The Lost Ship, or The Man-of-War's Man and The Privateer

The Lost Ship, or The Man-of-War's Man and The Privateer is a nautical drama, in three acts by William Thompson Townsend (1806?-1870)[1].

Also found as The Lost Ship, or The Man of War's-man, & The Privateer, The Man Of War and the Merchantman, or Scenes in Both Services, or The Lost Ship

The original text

First performed at the Surrey Theatre in 1848?, and at national Theatre, Boston in 1848

Published in London and New York by Samuel French in 1848 (French's standard drama, the acting edition, no. 305), followed by 16 editions published between 1848 and 1885 in English, including editions by S.G. Fairbrother (London, 1852) and W.V. Spencer (Spencer's Boston Theatre No CXLVIII, 1856?).

Translations and adaptations

Sefton Parry credited The Lost Ship, or The Man-of-War's Man and The Privateer to a "P. Cooke" when he first performed it in Cape Town. Whether this is an error, or an adaptation is uncertain - though the source of this attribution may have been the fact that the celebrated English actor Thomas Potter Cooke (1786–1864)[2] (billed as "Mr P.T. Cooke"), a specialist in nautical dramas, appeared in the original 1848 performance of the play at the Surrey Theatre, London, in the leading role of "Ben Tennant". He was probably also the producer of the original production.

Performance history in South Africa

1860: Performed by Sefton Parry and his company in the Cape Town Theatre on 12 and 13 March, ascribed to "P. Cooke" in the publicity. Accompanied by two ballads by the vovalist Catherine Harding and a dance. Notable was the fact that new scenery been painted for Parry's production by the celebrated artist Thomas Baines.

1860: Repeated "by request" by Sefton Parry and his company in the Cape Town Theatre on 16 April, with The Thimble Dig, or The Artful Dodge (Buckstone) and a dance by Miss Powell.

1861: Performed by Sefton Parry and his company in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town, on 19 August, with To Oblige Benson (Lemoine-Moreau and Delacour/Taylor).

1876: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Theatre Royal, Burg Street, Cape Town, on 15 and 17 July, featuring J.B. Howe as leading actor.

1876: Repeated by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Theatre Royal, Burg Street, Cape Town, on 18 July, this time with a play billed as Michael Erle, or The Maniac Lover (Wilks) as afterpiece.

Sources

Online Books by William Thompson Townsend, The Online Books Page [3]

Most widely held works by William Thompson Townsend, WorldCat [4]]

Facsimile version of the Spencer edition Hathi Trust Digital Library [5]

D.C. Boonzaier, 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1932. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.79, 80, 87, 88, 90, 98, 109, 134, 341, 345, 348.

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