The Dream at Sea

The Dream at Sea is a drama in three acts by John Baldwin Buckstone (1802-1879)[1].

The title is also variously found as The Dream at Sea, or The Cornish Wreckers (even quaintly and probably inaccurately referred to as The Dream at Sea, or The Cornish Wheelers) and as The Dream at Sea, or The Wreckers of Cornwall by Sefton Parry (cited in F.C.L. Bosman, 1980) during the first South African performances in 1860-1.

The original text

First performed on 23 November, 1835 at the Adelphi Theatre, London

Published as The Dream at Sea by W. Strange, London, 1835 and later also in Boston by W.V. Spencer as no LXVIII in the series Spencer's Boston Theatre.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1860: Produced as The Dream at Sea, or The Cornish Wheelers (sic) by Sefton Parry on 22 March in The Cape Town Theatre in Harrington Street with An Alarming Sacrifice (Buckstone). Thomas Baines painted a spectacular backdrop for the play.

1861: Produced as The Dream at Sea, or The Wreckers of Cornwall by Sefton Parry on 31 October in the Theatre Royal Cape Town, with The Eton Boy (Morton) and a dance by Miss Powell.

1865: Performed as The Dream at Sea to packed houses in the presence of Governor Wodehouse, in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town by the Valorous Amateurs (amateur players from the visiting ship the H.M.S. Valorous). Also performed was Cool as a Cucumber (Jerrold), with music by the 10th Regiment.

1876: Performed on 19 and 22 August in the Athenaeum Hall, Cape Town, by the Disney Roebuck company, under the temporary management of C. Wiltstone. Also played was Checkmate (Halliday).