| The Contrast | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Royall Tyler |
| Characters | Charlotte Letitia Mr. Billy Dimple Maria Van Rough Colonel Henry Manly Van Rough Jessamy Jonathan Jenny Servants |
| Date premiered | 1787 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | New York City |
The Contrast, written in 1787 by Royall Tyler, is an American play in the tradition of the English Restoration comedies of the seventeenth century; it takes its cue from Sheridan's The School for Scandal, a British comedy of manners that had revived that tradition a decade before. Royall uses the form to satirize Americans who follow British fashions and indulge in 'British vices'. Thus, the play is often concerned with portraying the contrast between European and American culture.
The Contrast is the first comedy written by an American citizen that was professionally produced.[1] The play begins with a prologue written in heroic couplets. The play itself, a comedy of manners, evaluates home-made versus foreign goods and ideas. Its leading character, Jonathan, introduces to the theatre the "Yankee" stock character with his rough-hewn and plain-spoken manners.[2]