johnstone as Captain Mullinahack, James Middleton as William Bellevue, Joseph George Holman as Charles, Thomas Hull as Willows, William Cubitt as Captain Vanslueisen, William Macready as Briers, John Fawcett as Master Jack, William Thomas Lewis as Grigsby, Joseph Shepherd Munden as Jollyboy, Harriet Pye Esten as Louisa, Isabella Mattocks as Mrs Allbut and Susan Fawcett as Mrs. Bellevue. Its Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre on 25 November 1794.
Life's Vagaries is a 1795 comedy play by the Irish writer John O'Keeffe. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 19 March 1795. The original cast included John Bernard as Lord Torrendel, William Thomas Lewis as Lord Arthur D'Aumerle, Joseph Shepherd Munden as Sir Hans Burgess, John Quick as Dickins, John Fawcett as George Burgess, John Henry Johnstone as Timolin, Edward Townsend as Robin, Charles Farley as Leillet, Tryphosa Jane Wallis as Augusta and Jane Pope as Lady Torrendel. Its first Dublin performance was at the Crow Street Theatre on 7 January 1796.
Know Your Own Mind is a 1777 comedy play by the Irish writer Arthur Murphy. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 22 February 1777. The original Covent Garden cast included William Thomas Lewis as Millamour, Charles Lee Lewes as Dashwould, Richard Wroughton as Malvil, Francis Aickin as Bygrove, Cockran Joseph Booth as Captain Bygrave, James Fearon as Sir John Millamour, John Whitfield as Sir Harry Lovewith, Ralph Wewitzer as Charles, Servant of Millamour, Isabella Mattocks as Lady Bell, Mary Dayes as Lady Jane and Elizabeth Hartley as Miss Neville. The Irish premiere was at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 13 August 1778. It was acted nineteen times at Covent Garden and in 1789 was revived at Drury Lane, with Dorothea Jordan in the cast, and remained a standard work well into the nineteenth century.
The Dupe is a 1763 comedy play by the Irish writer Frances Sheridan. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London on 10 December 1763. The original cast included Richard Yates as Sir John Woodall, William Havard as Friendly, John Hayman Packer as Wellford, Thomas King as Sharply and Hannah Pritchard as Mrs Etherdown, Kitty Clive as Mrs Friendly. It was one of only two new mainpieces debuting at Drury Lane that year along with a clutch of afterpieces. Sheridan, the mother of the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, was best known for her novel Memoirs of Miss Sidney Bidulph but had enjoyed success with the play The Discovery earlier in the year.
A Day in Turkey is a 1791 comedy by the English author Hannah Cowley. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 3 December 1791. The original cast included Joseph George Holman as Ibrahim, William Farren as Orloff, John Fawcett as A La Greque, Joseph Shepherd Munden as Mustapha, William Cubitt as Azim, Charles Incledon as Selim, William Macready as Muley, Charles Farley as Ismael, James Thompson as Old Man, Jane Pope as Alexina, Harriet Pye Esten as Paulina, Isabella Mattocks as Lauretta and Margaret Martyr as Fatima. The Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 16 May 1792
All on a Summer's Day is a 1787 comedy play by the English writer Elizabeth Inchbald. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 15 December 1787. The original cast included William Thomas Lewis as Wildlove, John Quick as Sir Ralph Mooneye, Francis Aickin as Governor Morton, William Farren as Sir William Carrol, James Fearon as Chrysostom, William Macready as Lord Henley, Ann Brunton Merry as Louisa, Mrs Webb as Mrs Goodly and Henrietta Amelia Leeson as Lady Henrietta.
Such Things Are is a 1787 comedy play by the British writer and former actress Elizabeth Inchbald. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 10 February 1787. The original Covent Garden cast included William Farren as Sultan, John Quick as Sir Luke Tremor, William Thomas Lewis as Mr Twineall, Alexander Pope as Mr Haswell, Joseph George Holman as Elvirus, William Macready as Mr Meanright, James Fearon as Zedan, James Thompson as First Keeper, William Cubitt as Second Keeper, Isabella Mattocks as Lady Tremor. The Irish premiere took place at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin on 16 April 1787.
Columbus: Or, A world Discovered is a 1792 historical play by the British writer Thomas Morton. His first play, it was staged at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 1 December 1792. The original cast included Alexander Pope as Columbus, Joseph George Holman as Alonzo, William Thomas Lewis as Harry Herbert, John Quick as Doctor Dolores, Joseph Shepherd Munden as Bribon, William Macready as Roldan, James Thompson as Valverdo, William Cubitt as Moscoso, Charles Farley as Captain, William Farren as Orozimbo, George Davies Harley as Solasco, Jane Pope as Cora and Harriet Pye Esten as Nelti. The Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 10 July 1793.
The Rage is a 1794 comedy play by the British writer Frederick Reynolds. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 23 October 1794. The original cast included William Thomas Lewis as Gingham, Alexander Pope as Darnley, James Middleton as Sir George Gauntlet, John Fawcett as Honourable Mr Savage, John Quick as Sir Paul Perpetual, Joseph Shepherd Munden as Flush, George Davenport as Ready, John Bernard as Signor Cygnet, Rosemond Mountain as Clara Sedley, Isabella Mattocks as Lady Sarah Savage and Jane Pope as Mrs Darnley. The Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 16 January 1795.
Speculation is a 1795 comedy play by the British writer Frederick Reynolds. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 7 November 1795. The original cast included William Thomas Lewis as Tanjore, John Quick as Alderman Arable, Joseph Shepherd Munden as Project, John Fawcett as Jack Arable, James Middleton as Captain Arable, William Claremont as Sir Fred Faintly, Charles Farley as Vickery, Mary Ann Davenport as Lady Project and Tryphosa Jane Wallis as Emmeline. The Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 22 February 1796.
Eloisa is a 1786 tragedy by the British author Frederick Reynolds. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 20 December 1786. The original Covent Garden cast included Joseph George Holman as Villiers, William Farren as Hainhault, William Macready as Courcy, Alexander Pope as Preux and Ann Brunton Merry as Eloisa. The Irish premiere took place at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin on 14 July 1787.
The Village Lawyer is a 1787 comedy play by the British writer George Colman the Elder, although it has also been mistakenly attributed to William Macready. A farce, it premiered as an afterpiece at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London on 28 August 1787. The Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 5 August 1794 It was also staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The original Haymarket cast included John Edwin as Sheepface, John Bannister as Scout, William Henry Moss as Justice Mittimus, William Parsons as Snarl and Lydia Webb as Mrs Scout.
Animal Magnetism is a 1788 comedy play by the English writer Elizabeth Inchbald. A three-act farce, it premiered as an afterpiece at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 22 May 1788. The original cast included John Quick as Doctor, William Blanchard as La Fleur, William Macready the Elder as Marquis De Lancey, Mary Wells as Constance and Isabella Mattocks as Lisette. The Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 8 November 1788.
The Child of Nature is a 1788 comedy play by the English writer Elizabeth Inchbald, adapted from a French work by the Countess de Genlis. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 28 November 1788. The original cast included Thomas Ryder as Duke Murcia, William Farren as Marquis Almanza, William Thomas Lewis as Count Valantia, James Fearon as Seville, William Macready the Elder as Granada, Francis Aickin as Peasant, Isabella Mattocks as Marchioness Mérida and Ann Brunton Merry as Amanthis. The Dublin premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre on 13 February 1789.
Wives as They Were and Maids as They Are is a 1797 comedy play by the British writer Elizabeth Inchbald. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 4 March 1797. The original London cast included John Quick as Lord Priory, Joseph Shepherd Munden as Sir William Dorrillon, Alexander Pope as Sir George Evelyn, William Thomas Lewis as Mr Bronzeley, John Waddy as Mr Norberry, John Fawcett as Oliver, James Thompson as Nabson, Charlotte Chapman as Lady Priory, Tryphosa Jane Wallis as Miss Dorrillon and Isabella Mattocks as Lady Mary Raffle. The Irish premiere was at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 12 June 1797.
The Irishman in London is a 1792 comedy play by the Irish writer and actor William Macready the Elder. A farce, it premiered as an afterpiece at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on the 21 April 1792. The original cast included George Davies Harley as Captain Seymour, Macready as Colloony, Joseph Shepherd Munden as Frost, John Henry Johnstone as Murtoch Delany, John Fawcett as Edward, Thomas Blanchard as Cymon, Isabella Mattocks as Louisa and Charlotte Chapman as Caroline. The Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 19 July 1792.
England Preserved is a 1795 historical play by the British politician and writer George Watson-Taylor. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 21 February 1795. The original cast included Alexander Pope as Earl of Pembroke, Thomas Hull as Bishop of Winchester, William Farren as Earl of Chester, Joseph George Holman as Earl of Surrey, James Middleton as William Mareschal, William Davies as Earl of Lincoln, John Richardson as Lord Robert Fitzwalter, William Macready as English knight, George Davies Harley as French Prince, William Claremont as Vicomte De Beaumant and Tryphosa Jane Wallis as Lady Surrey. It takes place during the era of the Earl of Pembroke who acts as Lord Protector on behalf of his infant nephew in the early fifteenth century.
The Doldrum is a 1796 comedy play by the Irish writer John O'Keeffe. A farce, it premiered as an afterpiece at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 23 April 1796. The original cast included Joseph Shepherd Munden as Sir Marmaduke, John Quick as Septimus, James Middleton as Captain Septimus, William Macready as Flam, Thomas Knight as Gyp, Samuel Simmons as Looby, Elizabeth Mansell as Emeline and Isabella Mattocks as Mrs. Auburne. The play's prologue made reference to Vortigern and Rowena, a forged play supposedly by Shakespeare, that had recently been staged at the rival Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 11 July 1796.
