Ben Bolt

Ben Bolt is a drama in two acts by John Beer Johnstone (1803-1891)[]

The original text

The play was inspired by the famous American ballad Ben Bolt by Thomas Dunn English (1819–1902)[1], the poem providing both the broad theme and the names of the lead characters.

The poem had been written in 1842 and published in the New York Mirror in 1843, after which it became a very popular as poem in America and England, and thereafter even better known as a naval song, having been set to music by Nelson Kneass.

The play was first performed at the Royal Surrey Theatre on Tuesday, 28 March 1854, and published in the same year by Thomas Hailes Lacy.

Performance history in South Africa

1859: Performed by the Charles Fraser and his company in Cape Town with Slasher and Crasher (Morton) on 3 May.

1859: Repeated by the Charles Fraser and his company in Cape Town with a scen from Macbeth (Shakespeare) and To Paris and Back for £5 () on 9 May.

Sources

Transcript version of the poem Ben Bolt, with commentary[2]

Transcript version of the 1854 play text, Victorian Plays Project[3]

Léger-St-Jean, Marie. Price One Penny: A Database of Cheap Literature, 1837-1860. [19 March 2017]. Faculty of English, Cambridge [08 April 2018] (http://priceonepenny.info).[4]

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 124,

Conradie, Elizabeth. 1934. Hollandse skrywers uit Suid-Afrika. Deel 1 (1652-1875) 'n Kultuur-historische studie. Pretoria, J.H. de Bussy and Cape Town H.A.U.M..[5]

Conradie, Elizabeth, 1949. Hollandse skrywers uit Suid-Afrika. Deel 2 (1875-1905) 'n Kultuur-historische studie. Pretoria, J.H. de Bussy and Cape Town H.A.U.M..[6]

P.J. du Toit. 1988. Amateurtoneel in Suid-Afrika. Pretoria: Academica

Jill Fletcher. 1994. The Story of Theatre in South Africa: A Guide to its History from 1780-1930. Cape Town: Vlaeberg: p.

Sydney Paul Gosher. 1988. A historical and critical survey of the South African one-act play written in English. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Pretoria: University of South Africa.

William Groom. 1899-1900. Drama in Cape Town. Cape Illustrated Magazine, 10(4): 478-481, 517-520, 547-552, 580-584, 640-643, 670-672, 706-708.

Temple Hauptfleisch. 1997. Theatre and Society in South Africa: Reflections in a Fractured Mirror. Pretoria: Van Schaik[7]: pp.

Peter Joyce. 1999. A Concise Dictionary of South African Biography. Cape Town: Francolin Publishers.

J.C. Kannemeyer 1978. Geskiedenis van die Afrikaanse Literatuur I. Pretoria: Academica. (Second edition, 1984[8], pp.

J.C. Kannemeyer. 1984. ‘’Geskiedenis van die Afrikaanse Literatuur’’2[9]: pp.

Ingmar Koch. 1997. Het ochtendgloren boven Kaapstad. Nederlandse rederijkers in Kaapstad, Tydskrif vir Nederlands & Afrikaans. (4de Jaargang, Nommer 2. Desember)[10]

Loren Kruger 1999. The Drama of South Africa: Plays, Pageants and Publics Since 1910 London: Routledge

P.W. Laidler. 1926. The Annals of the Cape Stage. Edinburgh: William Bryce: p.

Anna Minnaar-Vos 1969. Die Spel Gaan Voort: Die Verhaal van Hendrik en Mathilde Hanekom. Kaapstad: Tafelberg, pp. 96-110.

Brian Astbury. 1979. The Space/Die Ruimte/Indawo. Cape Town: Moira and Azriel Fine.

Percy Tucker. 1997. Just the Ticket. My 50 Years in Show Business. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.

Allardyce Nicoll. 1975. A History of English Drama 1660-1900: Late 19th Century Drama 1850-1900 Cambridge University Press[11]

J.A. Worp. 1972. Geschiedenis van het Drama en van het Tooneel in Nederland. Deel 2, Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (DBNL)[12]

Joris Baers (1888-1975): Algemeene Tooneelbibliotheek Een[13]

http://www.domus.ac.za/afrikaans/images/Programme%20in%20DOMUS(2).pdf

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