AustLit

Musical entertainment.

Written expressly for the Nelson Family, Romance and Reality was advertised in the Argus as a 'new petite comedy' (15 September 1853, p8) and in the Sydney Morning Herald as an 'original vaudeville' (1 May 1855, p4). The characters are John Dobson (a young gentleman with expectations, very matter of fact and food), Mrs Annabella Vavasour (a youthful widow and lover of the idea), and her maid, Mary Smithers (who has her mistresses interests at heart and a dictionary in her pocket).

The music for the original production included the songs 'Charming Romance' (a ballad sung by Sara Nelson), 'I've a Plan' (Alfred Nelson), 'To Old Regards Appealing' (Sara and Alfred Nelson), 'The Trip Overland' (Carry Nelson), and the finale 'Let's Put the Question to our Friends.' It has not yet been established whether Sydney Nelson wrote these songs especially for Romance and Reality or whether they were popular/traditional songs interpolated into the narrative by Nelson and Akhurst. Although most of the songs were changed for later productions, 'The Trip Overland' seems to have been purposefully written for the show as it is used in the 1859 revival. Other songs known to have been presented in that version are: 'Oh and He Loves Me Dearly,' 'Oh Indeed' and 'The Dream of Love.'