Lady Jane Grey

Lady Jane Grey is a in five acts tragedy by Nicholas Rowe (1674–1718)[1].

Also referred to as The Tragedy of Lady Jane Grey or simply as Lady Grey.

The original text

Based on the historical events surrounding Lady Jane Grey[2], the martyred "Nine Days' Queen" of England.

First performed at the Drury Lane theatre, London in 1715, and the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in 1776.

Seems to have been first published in London by Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme as The Tragedy of Lady Jane Grey ("a tragedy, in five acts by Nicholas Rowe; as performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden; printed under the authority of the managers from the prompt book; with remarks by Mrs. Inchbald", with the plate dated 1807).

Another version as corrected by Charles Dibdin, was published in 1815 by Sherwood Neely and Jones, London.

Translations and adaptations

The story has been reworked in numerous other ways over the years - see for example Cultural depictions of Lady Jane Grey in Wikipedia [3] - but Rowe's particular version does not feature anywhere except on stage depictions on stage over the course of the 19th century.

Performance history in South Africa

The South African linked actor/manager Frederick Mouillot appeared in a performance of the original play at the New Royal Theatre in Bristol (circa 1883).

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Jane_Grey

Facsimile version of the 1807 published text, Google E-Book[4]

Facsimile version of the 1815 published text, Google E-Book[5]

D.C. Boonzaier. 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1923. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.

Go to ESAT Bibliography