Little Jack Sheppard
Little Jack Sheppard is a
The piece opened at the
Background
This production was to be
Many works of literature and theatre have been based on Sheppard's life. Perhaps the most prominent theatrical work is
Productions
Little Jack Sheppard opened at the
The piece was produced in New York in 1886 at The Bijou Theatre[17] and had its Australian premiere in Melbourne in December 1886 at the Opera House,[18] with Fanny Robina as Jack and Lionel Brough as Wild.[19] In 1887, a second English touring production was launched, with a new cast.[20] Little Jack Sheppard continued to play in the provinces until late 1891.[21] It was revived at the Gaiety in 1894, with a cast including Ellaline Terriss and Seymour Hicks.[22]
Synopsis
The plot, as reported in The Era, 2 January 1886, was as follows:[23]
- Act I
"After a preliminary chorus of rustics, introducing the now threadbare allusion to three acres and a cow, we have the musical courtship of fascinating Winifred Wood and her lover Thames Darrell. Thames is being persecuted by his wicked uncle Sir Rowland Trenchard who has enlisted Jonathan Wild in his pay, and the latter presently brings his chorus of pretty Janissaries upon the scene. An attempt is made to seize Thames, who is, however, rescued by Jack and Blueskin, aided by an army of blue satin-clad swell mobsmen."
- Act II
"The second act shows Jack carousing with his boon companions in a hall gorgeous enough to be Aladdin's Palace, but which is understood to be merely the 'cave of harmony' at the 'Crown and Sovereign' in the Mint. Here Blueskin presides over a free-and-easy with all the genial aplomb of a music hall chairman, and obliges the company with a spirited rendering of the quaint old ditty 'Botany Bay', which is, of course, given with the time-honoured whistling variations in the chorus. The 'harmony of the evening' is now rudely disturbed by Wild and his janissaries who, this time assisted by the military, take Jack prisoner."
- Act III
"The third act transports us to the interior of Newgate [Prison], where we find Jack carving his name on the walls of the condemned cell, and keeping up his spirits by engaging in a duet and a pas de deux with his jailer, Wild. Blueskin now contrives to enter the prison in the guise of a turnkey, and with his help Jack effects his escape, the series of scenes in which the pair are shown traversing the cells and scaling the walls being apparently intended as a parody of the present fashion of mechanical scene changes.
"The final meet of all the characters takes place on Willesden green, where Wild and Sir Rowland are denounced as Jacobites by Jack, who receives as a reward the King's pardon, and forthwith marries the girl of his choice."
Roles and original cast
The original cast was as follows:[12]
- Jack Sheppard – Nellie Farren
- Thames Darrell – Mathilde Wadman[11]
- Blueskin – David James
- Jonathan Wild – Fred Leslie
- Sir Rowland Trenchard – Mr. Odell
- Abraham Mendez – F. Wood
- Mr. Kneebone – Willie Warde
- Mr. Wood – Mr. Guise
- Captain Cuff – Emily Duncan
- Shotbolt – Miss Ross
- Marvel – Miss Raines
- Ireton – Emily Robina[11]
- Quilt Arnold – Miss Handley
- Little Gog – Miss Pearce
- Little Magog – Miss Tyler
- Mrs. Sheppard – Harriet Coveney
- Winifred Wood – Marion Hood
- Edgworth Bess – Bessie Sanson
- Polly Stanmore – Sylvia Grey
- Kitty Kettleby – Miss Eunice
Chorus of Peasants, Janissaries, Blueboys, Jacobites, Bridesmaids and Soldiers
Musical numbers
The musical numbers were composed by Meyer Lutz, except as otherwise indicated:
- If you take into your head (Duet) – Florian Pascal[1]
- Winifred Wood – Pascal
- A Fairy Tale (Duet) – Hamilton Clarke
- There once was a time, my darling – Alfred Cellier
- Farewell to Old England
- Polyglot Duet
- Keep the ball a-rolling (Quintet)
- Chorus and march of Janissaries – Pascal
- Jonathan Wild – Arthur Cecil
- Jack's alive 'O
- They call me the Belle of Dollis Hill – Pascal
- You mustn't believe all you hear
- Silver star – Pascal
- Leave the whole business to me (Trio)
- Botany Bay – Pascal
- All nations (Duet)
- Chorus of Peasants and Bridesmaids
Critical reception
The Era praised the production and the music for their unusual refinement, but found the libretto inadequate: "Messrs. Stephens and Yardley … have aimed at decorum, and succeeded in hitting dulness." The paper went so far as to write of "the vapid, wishy-washy, flatulent quality of the stuff they have manufactured between them." Nonetheless, the music, the staging and the performances adequately compensated, and made it "a capital evening's entertainment."[23] Other critics, including that of The Theatre, were more favourably disposed towards the libretto, and in agreement with The Era about the excellence of the music, the production and the performers.[24] The Graphic wrote, "A company equally strong for the representation of pieces of this class has rarely if ever been assembled. ... A prettier spectacle to behold, from the opening rustic ballet down to the marvellous scenic changes of the escape from Newgate, is certainly nowhere to be seen."[13]
Notes
- ^ a b Florian Pascal was a pseudonym for Joseph Williams, Jr. (1847-1923), a music publisher and composer. See Florian Pascal profile at the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive Archived 2015-10-14 at the Wayback Machine, "A Thirty-ninth Garland of British Light Music Composers" at MusicWeb International and Songs by Florian Pascal
- ^ According to press reports, Leslie introduced parodic elements caricaturing Oscar Wilde into his portrayal of Jonathan Wild: see "Theatres", The Graphic, 2 January 1886, p. 7
- ^ Traubner, p. 196
- ^ "Theatrical Humour in the Seventies", The Times, 20 February 1914, p. 9, col. D
- ^ Programme for Carmen up to Data Archived 2008-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Arthur Lloyd Music Hall site (on Gaiety) Cuttings Archived 2008-01-04 at the Wayback Machine accessed 01 Mar 2007
- ^ Stewart, Maurice. 'The spark that lit the bonfire', in Gilbert and Sullivan News (London) Spring 2003.
- ISBN 0-304-29372-5
- ^ Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard at Project Gutenberg. See also an analysis at The Literary Encyclopedia. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
- ISBN 0-670-87215-6
- ^ a b c Information about the original production Archived 2004-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Programme for first production
- ^ a b "Theatres", The Graphic, 2 January 1886, p. 7
- ^ The Athenaeum, 5 June 1886, p. 758
- ^ George Stone took over from David James as Blueskin, and Florence Dysart succeeded Marion Hood as Winifred: see "Provincial Theatricals", The Era, 24 July 1886, p. 14
- ^ The Era, 11 December 1886, p. 14
- ^ Review of the New York production
- ^ "History of Theatre in Melbourne". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ "Amusements in Australia", The Era, 12 March 1887, p. 13
- ^ "Provincial Theatricals", The Era, 27 August 1887, p. 14
- ^ "Provincial Theatricals", The Era, 7 November 1891, p. 14
- ^ The Morning Post, 6 August 1894, p. 6
- ^ a b The Era, 2 January 1886, p. 7.
- ^ Clarke, H. Savile, "Little Jack Sheppard", The Theatre, 7 January 1886, p. 44
References
- Traubner, Richard. Operetta: A Theatrical History, (2003) Routledge.
- Adams, William Davenport. A dictionary of the drama (1904) Chatto & Windus
- Hollingshead, John. Good Old Gaiety: An Historiette & Remembrance (1903) London:Gaiety Theatre Co
External links
- Photos from Little Jack Sheppard
- Theatre poster from performances at Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh in 1885