The Committee, or The Faithful Irishman

The Committee, or The Faithful Irishman is a comedy in five acts by Robert Howard (1626-1698)[1].

Also known simply as The Committee, and also in abridged form as The Honest Thieves by Thomas Knight.

The original text

The original play by Sir Robert Howard, was probably first performed in London in 1662, and printed 1665.

Translations and adaptations

Adapted as a popular two act farce called The Honest Thieves by Thomas Knight (died 1820)[2] in 1797. First performed in this version in the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 9 May 1797, and published G. Cawthorn in the same year.

Performance history in South Africa

1843: Performed in the abridged form as The Honest Thieves in the Amateur Theatre in Hope Street by All the World's a Stage, as afterpiece to Wenlock of Wenlock, or The Spirit of the Black Mantle (Wilks)

1846: Performed in the abridged form as The Honest Thieves on 2 January 1846 by the amateurs of the 45th Regiment in the barracks at Fort Napier, as afterpiece to Zorinski by Thomas Morton.