AustLit

This version of the popular pantomime is said to have made a recognisable departure from the usual productions, by introducing the harlequinade (titled 'The Terrible Day') at the beginning, thus increasing its importance, and thereby decreasing the significance of the pantomime portion of the story somewhat.

The production was also described as having taken the typical localisations and topical allusions a step further by infusing the story with an added political motive. 'Interwoven with the nursery story of Dick Whittington,' writes the Sydney Morning Herald critic, is 'a serious satire upon the trend of the federation movement in Australia... in the first scene we find two cooks under the names of Hobson and Jobson very cleverly - in make-up at least - personifying no less personages than Mr Reid and Sir George Turner, and busily employed in preparing a federation stew, a device which enables the author to cleverly introduce some of the burning questions of the day' (28 December 1897, p.4).

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]

Advertised as a 'refined musical extravaganza,' this localised version of the F. C. Burnand burlesque on Douglas Jerrold's original 1929 drama had an extensive musical component, containing (according to one source) some forty musical numbers. The story was set in seven scenes, with these being:

• Act 1; Scene 1. Susan' Cottage

• Scene 2. Rocky Pass

• Scene 3. The Jolly Mugs

• Scene 4. Dame Halley's Cottage

• Act 2; Scene 1. The Jolly Mugs

• Scene 2. The Gaol

• Scene 3. Deck of H.M.S. Calliope

The additional material supplied by Bert Royle no doubt required of him some intensive research into local identities and recent events when the production was taken on tour. For example, its staging in Brisbane (1890) saw part of the story is set in the Brisbane Gaol, which suggests that the text would have contained satirical hits aimed at the local audience. The Brisbane Courier writes in regard to this aspect of the 1890 production, 'Mr Sheridan, as Henry Irving Smith, a smuggler, and afterwards Captain Crossgrain, was irresistibly funny, and had been supplied with any number of local hits' (28 April 1890, p.4). When the company returned for a two night season a week later (having opened for two nights at Ipswich during the week), the paper's critic further noted that 'the dialogue was interspersed with many local allusions to persons and occurrences [which] were appreciated, and created a great deal of amusement' (3 May 1890, p.5).

The musical programme inserted into the production included 'a magnificent song, '"Traveller's All" [sung] by Mr Montague, [of which] it is said… had not been heard in Australia for over a quarter of a century,' 'The Villagers Chorus,' 'Merry Little Bridesmaids' (female trio), 'The Smugglers, Silence and Fun' (male trio), 'The Coquette' (solo), 'How He Carries On' (solo), 'On Board the Lugger' (company), 'Two Lovely Black-Eyes' and 'Villains of the Deepest Dye' (quintet), 'Heave Away' (solo/ chorus), 'It's English, You Know' (with dialect verses in English, Irish, Scotch, French, Yankee and Dutch sung by J. F. Sheridan), 'Farewell My Own,' and 'Pretty See-U-Pass' (company), 'Moonlight Killarney' (duo), 'The Kranky Boys' (quartette), 'Turn on Old Time' (trio), 'Tooral-I-Oo-Ral-I' (company), 'Beautiful Moon' (duet) and the solo/chorus 'The Blatherun' (Brisbane Courier 28 April, p4). The Sydney season (1891) was commended, too, for the quality of the several ballets, the highlights being 'The Snow Ballet,' which was described as 'a scenic and terpsichorian display [that ranked] as the most wonderful and picturesque ever presented to an Australian audience' and 'The Grand Sailor Ballet' (Sydney Morning Herald 25 Apr. 1891, 2). John F. Sheridan also performed two new numbers, 'You Can't Think of Everything' and 'Is He Guilty?' (a parody on 'Bright Little Glass').