Charles the Second, or The Merry Monarch

A comedy in 2 acts by John Howard Payne. An English translation of Alexandre Duval's La Jeunesse de Henri V, itself taken from earlier works.

Produced in America in 1824.

Performance history in South Africa

This play was apparently very popular in Cape Town during the mid-19th century.

Produced in Cape Town by the Garrison Players on 27 August, 1825, with as afterpiece the farce X.Y.Z. (Colman the Younger).

Performed in Cape Town by the Cape Town Amateur Company on 20 June 1829, with The Liar (Foote) as afterpiece.

Performed in Cape Town by All the World's a Stage on 19 June, 1830, as afterpiece to The Gambler's Fate, or A Lapse of Twenty Years (Thompson). Billed as a "Petite Comedy" on this occasion.

Performed once more ("by special request") in Cape Town by All the World's a Stage on 11 June, 1831, as afterpiece to The School of Reform, or How to Rule a Husband (Th. Morton).

Performed in Cape Town by members of All the World's a Stage, led by Mr. Heath from the Theatre Royal at Liverpool, on 30 November 1833, as afterpiece to Venice Preserved (Otway).

Performed in Cape Town by members of the Garrison Players, including Captain Hall and Lieutenant Johnson, with the help of local English amateurs, on 24 March, 1852, as afterpiece to Othello (Shakespeare). The performance was "for the benefit of the unfortunate soldiers who persished in H.M.Steamer Birkenhead" (Bosman, 1928,401).

Sources

http://www.answers.com/topic/charles-the-second

Bosman, 1928: p 187,202,214,216,228,401,415

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

Return to

Return to C in Plays II Foreign Plays

Return to South_African_Theatre/Plays

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page