Plot and Passion

Plot and Passion is a detective play by Tom Taylor (1817–1880)[1] and John Lang (1816-1864)[2]

Also found as Plot and Passion, or The Female Gambler.

The original text

The idea for the play was conceived by Lang, then written in collaboration with his old school friend, the theatre impressarion and author Tom Taylor, who however later claimed that Lang had only supplied the idea for the plot. Lang then used the same idea when he wrote and published his detective novel The Secret Police: Or Plot And Passion (1859)[3].

The play was first performed at the Olympic Theatre, London, in 1853.

Published in 1853 as Plot and Passion, "An Original Drama, in Three Acts" as Volume 13 of Lacy's Acting Editions, by T.H. Lacy, and ascribed to Taylor alone, though a number of sources give both authors.

Published as Plot and Passion in De Witt's Acting Plays (Issue 61) in 1870s, again only under Taylor's name and said to be "founded on the French" - though this is surely an error based on Taylor's known penchant for translating unacknowledged French plays.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1858: Performed at the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, by the Cape Town Dramatic Club as Plot and Passion, or The Female Gambler on 2 July, with Urgent Private Affairs, or The Loyal Volunteers (Coyne)

1858: Performed at the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, by the Cape Town Dramatic Club as Plot and Passion, or The Female Gambler on 9 July, with The Secret of the Hole in the Wall (Anon.)

1866: Performed as Plot and Passion on the 23rd of August by the Le Roy and Duret theatre company in the Theatre Royal in Harrington Street, Cape Town, with the ballet of The Dancing Scotchman (Flexmore and Auriol?) as afterpiece.

1866: Performed at the Theatre Royal in Harrington Street, Cape Town, as Plot and Passion by the Le Roy and Duret company on 3 September, with Behind Time (Morton).

1874: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 1 January, with E. Palmer playing "Fouche" brilliantly. The afterpiece was Mr and Mrs White (Raymond).

1875: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 11 August, with Brown and the Brahmins (Reece).

1875: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 14 September, with The Bonnie Fishwife (Selby), "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (recited) and a "Farewell address" by Miss Berenger (who played "Marie de Fontages" in Plot and Passion).

1877: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town, on 18 September, with The Secret (/Barrymore) and a song by Miss Wynne.

Sources

L. Sussex. 2010. Women Writers and Detectives in Nineteenth-Century Crime Fiction, Springer[4]

https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Plot_and_Passion.html?id=VgsrvgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lang_(writer)

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

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 68, 72, 75, 144, 146, 148, 212, 214-6, 219, 310, 312, 315, 326-7, 329, 335, 346.

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.

Go to ESAT Bibliography