[ George William Lovell, playwright. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('Geo W Lovell') to theatrical publisher T. H. Lacy, regarding the publication of 'The Wife's Secret' and 'The Trial of Love'. With autograph prelims of the former play by Lovell.

Both items in good condition, on lightly aged paper. Letter: 2pp., 12mo. The letter begins: 'Mrs. Kean has given me back possession of the two Plays. The Wife's Secret & The Trial of Love. & the advice of Mr. Coyne was that I should add them to the Dram[ati]c. Authors Society's list.' Under the circumstances, he asks whether Lacy would be 'desirous of printing them & if so what would be your arrangement?' He suggests a meeting the following day. Autograph prelims: 3pp., 4to. Bifolium, with bottom half of second leaf torn away. The recto of the first leaf carries the title, with Lovell described as 'Author of the Provost of Bruges, Love's Sacrifice, thhe Trial of Love &c. | With alterations & additions by the Author'. At head of the page: 'long primer'. Dedication on verso of first leaf, which is headed 'Page 2': 'To Mrs. Charles Kean | andn to the memory of | Her late lamented Husband | This Play, which was so deeply indebted to their genius, | is inscribed with sincere regard by | The Author'. On verso of second leaf: 'The following Play was purchased by the late Mr. Charles Kean and since his lamented death has been most kindly restored by Mrs. Kean to the Author; who has now revised it throughout, with numerous alterations of the original and additions of new matter.' In pencil at the head of the page: 'Where are these lines to be placed?' According to the Oxford DNB, 'The first production of Lovell's most famous play, The Wife's Secret, took place at the Park Theatre, New York, on 12 October 1846, and proved to be a success with American audiences. The work was staged at the Haymarket, London, on 17 January 1848, and ran thirty-six nights with Mr and Mrs Charles Kean in the lead roles. According to Wilbur Dunkel, Charles Kean paid Lovell £300 for the piece and then gave the author an extra £100 when the play was performed in London. The work became popular and there were notable revivals staged in October 1850, at the Princess's Theatre, and in February 1861, at Drury Lane with the Keans again taking the lead roles. Later productions took place at the Surrey in November 1868, the Olympic in March 1877, and at the St James's in April 1888. This final revival was produced by John Hare with Lewis Waller and Mr and Mrs W. H. Kendal taking the leads. Regarding the original London production, The Times said:"the Wife's Secret is a plain story effectively told, with the advantage that the ruling sentiment, though often treated before, is one that is sure to appeal to a large portion of an audience. And it may be laid down as a fixed maxim, that he who can tell a story well upon the stage has accomplished nine-tenths of his work as a practical dramatist." (The Times, 18 Jan 1848) The noted theatre historian Allardyce Nicoll stated that The Wife's Secret was 'certainly one of the best plays I have read in this period' (Dunkel, 52).' The Guildhall Library has a copy of Lacy's edition of the play, tentatively dated to 1868, with the note regarding the restoration of the play to Lovell on p.5.