A Newly Identified Holograph Manuscript by John Rich: 'Some Remarks on the Tragedy Call'd Agis' (1754)

Abstract

National Library of Scotland MS 16747 (fols 124-5), entitled ‘Some Remarks on the Tragedy call'd Agis’, a dissection and rejection of a 1754 draft of John Home's Agis: A Tragedy, can now be added to the list of writings in the hand of John Rich, manager of Covent Garden Theatre from 1732 to 1761. Not only do aspects of the manuscript's tone and style correspond with what Rich's contemporaries relate of his writing, but comparison with other existing samples of his handwriting confirms the ascription of the ‘Remarks’ to Rich. The ‘Remarks’ are the longest and most detailed instance of Rich's dramatic criticism. Rich was often accused of a concern with profit that led him to debase dramatic art by privileging entertainment value over literary quality. However, the ‘Remarks’ belie this reputation. Rich displays little interest in sensational scenes or affecting spectacles for their own sake. Rather, he expects that his audience will respond best to a coherent plot, plausible incidents, and sympathetic or engaging characters. Rich's undoubted concern with the profitability of the theatre thus goes together with considerable critical discernment and practical acumen when deciding what pieces, be they pantomimes or tragedies, should grace his stage.