Edward Young · aftercurtain

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Busiris, King of Egypt

Writer · Play · 1719

Busiris, King of Egypt is a 1719 tragedy by the British writer Edward Young. It is set in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Busiris. It was considered a success, enjoying a good run and was subsequently published by Jacob Tonson. The work was dedicated to the Duke of Newcastle who as Lord Chamberlain oversaw the theatres. The original Drury Lane cast included Thomas Elrington as Busiris, Barton Booth as Myron, John Mills as Nicanor, Robert Wilks as Memnon, Thomas Walker as Rameses, John Thurmond as Syphoces, William Mills as Auletes, Sarah Thurmond as Myris and Anne Oldfield as Mandane.

The Brothers

Writer · Play · 1753

The Brothers is a tragedy by the British writer Edward Young. Written in 1728, the play was about to be staged and was in rehearsals when Young was appointed chaplain to George II and withdrew it in case his playwrighting might offend the King. It was not performed until 1753, when David Garrick produced it at the Drury Lane Theatre. The cast included Garrick as Demetrius, Henry Mossop as Perseus, Edward Berry as Philip, Richard Winstone as Posthumius, George Anne Bellamy as Erixine, Jane Green as the Attendant and Thomas Mozeen as Curtius. The epilogue was by Kitty Clive.

The Revenge

Writer · Play · 1721

The Revenge is a 1721 tragedy by the British writer Edward Young, set in a mostly undefined region of 16th-century Africa under Spanish rule. It concerns the character of Zanga, an African prince who becomes cruel after his experiences in slavery. Although initially it did not enjoy the same success as his previous play Busiris, King of Egypt, it later became a much-revived work during the eighteenth century particularly popular because of the Othello-like role of the Moorish character Zanga. John Philip Kemble revived the work briefly in 1798 before Edmund Kean in 1815 did so with great success and it became part of his repertoire. The original Drury Lane cast included Barton Booth as Don Alonzo, Robert Wilks as Don Carlos, John Thurmond as Don Alverez, John Mills as Zanga, Mary Porter as Leonora and Christiana Horton as Isabella. The work was dedicated to Young's patron the Duke of Wharton. The character of Zanga was portrayed by the African-American actor Ira Aldridge in 1848, and received favourable reviews, although critics were less kind to the play itself. For example, the Era said that "As Zanga he is exceedingly fine, looking the character of the Moor to perfection and acting it with great power and correctness. For the tragedy itself we have little regard."

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