The Lying Valet

A farce in two acts by David Garrick (1717 – 1779).

It also appears with a subtitle as: The Lying Valet, or The Masters Deceived

The original text

Apparently based on the second act of All Without Money by Peter Antony Motteux, which was in turn inspired by a French play. It was first performed "gratis" at the Goodman's Fields Theatre on 30 November 1741, then removed to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1742.

Printed for and sold by Paul Vaillant and J. Roberts,1742. Published in the USA by Charles Wiley, 1824

Translations and adaptations

According to Bosman (1928 p. 455) a Dutch version of a two act comedy by Garrick called De Logen om Best Wil was performed on 30 October 1849, along with Zoë, of De Zegepraal eener Standvastige Liefde, with as "divertissement", an original sentimental song (Geene Bandieten) by an unnamed South African, and a "comic dance". However as the title has no meaning in Dutch, it is clearly a misspelling. The translation was most probably entitled De Leugen om Bestwil (approx. "The well intentioned lie"), hence possibly a version of The Lying Valet.

Performance history in South Africa

1808: Performed, as a benefit for the Widows and Orphans of the Royal Artillery and Engineers, in the African Theatre, Cape Town by the Garrison Players on 3 June, 1808, with The Old Maid (Murphy), occasional comic songs, and an epilogue written an spoken by Captain Collins. Rather uniquely Bosman (1928, p.75) however, quotes the names of the plays from the bilingual newspaper The Cape Town gazette and African advertiser = Kaapsche Stads courant en Afrikaansche berigter in Dutch ( as De Oude Meid [sic!], and De Liegende Knegt) - but they were most probably performed in the original English.

1818: Performed in the African Theatre, Cape Town by the Garrison Players on 25 April with The Will (Reynolds).

1830: Performed by All the World's a Stage in the "South African Theatre" on 6 March, with The Castle Spectre (Lewis), and a variety programme, led by and starring Mr H. Booth.

1848: Performed under its full title (The Lying Valet, or The Masters Deceived) on 20 March by the Dalle Case Company in the Hope Street Theatre, with a "Great Intermezzo of music and dance", and the comic ballet The Family of Pierrotts (Anon.).

1849: Possibly performed in Dutch as De Logen om Best Wil by Tot Oefening en Vermaak in the Hope Street Theatre, Cape Town on 30 October, along with Zoë, of De Zegepraal eener Standvastige Liefde, with as "divertissement", an original sentimental song (Geene Bandieten) by an unnamed South African, and a "comic dance".

Translations and adaptations

According to Bosman (1928 p. 455) a Dutch version of a two act comedy by Garrick called De Logen om Best Wil was performed by Tot Oefening en Vermaak in the Hope Street Theatre, Cape Town in the Dutch translation on 30 October 1849, along with Zoë, of De Zegepraal eener Standvastige Liefde, with as "divertissement", an original sentimental song (Geene Bandieten) by an unnamed South African, and a "comic dance".

However the title has no meaning in Dutch and is clearly a misspelling. The translation was most probably entitled De Leugen om Bestwil (approx. "The well intentioned lie"), hence possibly a version of The Lying Valet.