THE SHAM CATALANI IN LITTLE PUDDLETON: [aka THE MOCK CATALANI IN LITTLE ...

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1842

THE SHAM CATALANI IN LITTLE PUDDLETON: [aka THE MOCK
CATALANI IN LITTLE PUDDLETON]
[burletta] Txt/Orig Mus. Charles Nagel; Add Mus. [n/e].
# James Tegg (Syd), 1842.
# New South Wales Archives, n. yr.
# British Library, n yr. [1344 K8]
Although this "new original musical burletta" was claimed by Nagel as his own, the similarities between it and
Adolf Bauerle's Die Falsche Catalani in Krahwinkel suggest some degree of relationship. As Katherine Brisbane notes,
however: "Such local adaptations were as common in Australia as in Europe at that time, when copyright in a work lay
with the publisher, not the author" (213). Despite having a question mark over its origins The Sham Catalini in Little
Puddleton still holds a significant place in Australian theatre history. The colonial authorities, having previously
discouraged Australian settings for theatrical productions because of the "special circumstances of the colony," were by
the early 1840s in a position to relax the censorship guidelines. The first real evidence of this change occurred on 23
April 1842 when Nagel's play was granted a license for performance by the NSW Colonial Secretary, Edward Deas
Thomson (so long as "oaths" were removed).
The 1842 production was described as "a satire upon the rage for encouraging foreign singers, the dialogue is
smart, [and] some of the music (composed by the author) is pretty. It must be assumed that the burletta underwent some
changes for its revival in 1843, however, as the Australian Journal notes in a review of that production (re-titled The
Mock Catalani in Little Puddleton): "Considerable dissatisfaction has been expressed in circles at the omission of the
new songs written expressly for the occasion by Captain Nagel, and which were announced in Monday's bills. We
regret this on every account, and must express our hope that the ladies, to whom these songs were assigned, will make
the amende honorable to the clever author, by bringing them before the public in the next representation of this
burletta" (2 June 1843, 1275).
Margaret Williams notes in Australia on the Popular Stage that Joseph Simmons, himself one of the colony's
earliest playwrights, appeared in the lead role of a gentleman who disguises himself as an Italian diva in order to out-
trick his rivals (18). The story, which the New South Wales Examiner records as being "its least recommendation" (3),
concerns William (a music teacher) and Captain O'Leary (commander of the troops at Little Puddleton) who are both
competing for the hand of the Mayor's daughter, Fanny Dobbs. Against her father's preference, Fanny chooses William,
and in a most "improbable" plot device William obtains a pledge from both the mayor and the captain that they will
accept the situation if it should happen that one day they both go down on their knees and kiss his hand. The mayor
subsequently receives a letter informing him of the imminent visit to the town of the prima donna, Catalini. Upon "her"
arrival Catalini is naturally greeted in a most flattering manner, two of the most respectful being (naturally) Mayor
Dobbs and Captain O'Leary, who both salute the diva's extended hand on their bended knees. William throws off his
disguise and he and Fanny are forthwith married and "[so we conclude, at least] live happily for the rest of their lives"
(NSWE: 11 May 1842, 3).
1842: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 4 May
- Cast incl. Joseph Simmons, Tilly Jones.
1843: Royal Victoria Theatre [aka Royal City Theatre] (Syd); 29 May [as The Mock Catalini in Little Puddleton]
- Cast incl. Joseph Simmons.
1853: Theatre Royal (Geelong, Vic); 8, 13 May

AJ: 10 May (1842), n. pag. [rnib]
Brisbane, Katherine. CTTA: (1995), 213.
Irvin, Eric. "Australia's 'First' Dramatists." ALS: 4.1 (1969), 18-30. [rnib]
Jones, Melinda. CTTA: (1995): 131.
"Royal Victoria Theatre." NSWE: 4 May (1842), 3.
SLV: Coppin Collection. (n. yr.), Playbill. [rnib]
"Theatricals." AJ: 2 June (1843), 1275.
"Theatricals." SMH: 5 May (1842), 3. [see also advert. - SMH: 4 May 1842, 2]
Williams, Margaret. Australia on the Popular Stage. (1983), 18-19, 291.

121

Citations details: Clay Djubal. "What Oh Tonight: The Methodology Factor and Pre-1930s' Variety Theatre.' Ph D, U of Qld, 2005.
Appendix C [1842-1899] Australian Variety Theatre Archive • http://ozvta.com/dissertations/
1843

 MERRY FREAKS IN TROUBLOUS TIMES:
[comic opera] Lib. Charles Nagel; Mus.
Isaac Nathan
# Charles Nagel (Syd), 1843
# Isaac Nathan (Syd), 1851
# Cramer, Addison and Beale (London), 1851
Despite a number of indications that the opera (completed in 1843) would be performed, first at the Royal City
Theatre and later at the Royal Victoria Theatre, only extracts have been performed in public. Despite a number of
indications that the opera (completed in 1843) would be performed, first at the Royal City Theatre and later at the Royal
Victoria Theatre, only extracts have been performed in public. In 1843, the editors of the New South Wales Magazine,
or, Journal of General Politics, Literature, Science, and the Arts twice stated that they had seen a copy of Merry
Freaks. In the Colonial Literature section the Editors record: 'We have been favoured with a copy of an 'Historical
Operatic Drama,' in two Acts, entitled Merry Freaks in Troublous Times, written by a gentleman named Nagel. The
plot, founded upon the adventures of Charles II., when escaping the Puritans, is well written, some of the scenes being
highly humorous. Mr Nathan has composed the music for the songs, and we understand that it will shortly be
performed. The type, and appearance of the book, are by no means creditable to the printer' (p.565). No copy of this
publication has yet been located. Nathan published the vocal score in Sydney in 1851 (he even set up the moveable
type) and it was then published in London that same year. Nathan published the vocal score in Sydney in 1851 (he even
set up the moveable type) and it was then published in London that same year.
The plot commences after the defeat of Charles II at the battle of Worcester, whence the King and Rochester
escape under the assumed names of Jacob Tompkins and Peregrine Samson. The first act exhibited their "Merry Freaks"
at the seat of Sir Henry Milford in which they are assisted by that indispensable hero of Comic Opera, a mischievous
page who becomes instrumental in the King's safe escape to the continent. The second act takes the narrative several
years hence, opening with Charles’ small court of exiled Royalists in Holland. An under-current of that "course of true
love which never does run smooth," flows in sinuous windings through the piece which, in its denouement, terminates
at Milord Hall, whither the King and his faithful adherents return previous to the Restoration. The authors are also said
to have humorously portrayed and contrasted the characteristics of the Cavaliers and Puritans of that age (AJ: 29 May
1843, 2).

"Mr Nathan’s Opera." AJ: 12 July (1843), 1292.
"Music and Musicians." AJ: 12 May (1843), 1266.
"New Historical Opera." AJ: 29 May (1843), 1273.
New South Wales Magazine, or, Journal of General Politics, Literature, Science, and the Arts (1843), 565.

 LIFE IN SYDNEY; OR, THE RAN DAN CLUB:
[burletta] Txt/Mus. [n/e]
# Fotheringham, Richard, ed. Australian Plays for the Colonial Stage 1834-1899 (2006)
One of many theatrical adaptations of Pierce Egan's picaresque novel of 'fast' city living, Tom and Jerry: Life in
London; or, The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom in their
Rambles and Sprees through the Metropolis (1820-1821), the plot in this version begins with the arrival of Jerry
Webber to the Colony. Upon being made a member of the Ran Dan Club, he is taken under the wing of Tom King and
Bob Logic. The three make their way from Macquarie Place (where Tom wins a £50 bet) to the Shakespeare Tavern.
They join a fight between the 'Cabbage Tree Mob' and the police, go to a ball, visit an auction mart and later find
themselves at The Rocks, where one can 'see life as low as ever you did in St Giles in London (qtd Leslie Rees The
Making of Australian Drama 61). Three young women who are keen on the Ran Danners disguise themselves as sailors
in order to follow them, which leads to a sing-a-long. The police cut this short, another fight ensues, and the men
escape. They talk next of going to the theatre, at which point Logic says to Jerry, 'my dear fellow, the Victoria is really
a tolerable good theatre, superior to many in London... some of our native talent, and of those who never saw a theatre
but a Sydney one, may vie with those who have been born as 'twere upon the stage' (qtd Rees 61). The final scene, set in
a Court House at Woolloomooloo, sees the three women 'bagging' their men. It ends with a jolly chorus.
Although there is no record of any production of Life in Sydney having been staged until the 1970s, it serves to
demonstrate, as Margaret Williams argues, just how little leeway a local playwright was allowed in depicting the often
none-too-salubrious realities of life in colonial Australia (Australia on the Popular Stage 22). The burletta was
submitted in late August 1843 for the Colonial Secretary's consideration, as required of all new works, but it failed to
gain approval because no one had claimed authorship of the work. Rather, someone had signed the letter (with an
almost illegible signature) on behalf of the author. A second letter was forwarded immediately following the rejection,
this time signed by Henry O'Flaherty on behalf of the still anonymous author. The Colonial Secretary's reply indicates,
however, that no approval would be sanctioned because it contained 'matter of a libelous character, independently of
other objections' (qtd Williams 24).
The original letter to the Colonial Secretary, a copy of which is held in the New South Wales Archives, claims
that the burletta is a localised adaptation of the W. T. Moncrieff operatic extravaganza about London low society, Tom
122
and Jerry; Or Life in London (1821). The Australian version, as Margaret Williams notes 'seems an innocent enough
localisation of Moncrieff's burletta, to which it makes continual reference almost as if it were a play within a play" (24).
However, as Williams further indicates, the original play, "a light-hearted version of the town and country mouse fable,
enlivened with a few topicalities, takes on a much more pointed and specific edge in the smaller, more circumscribed
world of Sydney in 1843' (25).
There is some conjecture over the identity of the author of Life in Sydney. Helen Oppenheim claims in 'Colonial
Theatre: The Rise of the Legitimate Stage in Australia' (Mitchell Library, MSS 3266, ca. 1960) that the play was written
by H. C. O'Flaherty. Margaret Williams similarly proposes that he was the likely author. Their argument is largely
based on an analysis of O'Flaherty's correspondence with the Colonial Secretary which shows a similar handwriting
style to his manuscript for the drama Isabel of Valois. Williams also notes that O'Flaherty, then a young violinist and
actor, was employed at the Royal Victoria in 1843. This ties in with an inscription on the NSW Archives manuscript
which records: 'written expressly for the Royal Victoria Theatre, Sydney, July 31st 1843'. Leslie Rees points to
manuscript's subtitled, 'A Burletta in One Act, by F.O.C.H.,' and suggests that the initials are very likely the reverse of
H. C. O'Flaherty. Rees surmises, however, that because the letters are circled and scribbled out others may well have
been associated with the writing of the burletta (60). The names of those whom it has been suggested might have been
involved include James Tucker and Isaac Nathan.
Graham Pont has put forward composer Isaac Nathan's name as one of the burletta's authors. He proposes that
the connection 'is almost certain' because Nathan claimed to have been the originator of Life in London and would have
had a personal stake in the adaptation. Furthermore, a number of the actors who were to appear in the production are
also known to have been closely associated with him during his time in Sydney (ctd. 'Abstracts of Papers', Theatre
History Conference, University of NSW, 1998). The link remains somewhat tenuous, however, as Nathan's relationship
to the London version cannot be proven.
Richard Fotheringham, in his introduction to the play in Australian Plays for the Colonial Stage: 1834-1899,
disputes any suggestion that O'Flaherty was the sole author of Life in Sydney should be identified as 'A. B. C.', under
whose hand the original letter to the New South Wales Colonial Secretary (applying for permission to perform the play)
was written. His assessment of the 'author's' initials, which Leslie Rees suggests are 'F.O.C.H.', is that they are
indecipherable and could just as plausibly be read as 'A. B. C.' (as the accompanying letter was signed), or 'F. A. C. T.'
Fotheringham sides with Rees when he proposes that several authors, including O'Flaherty, must have been involved in
the burletta's creation, noting that the manuscript appears to be the result of several pairs of hands.
1978: Downstairs Theatre, Seymour Centre, Sydney ; 29 March 1978.
- Prod. Cartwheel Theatre; Dir. Rex Cramphorn.

Constantino, Romola. SMH: 4 Apr. (1978), 8. [rnib]
NSWA: [SZ 60] (manuscript) [rnib]
Page, Robert. TA: May (1978), 26-7 [rnib]
Rees, Leslie. Making of Australian Drama, The. (1973), 58-61.
Williams, Margaret. Australia on the Popular Stage. (1983), 24-5, 291.

Sir Edward Deas-Thomson, CB, K.C.M.G.
Illustrated Sydney News 9 Aug. 1879, 4.
123
1844

John Lazar, manager of the Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd) staged the Eastern farce, Married and Buried; Or The
Adventures of Benjamin Bowbell (aka The Illustrious Stranger) on 8 January. Several original songs by Isaac Nathan
were incorporated into the storyline, including "Love and Folly," sung by Mrs Gibbs.

__________

THE CURRENCY LASS:
[ballad opera] Txt. Edward Geoghegan; Mus. various trad/popular
# Currency, 1976
# SLNSW, n. yr. (Mitchell Library)
The lively and light-hearted story of The Currency Lass (subtitled "My Native Girl") concerns a rich uncle (Sir
Samuel Simile) who mistakenly believes that his nephew is going to marry a “native” Aboriginal girl, when the lad is in
fact to marry Susan Hearty - a currency lass (white girl born in Australia). Picturing himself as the grandfather of a
string of piccaninnies the uncle is put through a good deal of torment before being told of his error.
Edward Geoghegan, the Irish convict who rose to prominence as a playwright with The Hibernian Father, wrote
The Currency Lass for a popular young actress called Tilly Jones, herself one of the first native-born Australian
actresses. Jones never performed the work, however. The play was staged three times during its premiere season. It
faired somewhat less well than other productions presented by Samuel Lazar at the Royal Victoria, however. More
popularly received, for example, were plays such as Humphrey Clinker (farce), Twins of Warsaw, Sworn at Highgate,
The Beehive (musical farce), The Executioner, Aladdin, and Turning the Tables, and Geoghegan's big success, The
Hibernian Father.
The fourteen songs used in the original production have had new lyrics set to pre-existing tunes, as is
traditionally the case with the ballad opera style (see note below). The tunes used - the details of these are more fully
explored in the 1976 Currency edition of the play - are mostly that of traditional Irish, English or Scottish songs. The
choice of songs of songs was not undertaken without some degree of deliberate humour, as Roger Covell notes, in his
preface to the Currency edition. He points to the use of the air "A Fine Old English Gentleman," the tune coming from
an Irish dialect song, which Geoghegan uses to recall the "supposed" golden age of English gentry. Covell also suggests
that the actor playing the role of Susan requires agility and accuracy in both her singing and dancing (these are
sometimes required with much vigour at the same time). This is particularly the case in a pivotal scene in Act Two
where she performs a sequence of five characterised songs and dances. Although many of the songs used by
Geoghegan are no longer well-known, there are several tunes that are reasonably recognisable today - these being,
"Malbrook" (a French melody used by English-speaking people when they sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"); "Over
the Hills and Far Away" (from John Gay's The Beggar's Opera); and "The Lincolnshire Poacher" (its melody is also
used for the Australian folksong, "The Murrumbidgee Shearer").
The 1966 Jane Street production was part of a trilogy of plays presented each night as a launch for the theatre’s
season of Australian plays. The other two plays were I’ve Come about the Assassination by Tony Morphett, and The
Pier by Michael Thomas. All three plays utilised members of the same company.
The 1989 Q Theatre production, which kept the lighthearted, comic feel of Geoghegan's original, cast
Aboriginal actor Justine Saunders in the role of the bigoted uncle, Samuel Similie, in an attempt to re-orientate
Goeghegan's theme towards one of race. The stage also featured a ground plan of Aboriginal dots and circle motifs.
[NB: The Currency Lass has been described in generic terms as musical play, operetta and even opera. Although Roger Covell argues that
the term musical play 'communicates a better idea today of the nature of [the work] and would have been understood in the eighteen-forties in much
the same way... [particularly as] 'ballad opera' was no longer a current theatrical term' (xvi), the insertion of traditional and popular songs into a work
of drama, as The Currency Lass does, invites too close a comparison to the ballad opera genre to be ignored.
1844: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 27-28 May, 4 June
- Mngr/Prod. John Lazar.
- Cast incl. Mr Fenton (Samuel Simile), J. G. Griffiths (Harry Hearty), Mr James (Edward Stanford), Mme
Louise (Susan Hearty), Joseph Simmons (Lanty O'Liffey), Mrs Wallace (Jenny), Mrs Torning (Miss Dormer).
1966: Jane Street Theatre, Sydney; 1-15 Oct.
- Dir. Robin Lovejoy; Des. David Copping.
- Cast incl. Gaye Anderson (Susan), Martin Harris (Harry), Edward Hepple (Samuel), Beverley Kirk (Catherine
Dormer), Ross Thompson (Edward), Anthony Thurbon (Lanty) Anne Bannon (Jenny).
1989: Q Theatre (Penrith, NSW); 26 Aug. -
- Dir. Egil Kipste; M Dir. Robert Gavin; M Arr. Roger Covell; Des. D4 Design (Michael Scott-Mitchell);
Lig. Mark Shelton.
- Cast: Laurence Clifford, Melinda Marcellos, Luciano Martucci, Michelle Pettigrove, Justine Saunders,
Carman Tanti, Michael Turkic.

"Books." TS: 2 (1976), 26. [rnib]
Evans, Bob. SMH: 28 Aug. (1989), 14.
Gyger, David. TF: 2.3 (1977), 51. [rnib]

124
Kelly,Veronica. "The Melodrama of Defeat." S: 50.2 (1990), 131-43.
Kippax, H.G. SMH: 3 Oct. 1966, 20.
Neil, Rosemary. SR: Sept. (1989), 11.
“New Colonial Play.” AJ: 30 May (1844), 311.
Olb, Suzanne. SR: Sept. (1989), 11.
Rees, Leslie. Making of Australian Drama, The. (1973), 61-63.
Riddell, Elizabeth. A: 26 June (1976), 28. [rnib]
Thomas, Keith. NR: 15 Oct. (1966), 17-18.
Van der Poorten, Helen. TA: 1.1 (1976), 52. [rnib]
Williams, Margaret. Australia on the Popular Stage. (1983), 30-1.

SHAKESPERICONGLOMOROFUNNIDOGAMMONIAE:
[burletta] Txt.
Charles Nagel; Mus. Various trad/popular [n/e]
# W. A. Duncan, 1843.
# NSW Archives, n. yr. [SZ 65]
Advertised as an "original, laughable, comical, operatical, tragical [and] melodramatical burletta" this "musical
extravaganza" takes several of Shakespeare's characters and presents them in what is essentially a satirical exposé on
the economic state of New South Wales and the effect of the 1843 depression. The characters include those from some
of Shakespeare's best-known plays - Hamlet, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello
and Richard III. Written in verse it also included many comic re-writes of popular songs. Margaret Williams, in
Australia on the Popular Stage notes that the "local allusions are charmingly woven into a fantasy world where Ophelia
is a dairy-maid, and Hamlet's duel with Falstaff over Anne Page is prevented by an Irish ghost named Pat Carey" (22).
1844: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 1 July -
- Mngr/Prod. John Lazar.
- Cast incl. J. G. Griffiths (Macbeth), Mr Deering (King Richard III), Mr Fenton (Othello), John Lazar
(Shylock), Mr Lee (Sir John Falstaff), Mr Simes (Hamlet), Mr Simmons (The Ghost), Mr Grove (Justice
Shallow), Mr James (Prospero), Mde Torning (Ophelia), Mr Mereton (Surgeon), Mr Riley (Constable),
Mama Louise (Anne Page).

Williams, Margaret. Australia on the Popular Stage. (1983), 22. 291.

The Currency Lass (advertisement)
Australian 27 May 1844, 299

125
1845

HARLEQUIN IN AUSTRALIA FELIX; OR, GEELONG IN AN UPROAR:
[pantomime] Lib/Mus. [n/e]
The story contained a number of local characters, including a recently arrived wealthy speculator, a tax-ridden
settler in search of a wife, a wealthy storekeeper’s widow appropriately named Arabella Shortweight and of course
bushrangers.. The scenes also included local places, such as the Retreat, Mack’s Hotel, and trips to Corio and South
Geelong (by Clown and Pantaloon).
1845: Albert Theatre (Geelong, Vic); 21 Jan. -
- Cast incl. Immortals - Mrs Murray (Urania, Queen of the Stars), Mrs Richards (Iris, a spirit), Miss Jones
(Asteria, a spirit), Mr Capper (Rockalda, an evil Spirit of the Deep); Mortals - Mr Serle (Gregory Graball, a
wealthy speculator just arrived), Mr Boyd (Luckless Looseball, a tax-ridden settler), Mr Jacobs (Araminta
Shortweight, widow of a wealthy store-keeper), Mrs Boyd (Flora, her daughter).

GA: 18 Jan. (1845), n. pag.

THE QUEEN'S LOVE:
[play with music] Txt Adapt. David Burn; Mus incl. Isaac Nathan.
A five act tragedy by David Burn, author of The Bushrangers, The Queen's Love premiered in Sydney as a first
part entertainment, and was given a production in Melbourne with an entirely new cast (as the second part) under the
auspices of George Coppin. A review in the Port Phillip Patriot describes the work as Miss Corbett's tale of Margaret
Swinston dramatised, and that serves to introduce the characters of James VI, The Earl of Moray (the rival for the
Queen's affections), and the Queen herself. The narrative, which follows the court intrigues that arise through love,
jealousy, enmity and tender passion, also features an epilogue and prologue.
Although the musical element of the play is largely incidental, it includes at least one song, described in the
Sydney Morning Herald as an "olden romance," called "Sir Wilfred He Mounted His War-Steed True," which was sung
by Mrs Ximenes.
1845: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 29 Sept. -
- M Dir/Arr. Isaac Nathan.
- Cast incl. J. G. Griffiths (James VI), Mr Deering (Gordon), Mr James (James Stuart), John Howson (Sir
Patrick), Mde Louise (Anne of Denmark), Mrs Stirling (Margaret), Mrs O’Flaherty (Lady Magdalene), Mrs
Ximenes, Mrs Thomson, Mr Saville, Mr Grove, Mr Douglas.
- Prologue spoken by Mrs O'Flaherty, Epilogue spoken by Mr Griffiths.
1845: Queen’s Theatre (Melb); 1 Nov. -
- Dir/Prod. George Coppin; Orch Ldr. Mr Megson; S Art. Mr Opie.
- Cast: Mrs Coppin (Lady Magdalene), Mr Nesbitt (James Stuart, Earl of Moray), Mr Cameron (James VI of
Scotland), Mr Hambleton (Gordon, Earl of Huntley), Mrs Cameron (Anne of Denmark), Mr Wilkes, Mr
Rogers, Mr Thomson, Mr Watson, Mr Opie, Mrs Mereton.
- Epilogue spoken by Mr Cameron.

AJ: 14 Oct. (1845), n. pag. [rnib]
"Queen's Love, The." PPP: 3 Nov. (1845), 2.
SMH: 29 Sept. (1845), 2. Advert.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK; OR, HARLEQUIN OGRE:
[pantomime] Lib/Mus [n/e]
A pantomime with transformation scene and harlequinade. The Sydney Morning Herald records: 'The house was
crowded to extremes and the pantomime was received with shouts of laughter, especially the local scenes' (27 Dec.
1845, 2).
1845: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 26 Dec. 1845 – 1 Jan. 1846 [4 pfm]
- Cast incl. Mrs Zimenes (Jack/Harlequin), Andrew Torning (Squallosuatto/Pantoloon), Mr Fitzgerald
(Dollomopsey/Clown), Master Chambers (Tittle'emtwisto), Mr Douglass (Tulip/Columbine), Madame
Torning (Bean Blossom), Madame Carandini (Queen of the Fairies).

"Editorial." SMH: 29 Dec. (1845), 2.

126
1846

ST GEORGE AND THE DRAGON; OR, HARLEQUIN AND THE SEVEN
CHAMPIONS OF CHRISENDON:
[pantomime] Lib. John Lazar; Mus. [n/e]
A pantomime with transformation scene and harlequinade, the production was also advertised as including 'a
favourite song by Mr J. Howson' (SMH: 13 April 1846, 2). Loosely based on the legend surrounding the Christian
Roman soldier George (c 275 - 303) who later became a martyr and patron saint of England (as well as for Georgia and
Moscow), the story tells of a dragon that nests near a village's water supply in Spring and won't let the people past. The
village's only solution is to offer a daily human sacrifice. When the local princess is chosen her father's pleas gone
unheeded. She is saved, however, when George, who is passing through the district, learns of her fate and slays the
dragon. Out of gratitude the village people subsequently reject their pagan ways and convert to Christianity.
1846: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 13-14, 16, 18 Apr.
- Mngr/Prod. John Lazar.
- Cast incl. Mrs Ximenes (St George), Frank Howson (the Dragon), Master Simes (Dragonotty), Mrs Stirling
(Kabyla), Mrs Gibbs (Zontoma), Mr Hambleton (Almidor), Mrs Wallace (Dewcrop), Mr Fitzgerald
(Harlequin), Andrew Torning (Clown), Mr Riley (Pantaloon), Madame Torning (Columbine).

SMH: 13 Apr. (1846), 2. Advert.

St George and the Dragon (advertisement)
Sydney Morning Herald 13 Apr. 1846, 2.

127
1847

DON JOHN OF AUSTRIA:
[opera] Lib. Jacob Levi Montefiori; Mus. Isaac Nathan
# ANL, c 1846/7 [score]
# Nathan, Isaac. The Southern Euphrosyne (1849) [score extracts]
# NSW Archives [SZ 57] (manuscript)
+ ABC, 1988 (overture); and 1996 (overture).
+ Sound Heritage, 1996 (overture)
A three act opera based on Casmir Delavigne's Don Juan D'Autriche, the Australian Journal reports that this
opera, "the first [to be] written, composed, and submitted to an Australian Theatre," is "the work of a gentleman and a
scholar [and] the music the outpourings of a Maestro, whose effusions have delighted both hemispheres, and the whole
arranged with a degree of energy and power rarely, if ever, witnessed on these boards" (29 Apr. 1847, 2561). A few
days later the same journal records: "It is by no means the first opera which has failed to dazzle and astonish on its first
appearance; but like many productions, now of standard excellence, it awakens attention, excites pleasurable emotions,
and commands approbation" (11 May 1847, 2581).
Some debate exists in relation to the claim that Don John was the first opera composed in Australia. There is
evidence to suggest that Nathan's Merry Freaks in Troublous Times (1843) was the first to achieve this honour.
However, because this work has never been performed before the public, Don John of Austria does have the distinction
being the first Australian-written opera ever performed in the country.
A vocal score (by an unknown copyist, with additions and corrections by Nathan), c1846-7 is held in the
Australian National Library. The overture and four arias in vocal score were published in Nathan's The Southern
Euphrosyne (1849).
The overture has been released as part of several complication albums - including: John Cargher Presents
Music for Pleasure (ABC, 1988), Wild Rhapsody (ABC, 1996), Classical Musical of Colonial Australia (Sound
Heritage, 1999)
1847: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 3-11, 17 May [7 perfs]
- Dir/M Dir. Isaac Nathan; Orch Ldr. Mr Gibbs.
- Cast incl. Mr Nesbitt (Brother Carlos/Charles V), John Howson (Philip II), Mr Spencer (Don Quixada), Mr
Fenton (Don Ferdinand de Valdez), Mrs Guerin (Agnes), Mrs Gibbs (Dorothy).

Covell, Roger. Australia's Music. (1967), 13-15, 68-69, 304.
SMH: 3 May (1847), 2. Advert.
“Local Intelligence - The Theatre.” AJ: 29 Apr. (1847), 2561.
“Local Intelligence - The Theatre.” AJ: 4 May (1847), 2569.
“Local Intelligence - The Theatre.” AJ: 11 May (1847), 2581.
NSWA: ( n. yr.), SZ 57. [rnib]

PUSS IN BOOTS; OR, HARLEQUIN AND THE MILLER'S SON:
[pantomime]
Lib/Mus. [n/e]
Advertised as "a new comical, magical, mew-sical, pantomime, with new mew-sic, scenery, machinery, tricks
and transformations" (SMH: 27 Dec. 1847, 2), this production is believed to have been written and/or adapted/localised
by one or more members of the Royal Victoria company. It was presented each evening with another short comedy or
farce - such as A Lover by Proxy (27 Dec. 1847) or Why Don't She Marry (4 Jan. 1848).
A selection of comic scenes from Puss in Boots was presented at the Royal Victoria on 12 and 13 April 1848 as
a last part entertainment. Andrew Torning again played Clown, with Mr Riley as Pantaloon, Signor Carandini as
Harlequin, and Mde. Torning as Columbine.
1847: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 27, 28, 30 Dec. 1847; 4, 8, 13, 15 Jan. 1848
- Cast incl. Mr Spencer (Pumpkin, King of Anywhereyoulike), Mr Riley (Pantaloon), Andrew Torning
(Richard/Clown), Mrs Ximenes (Ralph), Signor Carandini (Harlequin), Frank Howson (Puss in Boots),
Madame Torning (Princess Rosebud/Columbine).

SMH: 27 Dec. (1847), 2. Advert.
SMH: 4 Jan. (1848), 2. Advert.

128
1848

Several music theatre productions, including musical entertainments, operas, and musical dramas, were staged
at Sydney's Royal Victoria during the year, although most of these were no doubt mainly of British origin. In many
instances the authors were mentioned, but in some cases this is not made clear. Those productions staged, but for which
the authors have not been identified include: This House to be Sold (the Property of the Late William Shakespeare),
Inquire Within, a musical drama said to have been produced "for the second time in this colony" (SMH: 16 May 1848,
2); For England Ho!, an operatic drama in two acts; and The Exile, "performed for the first time these five years," and
described as musical play (SMH: 7 Aug. 1848, 2).
__________

LOVE LAUGHS AT LOCKSMITHS:
[musical entertainment] Txt/Mus. [n/e]
Although the exact origins of this piece, sometimes described in advertising as either a two act "operatic farce"
or a "musical piece," are unknown, it is believed likely that it was adapted and/or localised by one of more members of
the Royal Victoria company.
The 1848 production at the Royal Victoria Theatre included a "favourite song" by Madame Caradini, and a Pas
de Deux by Madame Torning and Signor Caradini.
Love Laughs at Locksmiths was staged each evening as one of two or three entertainments, with others
including, for example, the interlude A Lover by Proxy and the farce Magnetism and Mesmerism (4 Mar. 1848) and the
drama The Contraband Captain; Or, A Tale of the Sea (6 Mar. 1848).
1848: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 4, 6, 11, 15-16, 18 Mar.; 17, Apr.; 13 May; 29 Aug., 2 Sept.
- Cast incl. Mr Rogers (Vigil), John Howson (Captain Beldare), Frank Howson (Risk), J. G. Griffiths (Solomon
Lob), Mrs Rogers (Lydia), Madame Caradini, Madame Torning, Signor Caradini.

THE CORSAIR; OR, CONRAD AND MEDORA:
[opera] Lib. [n/e]; Mus. John Howson
Based on the same poem which had been the source of Verdi's Il Corsaro, this "new Grand Opera in three acts"
was staged for the first time at a benefit evening for its composer. The opera was preceded by Herold's overture to
Zampa, and during the course of the production a new grand Turkish Pas de Trois was presented by the Misses Griffiths
and Signor Carandini.
1848: Royal Victoria Theatre (Syd); 4 Dec.
- Cast inc. John Howson (Conrad), Mr Rogers (Epaminondas), Mrs Guerin (Medora), Mrs Rogers (Zoe), Frank
Howson (Pacha Seyd), Misses Griffiths (2), Signor Carandini.

SMH: 4 Dec. (1848), 2. Advert.

The Corsair (advertisement)
Sydney Morning Herald 4 Dec. 1848, 2.
129
1850

THE GOBLIN OF THE GOLD COAST; OR, HARLEQUINA AND THE
MELBOURNITES IN CALIFORNIA:
[pantomime] Lib/Mus. [n/e]
Including a cast of "Celestials," "Terrestrials" and "Infernals" (in the form of the Demon of Discord, Platina
the gold King, and imps named Ironspark, Pinchbeck, Quicksilver, Virgin Gold and Copperas). This is believed to have
been Melbourne's first pantomime, and interestingly, as Margaret Williams' notes, celebrated both the advent of gold
fever and the city's newly acquired affluence and respectability (56).
One of the songs known to have been performed during the production (by Mr Montague) was "an entirely new
parody 'Hurrah! Hurrah! For The Gold'" (qtd McGuire, 88).
1850: Queen Street Theatre (Melb); 13 May
- Cast incl. Mr Montague.

McGuire, Paul et al. Australian Theatre, The. (1948), 88.
Williams, Margaret. Australia on the Popular Stage. (1983), 56.

HARLEQUIN SEPARATION; OR, THE DEMON OF SYDNEY AND THE
FAIRY OF VICTORIA:
[pantomime] Lib/Mus. [n/e]
Geelong's celebration of separation it included, according to the Geelong Advertiser, "a most correct
representation of the bay, jetties, and shipping at the Point" (n. pag.).
1850: Theatre Royal Theatre (Geelong, Vic); 26 Dec. -

GA: 28 Dec. (1850), n. pag. [rnib]

The Sporting Gent (advertisement)
Argus 10 Dec. 1852, 8.
130