AustLit

A burletta set in a chamber on the first floor of the Hippopotamus Hotel, the plot concerns Julian Vincent (a 'brief-less Barrister', out of town for the sake of quiet and to escape the sheriff's delicate attention), Miss Blanche Evans (a strong-minded lady who is a 'Pupil of the New Age' and a firm supporter of the rights of women), Cora Perks (a waitress at the hotel, who is a lover of long chins), and a voice from offstage, 'which is at first considered foreign to the subject, but eventually contributes to a happy denouement' (Argus 3 August 1854, p.8).

The songs incorporated into the narrative were 'What Life as a Poor Little Maid' (a recitative and air sung by Carry Nelson), 'Woman's Rights' (Sara Nelson), 'Stay and Let Me Hear My Fate' (Alfred and Sara Nelson), 'There's the Clock and the Cream Jug' (Alfred and Carry Nelson), and the finale, 'Away with Idle Fantasies.'