The English Rose

The English Rose is a play in four acts by George R. Sims (.1847-1922)[1] and Robert Buchanan (1841 - 1901)[2]

The original text

Melodrama set in Ireland, about the murder of Sir Philip Kingston, and the love of Ethel Kingston and Harry, the son of the Knight of Ballyveeney, who is accused of the murder.

First performed at the Adelphi Theatre, London on 2 August, 1890, and played till 2 May, 1891 (238 performances). It had its first provincial performance Court Theatre, Liverpool, on 29 September, 1890 and opened in the USA at the Boston Museum on 1 September, 1890, followed by run at Proctor’s Theatre, New York from 9 March, 1892. Other performances:

A series of letters from John Coleman and Robert Buchanan appeared in The Era in August 1890, concerning the original source of the play.

Translations and adaptations

Filmed as The English Rose in 1920, directed by Fred Paul.

Performance history in South Africa

1892: Performed as The English Rose in the Vaudeville Theatre, Cape Town, by the visiting Emilie Bevan Comedy Company as part of a three-and-a-half month season of 20 plays which began on 8 August.

Sources

Entry on The English Rose, on the website: Robert Buchanan (1841 - 1901)- http://www.robertbuchanan.co.uk/html/englishrose.html.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Robert_Sims

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

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