Railway Overture

The Railway Overture is a performed minstrel performance from the 18th century.

The original text

Quite probably either a version of a popular American minstrel song from the mid 19th century called The Railroad Overture or The Railroad Overture or Locumloshus Jimjam, and/or something known as Locomotive Lecture.

See the discussion in "Railroad Overture", on the website The JUBA Project[1]

Performance history in South Africa

1860: A Railway Overture was performed by the Corps of S.A. Minstrels in the Cabinet Theatre, Cape Town, along with Two Heads are Better than One (Horne) and The Man of Many Friends (Coyne).

1860: A Railway Overture was performed by the Corps of S.A. Minstrels in the Cabinet Theatre, Cape Town, along with plays put on by the Cape Town Dramatic Club on 9 October: Two Heads are Better than One (Horne), The Man of Many Friends (Coyne) and an interlude of songs such as Lord Lovell etc. by a "lady from London". This performance took place in the Theatre Royal under the patronage of the Governor of the Cape.

Sources

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.153

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