Theatre

approximately 780 playbills for performances at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 25 September 1825 - 20 June 1829, each 332 x 205mm. and similar, several double page (mostly towards end), 6 printed in black and red, approximately half on blue and half on cream paper, each season separated by a blank sheet, scattered manuscript notes (for example: "Attended with Susan and T. Vernon" on 27 November 1826), bound in one volume, folio, half calf over marbled boards, spine lettered in gilt, binding very worn and fragile, lower board detached, gilt faded, a few sheets loose, one bill torn across centre, one sheet with old repair on the verso

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The large and varied repertoire of the Theatre Royal is reflected in this substantial collection of playbills, which comprises an almost consecutive run from late 1825 to November 1829. Between October and December 1825, the company performed fifty different plays, with more added every following year. 

Whilst it not known when or where Vivien acquired this bound volume, what may have attracted her was the inclusion bills for numerous plays with significance to herself and to Larry, namely A School for Scandal, and numerous Shakespearean plays such as King Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello.

This collection includes notices for benefits performances (such as for Miss Foote in May 1826, Mr Wallack in June 1826, and Mr Laporte in April 1827) and announcements of numerous new plays and operas, including the first performance of Cooke's The Wager; Or, the Midnight Hour (23 November 1825) and Leocadea (19 December 1925). These, however, were not well-received: "The managers of Drury-Lane Theatre have made two attempts to please the public by the production of new old Operas [...] highly creditable to them in their present forlorn and desperate circumstances, but, as might naturally be expected, unsuccessful..." (The London Magazine, January 1926).

Other new productions include Malvina (2 February 1826), Benyowsky (16 March 1926), Oberon, or The Charmed Horn (27 March 1826), Aladdin (29 April 1926), Knights of the Cross (31 May 1826), Two Houses of Grenada (31 October 1826), Englishmen in India (27 January 1827), Trial of Love (1 March 1827), The Wealthy Widow  (29 October 1827), Forget and Forgive (21 November 1827), Isodore de Merida (29 November 1827), The Queen Bee; or, Harlequins & the Fairy Hive (26 December 1828) and Peter the Great (21 February 1829).

Named actors include one performance of Lovers' Vows starring Edmund Kean in December 1828, and multiple performances by Mercer, Archer, Wallack, Williams, Dowton, Penley, Harley, and Cooper, amongst many others.