Produced by Judith Boss
The Contrast
by
Royall Tyler
A Comedy
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THOMAS J. McKEE
THE 'Contrast' was the first American play ever performed in public bya company of professional actors. Several plays by native authors hadbeen previously published, the more noteworthy being the 'Prince ofParthia,' a tragedy by Thomas Godfrey of Philadelphia, which wasprobably written, and was offered to Hallam's company in 1759 (but notproduced), and was printed in 1765, two years after the author'sdeath.[1]
A comedy called the 'Mercenary Match,' by one Barnabas Bidwell, is saidto have been performed by the students at Yale College, under theauspices of the Rev. Dr. Ezra Styles, President of the College. Dunlapspeaks of having heard it read, but does not mention whether it wasfrom a manuscript or printed copy. It was printed at New Haven in1785. The 'Contrast,' however, was the first to meet successfully thecritical judgment and approval of a professional manager. This factalone should redeem it from the neglect and inattention it hasheretofore met with. Besides, it possesses considerable intrinsicmerit, and as an acting play will compare favorably with many of theEnglish comedies of the period; and though, perhaps, meager in plot andincident, it is bright, humorous, and natural; the dialogue issparkling with genuine wit; and its satire aimed at the evils andfollies of the time is keen and incisive. The contrast between theplain and simple honesty of purpose and breeding of our American homelife and the tinseled though polished hypocrisy and knavery of foreignfashionable society is finely delineated, and no doubt suggested thename of the play. Thoroughly natural in its plan and characters, itwas a bold venture of a young writer in a new literary domain.
The character of Jonathan is a thoroughly original conception; nothingof the typical Yankee, since so familiar and popular, had as yetappeared, either on the stage or in print.
The 'Contrast' was first performed[2] at the John Street Theater,New-York City, on the 16th of April, 1787, and undoubtedly met with theapproval of the public, as it was repeated on the 18th of April, the 2dand 12th of May the same season, and was reproduced with success laterat Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Boston. It was, as far as can belearned, the first literary effort of its author, a most remarkablegenius, and one of the pioneers in several branches of our literature,who, up to within a few weeks of its production, had never attended atheatrical performance.
Royall Tyler, the author of the 'Contrast,' was born at Boston, Mass.,July 18, 1758, and belonged to one of the wealthiest and mostinfluential families of New England. He received his early educationat the Latin School, in his native city, graduated at Harvard, andduring the Revolutionary War, and afterward in Shay's Rebellion, actedas aid-de-camp with the rank of Major on the staff of General BenjaminLincoln. It was owing to the latter event that he came to New-York,being sent here by Governor Bowdoin on a diplomatic mission withreference to the capture of Shay, who had crossed the border line fromMassachusetts into this State. This was the first time that Tyler hadleft his native New England, and the first time he could have seen theinside of a regular theater, thus confirming the statements made in thepreface of the play as to the author's inexperience in the rules of thedrama, and as to the short time within which it was written, as his