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Described variously as a burletta, burlesque, and travestie, The Butcher Baronet draws many of its incidents from the famous trial instigated in an attempt to determine an Australian butcher's claim the Tichborne baronetcy. Hutchison's narrative, which is said to burlesque only those characters actually involved in the case, begins in Wagga Wagga (New South Wales). Act 2 sees the claimant in London where he meets members of the English aristocracy (the class that he is attempting to join), before returning once again to Australia. Act 3 involves the trial.
The Sydney Morning Herald theatre critic was seemingly impressed by the work overall, writing, 'Mr Charles Young, as the claimant, kept the audience in a continual titter throughout the performance.... The trial scene is, perhaps, the best in the burlesque, and the audience seemed to thinks so. The examination of the claimant by Serjeant [sic] Bawlaway (Mr J. H. Rainford), and cross-examination by Sir John Collarina (Mr W. Andrews) was very funny, and elicited roars of laughter... [while] the proceedings of Sir W. Snuffie, as chief justice (Mr J. J. Welsh) also proved very amusing. This scene is alone worth witnessing... With few exceptions the burlesque throughout went well [though] much more could be made of it were the stage accessories more complete' (17 June 1872, p.5).
Although the burlesque was said to have been disadvantaged, coming as it did 'at a time when the excitement about the great trial [was] almost at an end' (Sydney Morning Herald 17 June 1872, p.5), the producers publicly expressed their surprise at the lack of interest in the story by local authors. An advertisement placed in the Sydney Morning Herald reads, 'It is remarkable that, while English writers have taken for the groundwork of so many plays, pantomimes and songs the incidents of this case, Australia has hitherto had no tale, burlesque or play founded upon them. This despite the fact that 'the claimant passed a considerable portion of his life in this colony' (12 June 1872, p.10).
The production contained incidental music and also featured several songs and dance numbers.
Notes
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At the time at which he wrote The Butcher Baronet, Frank Hutchison was editor of the Wagga Wagga Advertiser.
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The anonymously written farce Baronet or Butcher; Or, The Tichborne Claimants, staged at the Polytechnic Hall, Melbourne, on 29 May 1872, is not related to Hutchison's burlesque. Neither is the sensation crime drama Tichborne; Or, Is He Butcher or Baronet?, staged in August 1877 at the Queen's Theatre, Sydney.
Production Details
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1872: Victoria Theatre, Sydney, 12-21 June.
- Stage Manager James H. Rainford; Music Director Walter Rice; Scenic Art W. J. Wilson.
- Cast: James Hasker (Mr Dibbs), Charles Young (Castro, the Butcher Baronet/Sir Roger), J. J. Welsh (Chief Justice, Sir W. Snuffie), H. Lambert, G. R. Melville, Mr Phillips, James H. Rainford (Sgt Bawlaway), Mr Smithers, Oliver 'Olly' Deering, Rachel Ward, Heloise Ward, W. Andrews (Sir John Collarim), J. Sweeney, Miss Melville, Maggie Oliver (Lady Mary Anne), Miss Neilson, Miss Harcourt, Nelly Montague.
- 9 performances.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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The Victoria Theatre
1872
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 17 June 1872 1872; (p. 5)
— Review of The Butcher-Baronet; Or, A Travestie of the Titchbourne Case 1871 single work musical theatre
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The Victoria Theatre
1872
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 17 June 1872 1872; (p. 5)
— Review of The Butcher-Baronet; Or, A Travestie of the Titchbourne Case 1871 single work musical theatre
PeriodicalNewspaper Details
This entry has been sourced from research undertaken by Dr Clay Djubal into Australian-written popular music theatre (ca. 1850-1930). See also the Australian Variety Theatre Archive
Details have also been derived in part from the Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890.
- Wagga Wagga, Wagga Wagga area, Riverina - Murray area, New South Wales,
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cEngland,ccUnited Kingdom (UK),cWestern Europe, Europe,
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cAustralia,c