 The opera is named for Queen Elizabeth I of England, although she does not actually appear as an onstage character.Although "Eliza" is highly patriotic in nature, the monarchy did not take kindly to the work and the opera was suppressed after one performance "by an Order from a superior Power".The opera was later more successfully revived at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin in 1755 and at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in December 1756.