AustLit

Very much the favourite nephew of retired merchant Mark Stornway, young Ralph Stornway he has been declared the heir to his uncle's fortune and is about to marry Mark's adopted daughter, Madeline. Meanwhile Ralph's cousin, Tobias Truckle, contrives to destroy his reputation in the hope of inheriting the money and marrying Madeline When the plan succeeds, Ralph is left homeless and penniless. Dick Nuggetts, who inadvertently helped bring about Ralph's downfall feels guilty about his part in the plot and offers him a partnership in a goldmining venture and they set of for the diggings. Mark eventually realises he has been deceived and sets out with Madeline and his pious nephew to find Ralph and reinstate him as heir. On the way they are caught in a flood. Ralph and Nuggets come to their rescure but Mark is swept away, presumed drowned. Because he has not changed his will, Tobias is left as heir and orders Ralph to leave and never return. Before he can go, however, Mark re-appears thus ending Tobias's brief rule over the estate. Ralph and Madeline marry at the play's end.

‘The farce is an amusing trifle, founded upon late rumours in this city. Mr. Murphy O'Mulligan ... an Irish literary gentleman in difficulties, is engaged in the composition of a tragedy from which he expects great things, when his proceedings excite the suspicions of Mr. Flat ... who communicates to the Government his belief that the impecunious author is engaged in a Fenian conspiracy. It is arranged that the conspirator shall be arrested, and his papers seized; and this leads to the introduction of a Minister in high position ... In the end the mistake is discovered, and the manuscript of Mr O’Mulligan’s tragedy is restored to him.’

Source: 'Victoria Theatre.' The Empire 5216 (8 August 1868): 4.

The Sydney Morning Herald notes that while this pantomime was an adaptation of W. M. Akhurst's Little Jack Horner: The Original Hero of the Corner (1860), it had been 'almost entirely changed to suit present topics of interest in Sydney, and these are introduced with a droll piquancy and unflagging humour that are sustained throughout the pantomime' (25 December 1868, p.4). A critic writing for Bell's Life in Sydney similarly notes:

'The witty and telling dialogue of the opening is being continually enriched by new local 'hits' which form no inconsiderable feature in the attractiveness of the piece. Among these may be specially mentioned a new parody on Billy Barlow, written by Mr W. Cooper, and excellently well rendered by Mr Stuart O'Brien' (9 January 1869, p.3).

The paper reports the following week that 'Continual novelties are being produced in the comic scenes, and the local allusions in the opening are frequently changed and brought up to date, so that each performance, to some extent differs from its predecessor' (16 January 1869, p.3).

The pantomime begins with a grand ballet in the Dell of Silver Ferns, after which the fairies Progressa and Retrogressa argue as to who has the most influence over Little Jack Horner. The scene switches to Jack's cottage, where he is seen studiously learning his letters so that he might court Myozoe. His new determination is a result of having his previous attempt coolly received by the young lady due to his lack of learning. Pleased with his efforts, Fairy Progressa promises to give him poetic fire, and his new-found learning is demonstrated in the songs 'The Grenadier' and 'Hickory Dickory Dock'. Later, while continuing his learning, a pie is brought in, and he proceeds to describe to Old Proverbs the ideas represented in the plums, each of which has a political significance. Old Proverbs declines a slice of pie and advises Jack that knowledge is power. He then presents him with the Sword of Perseverance (which enables a scene in which Jack parodies the sword song from the Grand Duchess of Gerolstein).

One of the highlights of the production is said to have revolved around Alphabet Castle and an army of juvenile soldiers led by 'Commanders' Blanch and Master Albert Leopold. Other songs incorporated into the pantomime included 'La Donna e Mobile' (sung by Jack), 'She's No Pal of Mine' (Fairy Progressa and Fairy Retrogressa), 'John Robertson my jo John' [sic] (Jack's mother), and 'Little Jack Horner Sat in the Corner' (chorus).

Loosely falling between the genres of musical comedy, extravaganza and burlesque, Kodadad is described in the 1886 published text as having been 'freely translated from the Arabian Nights' entertainments, embellished in every possible way and done into extremely free and easy verse'. The story concerns the son of the Sultan of Diabekir, heir to an Arabian Nights-style kingdom, who is banished to New South Wales as a squatter in order to acquire colonial experience. His incompetence as a farmer sees him treated as a 'new chum' by the locals, and he struggles to endure the hardships of both the work and the environment. Just as he's decided that he can't take any more, the prince receives word that his father has repented the severity of sending him to such a primitive part of the world and calls him home. Upon his return to the court, Kodadad quickly forgets all about his experiences, except in a moment of nostalgia when he tries to convince Lula, a Persian princess, to immigrate with him back to Australia. Lula refuses, however, because she's heard about the Australian insects.

The songs mostly comprised airs from the operas Faust, Lucrezia Borgia, and Lucia di Lammermoor and from popular songs of the day, with the lyrics rewritten. They included 'The Sultan's Polka' (chorus), 'The Cachuca' ( trio), 'Good-bye, Sweetheart, Good-bye', 'Soldier's Chorus' (from Faust), 'My Own, My Guiding Star' (duet), 'Pen and Ink Polka' (duet and chorus), 'Ama Tua Madre' (from Lucrezia Borgia), 'Lily Lye' (ballad), 'The Stockman's Grave' (duet), and the 'Great Eastern Polka' (chorus).