Difference between revisions of "His Last Legs"
| Line 4: | Line 4: | ||
==The original text== | ==The original text== | ||
| − | |||
| + | First performed at the Haymarket Theatre, London, on 15 October 1839, with Tyrone Power as "O'Callaghan" and in the USA at Mitchell's Olympic on 6 April, 1840 with an S. Johnson in the lead. | ||
| + | Published by [[Samuel French]] in French's Minor Drama circa 1870. | ||
Because the main character in Bernard's play was a stage Irishman named "Felix O'Callaghan", described in the text and on playbills as "A Man of Genius, on his Last Legs", the play is on occasion referred to as '''''[[O'Callaghan on His Legs]]''''' or '''''[[O'Callaghan on His Last Legs]]''''', the latter phrase also occurring as a statement in James Joyce's ''[[Ullyses]]'', quite possibly as a metaphoric reference to the play. | Because the main character in Bernard's play was a stage Irishman named "Felix O'Callaghan", described in the text and on playbills as "A Man of Genius, on his Last Legs", the play is on occasion referred to as '''''[[O'Callaghan on His Legs]]''''' or '''''[[O'Callaghan on His Last Legs]]''''', the latter phrase also occurring as a statement in James Joyce's ''[[Ullyses]]'', quite possibly as a metaphoric reference to the play. | ||
Revision as of 05:42, 2 June 2020
His Last Legs is a farce in two acts by William Bayle Bernard (1807-1875)
Contents
The original text
First performed at the Haymarket Theatre, London, on 15 October 1839, with Tyrone Power as "O'Callaghan" and in the USA at Mitchell's Olympic on 6 April, 1840 with an S. Johnson in the lead.
Published by Samuel French in French's Minor Drama circa 1870.
Because the main character in Bernard's play was a stage Irishman named "Felix O'Callaghan", described in the text and on playbills as "A Man of Genius, on his Last Legs", the play is on occasion referred to as O'Callaghan on His Legs or O'Callaghan on His Last Legs, the latter phrase also occurring as a statement in James Joyce's Ullyses, quite possibly as a metaphoric reference to the play.
Translations and adaptations
Performance history in South Africa
1891-2: Performed by the Geneviève Ward Company during a nine months' tour of South Africa, under the auspices of Luscombe Searelle, featuring Geneviève Ward and W.H. Vernon in the leading roles. According to D.C. Boonzaier, (1923), it was billed as O'Callaghan on His Legs, but, since he wrote from memory and old programmes, it could have been as O'Callaghan on His Last Legs.
Sources
Victory Pomeranz. 1971. "O'Callaghan on His Last Legs" in James Joyce Quarterly (Vol. 9, No. 1: Fall) pp. 136-139.
Don Gifford and Robert J. Seidman. 2008. Ulysses Annotated: Revised and Expanded Edition University of California Press: p.109[1]
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, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.203-205
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays
Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays
Return to PLAYS III: Collections
Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances
Return to South African Festivals and Competitions
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
