The Dead Shot

The Dead Shot is a one act farce by John Baldwin Buckstone (1802–1879)[1]

Originally published as The Dead Shot!. Also found advertised as A Dead Shot .

The original text

First performed at the Royal Adelphi Theatre, London, 1827. Published in London by Thomas Hailes Lacy, 1825?. Volume 505 of Lacy's acting editions.

Performance history in South Africa

1859: Performed as A Dead Shot by Sefton Parry and his company in the Cape Town Theatre on 7 November, along with Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady (Planché), A Dreadful Deed (Dubois) and a "Tambourine Dance" by Lizzie Powell.

1860: Performed as as A Dead Shot on Monday, the 20th September on July 30 and August 1, by the Band of Amateurs of the North Lincolnshire Regiment of Foot the Eastern Cape border. The cast consisted of W. Dansie (Mr Hector Timid), W. Allen (Mr Wiseman), J. M. M'Kechnie (Captain Cannon), J. F. Gay (Frederick Thornton), T. Paterson (Williams, his friend), J. Mann (First Police Officer), T. Manion (Second police Officer), J. Davies (Louisa Lovetrick), J. Durney (Chatter, her maid). Also performed was Time Tries All, or The Bashful Lover (Courtney). (See the entry on the North Lincolnshire Regiment of Foot for contemporaneous commentary on the performance.)

1862: Performed as A Dead Shot by Sefton Parry and his company, on 2 May in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town, a benefit for John Howard. Also performed was The Hunchback (Knowles).

1863: Performed as The Dead Shot by the officers of the 10th Regiment in the garrison's theatre in King Williamstown, on the Eastern Cape border, during September. Also performed was The Shepherd of Ettrick Vale ()

1867: Performed as A Dead Shot by Madame Duret and company, on 18 June in the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, with Governor von Brute, or Things as They Might Have Been (Mollan).

Sources

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 112, 226, 298

North Lincoln Sphinx Vol 1, No 1. January 1, 1860.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Baldwin_Buckstone

Facsimile version of the Lacy text, Hathi Trust Digital Library[2]

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