Cherry Bounce

Cherry Bounce is a one act farce by Richard John Raymond (fl. 1820-40)

The original text

Cherry Bounce, described as "A Farsetta, in One Act" was performed for the First Time on Monday August 27th, 1821, at Sadler's Wells Theatre. The play was published by J. Lowndes, 1821, by T.H. Lacy, 1823, and in Volume 4, Issue 59 of The New British Theatre by J. Duncombe, 1830.

Translations and adaptations

It appears that the play became very popular and at least two adaptations of the text, both called The Omnibus, or A Convenient Distance were done in the 1830s, one by Isaac Pocock (1782-1835)[1] and the other by Tyrone Power (1797-1841)[2].

Also found as The Omnibus! or, A Convenient Distance!

According to Allardyce Nicholl (1930), the adaptation done by Isaac Pocock was first performed as The Omnibus, or A Convenient Distance in the Lyceum on 225 November 1830 and at Covent Garden on 6 December, 1830. The text published by Duncombe (1831?), Dick 725 and later by Thomas Hailes Lacy (1850) (Lacy’s Acting edition), 1850. His version is also sometimes referred to simply as The Omnibus (and termed "an interlude").

However, according to the 1907 American edition of the play by Samuel French (Minor drama ; no. 26), the adaptation had been done by actor-manager Tyrone Power, whose version was first performed at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1833. The chances are of course that this was simply the Pocock version as performed or produced by Power.

Performance history in South Africa

1862: Performed as The Omnibus, or A Convenient Distance (author not credited) by the Amateurs of the Band on 17 February in the Garrison Theatre at Grahamstown, with a cast consisting of J. M'Kechnie (Mr Ledger), J. Chesters (Mr Dobbs), J. F. Gay (Master Tommy Dobbs), W. Dansie (Pat Rooney), G. Dawe (Farrier's Boy), J. Durney (Julia Ledger), M. Rafferty (Mrs Dobbs), B. Buckley (Miss Damper), A. Robinson (Miss Jemima Damper). Also performed were a scene from Venice Preserved (Otway) and Poor Pillicoddy (J.M. Morton). (For more on contemporary responses to the performances, see the entry on the North Lincolnshire Regiment of Foot)

1862: Performed as The Omnibus, or A Convenient Distance by Sefton Parry and his company on 11 April (the text indicated as an adaptation of Raymond's Cherry Bounce, the name of adaptor not mentioned). Also played was All is not Gold that Glitters, or The Factory Girl (Morton and Morton). The evening was as a benefit for Mr C. Bland and Mrs Bland.

1862: Performed as The Omnibus, or A Convenient Distance (now cited as being by "J.R. Raymond") in the Eastern Cape village of Keiskama Hoek's Garrison Theatre by North Lincolnshire Regiment of Foot on May 28, as part of their first production there. The cast featured J. M'Kechnie (Mr Ledger), F. Girton (Mr Dobbs), J. F. Gay (Master T Dobbs), W. Dansie (Pat Rooney), G. Daw (Farrier's Boy), J. Durney (Julia Ledger), J. Davies (Mrs Dobbs), B. Buckley (Jemima Damper). The other plays on the programme were announced as Amororosa or King of Little Britain (Planché) and The Irish Tutor (Butler), with J. M'Kechnie and J. Davies singing comic songs during intervals.

1869: The original Cherry Bounce (credited to Raymond) performed in the Catholic Hall, Cape Town during October by the pupils of the local St Joseph's Academy, as part of an "entertainment" that also included The Nervous Man and the Man of Nerve (Bernard). (The Bernard text is wrongly described as a "comedy in three acts" by "Burnand" in Bosman, 1980: p. 282. Perhaps the error was that of his original source.) The performers named include Master Kearns, Master Early, Master Coughlin, Master Mulhival, Master Mc Auliffe and Master Murray.