Silk programme for Macbeth and A Roland For an Oliver starring Charles Kean, Mrs. Kean and Ellen Tree, Royal Princess's Theatre, 16 March 1853. Letterpress, printed by John K. Chapman & Company.

Landscape-format cream silk playbill with black letterpress typeface, in three columns and edged all round with gold-coloured metallic fringe. The left-hand column is headed with a lion and unicorn crest and the name of the theatre 'ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE' and that of the manager 'Mr. CHARLES KEAN'. Below that is the title of the play 'MACBETH', a note that it was selected for representation at Windsor Castle on 4th February, and a long discursive note by Charles Kean on the sources of the costume and an acknowledgement of the advice he received from George Godwin FRS. The centre panel has the date of the play WEDNESDAY March 16, 1853, the title of the play, the cast, and a list of the scenery and its designers. The right hand column cridits the 2-act farce A ROLAND FOR AN OLIVER and its cast, below which is a note of future productions, The Corsican Brothers; St. Cupid, or Dorothy's Fortune, and Marcospada

The evening's performance at the Royal Princess's Theatre, 16 March 1853 featured Macbeth with Locke's music, and Bishop's Shakespearean Overture. The cast featured Mr. F. Cooke, Mr. J.F. Cathcart, Miss Hastings, Mr Charles Kean, Mr. Graham. Mr. Ryder, Mr. G. Everett, Mr James Vining, Mr Stacey, Mr Brazier, Mr Stoakes, Miss Kate Terry, Mr. Terry, Mr Paulo, Mr J. Chester, Mr Hermann Vezin, Mr J. Collett, Mr Daley, Mr Rolleston, Mr Collis, Miss J. Lovell, Miss Desborough, Mrs Charles Kean, Mrs W. Daley, Mr H. Drayton, Mr Addison, Mr Meadows and Mr H. Saker, with a chorus 'enlarged for this occasion' by Miss Poole, Mr Manvers, Mr H. Drayton, Mr S. Jones, Mesdames Pawsey, Charlton, Frost, Byers, Millar, Bowden, Walker, Goldsmith, Robertson, Morgan, Cowlrick, Hughes, and Messrs James Cronin, M. Cronin, Deither, Beale, Bowden, Grundy, Jackson, Smithson, Barnett, I. Galli, Miller, Fleetwood, Morgan, Foster, May, Pendygrass, W. Price, J. Price, Sharp, Roberts, Hodges, Galli, Beale, Pawsey, Holgate, Graham, Butler, McCarthy, Skelton, Simmons, Cowlrick, Frost, Temple, Day, Gledhill, Ball, Grundy, Husk. The sets were designed by Messrs Dayes, Cuthbert, F. Lloyds, Dayes and Gordon, and the scenery was painted under the direction of Mr. Grieve The actors in A Roland For an Oliver were Mr. Addison, Mr G. Everett, Mr Walter Lacy, Mr Meadows, Mr Terry, Messrs Rolleston and Stoakes, Mr Collis, Miss Carlotta Leclereq, Miss Desborough and Miss Vivash.

The playbill also notes that The Corsican Brothers will be played tomorrow - Thursday 17th March 1853 - that Douglas Jerrold's new play St. Cupid, or, Dorothy's Misfortune will be performed on Saturday, and that the new French drama Marcospada by Monsieur Scribe would be performed on Easter Monday, the 28th March.

The Stage Manager for the theatre was Mr G. Ellis, the Treasurer Mr S. Lambert, the Musical director Robert Stöpel, the Treasurer Mr S. Lambert and the Ballet Master Mr. Oscar Byrn. Tickets for the private boxes and the stalls could be purchased from the Libraries, and also from Mr Massingham at the Box Office. These cost 5/-for the Dress Circle, 4/- for a box, 2/- for the pit, 6d for the gallery and 6/- for the orchestra stalls. Private boxes cost £2/12/6d., £2/2/0d and £1/11/6d. Half price started from about 9pm. There is a note that 'Children in Arms' could not possibly be admitted and that the Free Lists were suspended for the nights of Macbeth.

The printing of the second half of the address is illegible. It reads 'John K. Chapman & Company, 5, Shoe Lane and Peterborough ?Corner.. St? [illeg].

Silk and satin theatre playbills and programmes were produced from the 18th century onwards, to commemorate special evenings at the theatre. Most theatres in the 19th century would have had some made to mark grand openings or milestone performances. By the end of the First World War however the practice had generally died out, only being revived very occasionally, more often at London's opera houses than any other theatres.

This playbill was produced for the production of Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Royal Princess's Theatre in London's Oxford Street on 16th March 1863, following its production at Windsor Castle on 4th February. Its format is a copy of the large paper playbills that Charles Kean was producing at the time, detailing costume sources, all the spectacular scene designs as well as the large cast and stage crew. Queen Victoria was fond of theatre and frequently requested private performances at Windsor which Charles Kean staged for her. Another silk programme would have been produced for the evening itself at Windsor.

S.121-2007