The Two Polts

The Two Polts is a farce by John Courtney (1804-1865)[1].

The original text

First performed at the Royal Surrey Theatre, London, on 25 November 1850, and published by T.H. Lacy in 1850 (as Volume 45 of Lacy's acting edition of plays) and later by both Samuel French (as Volume 663 of French's acting edition) and De Witt in New York. In all cases the author's name is wrongly spelled "Courtnay".

Performance history in South Africa

1870: Performed in the New Lyceum Theatre, Cape Town, at the start of September by a company of amateurs, as a benefit for E. Clifton, along with Mazeppa (the "grand Ethiopian Burlesque"). (The title is correctly given as The Two Polts by Bosman, 1980, but the author is said to be "unknown".)

1876: Performed in the Athenaeum Theatre, Cape Town, by Disney Roebuck's company on 17 April, as an afterpiece to Blow for Blow (Byron). (The title now wrongly given as The Two Poets by Bosman, 1980, though ascribing it to Courtney.)

Sources

Facsimile version of the 1860 edition by Samuel French, Hathi Trust Digital Library[2]

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 280, 338

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.

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