A Rough Diamond

A Rough Diamond is a comic drama in one act by John Baldwin Buckstone (1802-1879)[1]

Performed and published as The Rough Diamond in America.

The original text

Apparently first performed as The Rough Diamond at Niblo's Theatre in 1841 and the Broadway Theatre in 1850. First performed as A Rough Diamond at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, London, on 8 November 1847 and at the Haymarket in the same year. Published as A Rough Diamond by T.H. Lacy in 1847 and as The Rough Diamond by Dick and Fitzgerald (1841?) and Samuel French as No XLI of French's Minor Drama in 1850.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1861: Performed as The Rough Diamond by Sefton Parry and his company in the Theatre Royal on 1 July, with The Bonnie Fishwife (Selby) and Ici on Parle Français (Williams)

1871: Performed as The Rough Diamond by the visiting Bijou Troupe in the Cape Town Institute building on 20 March, with The Swiss Cottage (Bayly).

1873: Performed in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, by Disney Roebuck and his company on 3 December, with Still Waters Run Deep (Buckstone).

1873: Performed in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, by Disney Roebuck and company on 5 December, with David Garrick (Robertson).

1875: Performed ("at the request of Lady Barkly") by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 4 June, with East Lynne (Hicks et.al.) .

1876: Performed in the Athenaeum Theatre, Cape Town, by Disney Roebuck's company on 23 June, with Black-Eyed Susan (Jerrold).