The Angel Inn the Anglo-Irish actress Dorothea Jordan (1761–1816), who became the mistress and companion of the future King William IV. Thornton was "a man with flair but with no eye for detail [and] little patience with learning lines, a habit which spread to members of his company." James Winston, in his "The Theatric Tourist" (1805), relates how, just before one performance at Andover, Thornton noticed someone in the audience holding a copy of that evening's play. Winston writes: "With such a potent evidence of their incorrectness, it was impossible to proceed..." Thornton announced that the performance was cancelled, owing to the troupe's
Mrs Powell Mrs Powell Jane Powell or Mrs Powell (c. 1761 – 31 December 1831) was a British actress. She was also known as Mrs Renaud and Mrs Farmer. Powell made her debut as Alicia in "Jane Shore" to mixed reviews in 1787, but her name was uncreditted. She came to notice when she appeared at the Haymarket Theatre in the 1780s under the name of "Mrs Farmer" or "Mrs Palmer" as the papers failed to agree. She is thought to be the first woman to take the title role of Hamlet in London in 1796 when she appeared at Drury Lane.