The reason for the benefit itself is explained in a small paragraph above the main text: ‘It having been reported that Mrs Kemble’s Night, being advertised at the bottom of Mr Melvin’s Play-bill, was an Injury to his Benefit, Mr Kemble has generously given him another...’ Stephen Kemble, brother of Sarah Siddons, wife of Elizabeth Satchell (Ophelia as above) and manager of the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, (between 1791 and 1806) through his famous family and London connections was instrumental in breaking through the prejudice surrounding provincial theatre. John Melvin (1771-1817, dancer, actor and monologuist) regularly appeared at Sadler’s Wells where he was well-known for imitations of leading actors of the day including a certain Mr Kemble (A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians... Highfill, Kalman, Burnim, Laughans, SIU Press, 1984). The cast also features Mr Bew, Mr Scriven, Mr Denman and Mr Ryley (Samuel William Ryley, notable for his theatrical memoir The Itinerant, 1816).
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