The Two Bonnycastles

The Two Bonnycastles is a farce in one act by J.M. Morton (1811-1891)[1].

The title has on occasion (wrongly) been listed in sources simply as Two Bonnycastles.

The original text

First performed in London at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on Tuesday 11 November, 1851. Published by T.H. Lacy, 1851 and in New York by Samuel French as no XLIV of The Minor Drama in 185?.

Performance history in South Africa

1854: Performed in Cape Town (apparently as The Two Bonnycastles) in late July by the Amateur Company (aided by the Officers of the Garrison) in the Garrison Theatre. Also performed were Charles the Twelfth (Planché), A Peculiar Position (author unnamed, but it was in actual fact a translation from Scribe and Bayard by Planché).

1854: The July performances were repeated on Friday, 18 August, with the addition of The Honeymoon (Tobin).

1868: Performed in Cape Town (once more as The Two Bonnycastles it seems ) by the Lanarkshire Dramatic Club (amateur players from the 99th Regiment) in the Garrison Theatre, Cape Town, on 20 May, with Slasher & Crasher (Morton).

1868: Repeated by the Lanarkshire Dramatic Club in the Garrison Theatre, Cape Town, on 26 June, this time with A Phenomenon in a Smock-Frock (Brough), a dance by Lieutenant Moir and a song ("Sarah's Sunday Out") by C. Hayes.