Captain Charlotte, or Hearts and Trumps

According to F.C.L. Bosman (1980), citing the theatrical reminiscences of William Groom (1899-1900), a play with the strange name of Captain Charlotte, or Hearts and Trumps was performed by the Le Roy-Duret Company in Cape Town in 1866. Bosman suggests that the author may have been Edward Stirling (1809-1894)[1].

However, no such work (by Stirling or an other author) has been traced to date, and it seems far more likely that the title actually refers to a performance of Hearts are Trumps, a well-known farce by Mark Lemon (1809–1870)[2] that opened at The Strand Theatre in London on 30 July, 1849.

Performance history in South Africa

1866: Captain Charlotte, or Hearts and Trumps performed by the Le Roy-Duret Company in the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, on 29th March, with The Momentous Question, or Woman's Devotion (Fitzball).

Sources

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Lemon,_Mark_(DNB00)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.203-205

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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