Love and the Hyphen

Love and the Hyphen is a play by Stephen Black. It is a farce about a number of social climbing Capetonians, from all walks of life.

The original text

Published in a collection of Black’s plays edited by Stephen Gray, also containing Helena's Hope, Ltd and Van Kalabas Does His Bit (Ad Donker 1984).

Translations and adaptations

In February of 1911 a "weak and attenuated" variation on the play by Black (called Japie's Courtship and written by an author calling himself "Mowbray-Kloof") was produced in the Opera House, Cape Town - but to little success it seems.To what extent it is actually an adaptation of the original rather than an an original work simply based on the theme of Black's play is unknown.

Performance history in South Africa

First performed 1902, reworked 1910 and often repeated till the 1930s.

Produced at His Majesty's Theatre, date unknown. (List of characters held by NELM: [Collection: GRAY, Stephen]: 2008. 49. 2. 8. 4. 4.

Produced at the Standard Theatre, date unknown. (Theatre programme held by NELM: [Collection: GRAY, Stephen]: 2008. 49. 2. 8. 4. 7.

A photocopy of caricatures of the cast while it was being performed at the Tivoli Theatre by D.C. Boonzaier, from The Cape of 20.11.1908. (NELM [Collection: FLETCHER, Jill]: 2005. 75. 19. 60. 8).

Sources

D.C. Boonzaier, 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1932. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

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

Various entries in the NELM catalogue.

Go to ESAT Bibliography