This historical clipping appears on Page 3 of the May 6, 1801, edition of The Times of Greater London:
"When talents, industry, and liberality are united, what may not be expected from the perseverance of such a junction? From this fource springs the magnet which attracts the Public so powerfully to Sadler's Wells, not for a night or two, but regularly and invariably. Ephemera may flourish for a season, but it requires solidity to ensure a perpetual endurance — verbum sat!"Verbum sat is a Latin phrase "used to bring something to a conclusion, implying that further comment is unadvisable or unneeded," according to Wiktionary.
Sadler's Wells is a theater in Clerkenwell, London, that dates to 1683 and has been housed in a half-dozen different buildings over its more than three centuries of existence. In the early 1800s, the Sadler's Wells saw its share of "talents" (such as Edmund Kean) and was indeed a "magnet" for the public. But it was also, according to Wikipedia, "characterised by much public drunkenness and loutish behaviour, and the rural location prompted the management to provide escorts for patrons after dark to conduct them into central London." The venue looked something like this in the early 1800s. The stage contained a huge water tank, so that naval-themed performances could take place. Pity the maintenance staff.
Speaking of theater, Sarah — on the heels of performances in Shakespeare's The Tempest and Antony and Cleopatra — is performing the Bard's The Merry Wives of Windsor at York County parks this summer. Here's the whole dandy cast; Sarah's in the middle, with the plaid shirt, red hair and many rubber wristbands.
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