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

1858: Performed as The Rough Diamond in the Cape Town Theatre on 8 June by Sefton Parry and his company, with cast including Parry and Mrs Parry, Holmes (as "Sir William Evergreen") and Miss Delmaine (as "Lady Pluto"). Also played: The Stranger (Kotzebue/Thompson & Sheridan).

1858: Performed as The Rough Diamond in the Cape Town Theatre on 25 June by Sefton Parry and his company, with The Poor Gentleman (Colman).

1859: Performed as The Rough Diamond in the Cape Town Theatre on 27 and 28 December by Sefton Parry and his company, followed by with The Babes in the Wood, or Harlequin and the Cruel Uncle! (Parry). In these performances Parry appeared as "Cousin Joe", along with Mrs Parry ("Margery"), a member of the Cape Town Dramatic Club ("Sir William Evergreen"), Mr Devere ("Lord Plato"), Mr Holmes ("Captain Blenheim"), Mr Watson ("John") and Miss Crisp (as "Lady Pluto").

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)

1862: Performed as The Rough Diamond by Clara Tellett and her company in the Theatre Royal on 14 August, with The Pilot, or A Tale of the Sea (Cooper/Fitzball).

1867: Performed as A Rough Diamond by the Le Roy and Duret company in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town on 16 December, as part of a "Grand Shakespearian Night", as afterpiece to Othello and a "Pas Seul" by Miss Clara.

1868: Scenes from the play were performed as part of a "Musical and Dramatic Entertainment" by the Le Roy and Duret company in the Commercial Exchange, Cape Town on 27 January. The evening was under the patronage Governor Wodehouse, and the programme also included songs, dances, and scenes read and performed from The Lady of Lyons (Bulwer-Lytton), Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare), King John (Shakespeare) and The Hunchback (Knowles) .

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). The featured artists included Madame Julie, Mr Raymond and some local amateurs.

1873: Performed as A Rough Diamond 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).

1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 30 December, with Meg's Diversion (Craven).

1875: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 4 June, with East Lynne (Wood).

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

1877: Performed as The Rough Diamond in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town, by Disney Roebuck and his company on 19 September, with Still Waters Run Deep (Bernard/Taylor).

1878: Performed in the Athenaeum Hall, Cape Town, by the Dramatic Recital Society on 19 September, as a benefit for Hugh Fisher. Also played were The Bells (Erckmann-Chatrian/Lewis) and A Happy Pair (Theyre-Smith).

Sources

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Buckstone%2C%20John%20Baldwin%2C%201802%2D1879

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

Facsimile version of the Samuel French text of A Rough Diamond (nd), The Digital Archive[2]

Facsimile version of the Samuel French text of The Rough Diamond (1850), The Digital Archive[3]

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 70-78, 85, 98, 132, 231-2, 253-4, 309-213, 324, 340, 347, 360, 372.

Go to ESAT Bibliography