Difference between revisions of "Brown and the Brahmins, or Captain Pop and The Princess Pretty-eyes!"

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''[[Brown and the Brahmins, or Captain Pop and The Princess Pretty-eyes!]]'' is an "oriental [[burlesque]]" by Robert Brown Reece
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''[[Brown and the Brahmins, or Captain Pop and The Princess Pretty-eyes!]]'' is an "oriental [[burlesque]]" by Robert Brown Reece (1838–1891)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reece]
  
 
Sometimes found as ''[[Brown and the Brahmins,  or Captain Pop and The Princess Pretty-Eyes!]]'' or simply referred to as '''''[[Brown and the Brahmins]]'''''.
 
Sometimes found as ''[[Brown and the Brahmins,  or Captain Pop and The Princess Pretty-Eyes!]]'' or simply referred to as '''''[[Brown and the Brahmins]]'''''.
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== Performance history in South Africa ==
 
== Performance history in South Africa ==
  
1875: Billed as "An Ashantee Dance and Chorus" directed by [[Mr Elton]] and presented in the [[Bijou Theatre]]'' by "a band of coloured boys picked from the the streets of Cape Town" under the auspices of [[Disney Roebuck]] on 24 July, as an afterpiece to ''[[Leah, or The Jewish Maiden]]'' (Mosenthal?). The novelty of seeing coloured folk on the stage for the first time combined with their "extrvagant contortions of body and limb and grotesque action" apparently set audiences in a furore, though the idea was well received by ''[[The Argus]]'' on July 27 and the play was repeated a number of times in this season.
+
1875: First performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Bijou Theatre]] on 24 July, as an afterpiece to ''[[Leah, or The Jewish Maiden]]'' (Mosenthal/Daly). The production included "An Ashantee Dance and Chorus" directed by [[Mr Elton]] and featured "a band of coloured boys picked from the the streets of Cape Town". The novelty of seeing [[coloured]] folk on the stage for the first time combined with their "extrvagant contortions of body and limb and grotesque action" apparently set audiences in a furore, though the idea was well received by ''[[The Argus]]'' on July 27 and the play was repeated a number of times in this season. The entry the entry for this date in [[F.C.L. Bosman]] (1980:p.325) is rather confusing however, giving the afterpiece as ''[[Brown and the Brahmins]]'' '''or''' ''[[Captain Pop and the Princess Pretty eyes]]'' (sic!) '''or''' ''[[The Illustrious Stranger]]''" - i.e. giving the whole of burlesque's pedigree.
  
1875: Performed by [[Mr Elton]] and his company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, under the auspices of [[Disney Roebuck]] on 26 July, with ''[[Lady Audley's Secret]]''.
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1875: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, on 26 July, with ''[[Lady Audley's Secret]]''.
  
1875: Performed by [[Mr Elton]] and his company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, under the auspices of [[Disney Roebuck]] on 28 July, as afterpiece to  ''[[The Latest Edition of Black-Eyed Susan, or The Little Bill That Was Taken Up|Black-Ey'd Susan]]'' (Burnand).
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1875: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, on 28 July, as afterpiece to  ''[[The Latest Edition of Black-Eyed Susan, or The Little Bill That Was Taken Up|Black-Ey'd Susan]]'' (Burnand).
  
1875: Performed by [[Mr Elton]] and his company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, under the auspices of [[Disney Roebuck]] on 29 July, as afterpiece to  ''[[The Honeymoon]]'' (Tobin).
+
1875: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, on 29 July, as afterpiece to  ''[[The Honeymoon]]'' (Tobin).
  
1875: Performed by [[Mr Elton]] and his company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, under the auspices of [[Disney Roebuck]] on 31 July, as a matinee performance.  
+
1875: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, on 31 July, as a matinee performance.  
  
1875: Performed by [[Mr Elton]] and his company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, under the auspices of [[Disney Roebuck]] on 11 August, with ''[[Plot and Passion]]'' (Taylor and Lang).  
+
1875: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, on 11 August, with ''[[Plot and Passion]]'' (Taylor and Lang).  
  
1875: Performed by [[Mr Elton]] and his company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, under the auspices of [[Disney Roebuck]] on 14 August, with ''[[The Palace of Truth]]'' (Gilbert).
+
1875: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, on 14 August, with ''[[The Palace of Truth]]'' (Gilbert).
  
1875: Performed by [[Mr Elton]] and his company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, under the auspices of [[Disney Roebuck]] on 8 September, with ''[[Henry Dunbar]]'' ().
+
1875: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, on 8 September, with ''[[Henry Dunbar]]'' (Taylor).
 +
 
 +
1876: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Athenaeum Hall]], Cape Town, on 6 June, with ''[[Flowers of the Forest]]'' (Buckstone).
 +
 
 +
1876: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Athenaeum Hall]], Cape Town, on 8 June, with ''[[East Lynne]]'' (Wood).
 +
 
 +
1876: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Athenaeum Hall]], Cape Town, on 9 June, with ''[[Pygmalion and  Galatea]]'' (Gilbert).
 +
 
 +
1876: Performed ("positively the last time") by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Athenaeum Hall]], Cape Town, on 10 June, with ''[[The Green Bushes]]'' (Buckstone).
 +
 
 +
1877: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Theatre Royal]], Cape Town, on 2 August, with ''[[The Serious Family]]'' (Barnett).
 +
 
 +
1877: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Theatre Royal]], Cape Town, on 3 August, with ''[[Withered Leaves]]'' (Broughton).
  
 
== Sources ==
 
== Sources ==
Line 32: Line 44:
  
 
The Victorian Plays Project, Volume 82[http://victorian.nuigalway.ie/modx/index.php?id=155]
 
The Victorian Plays Project, Volume 82[http://victorian.nuigalway.ie/modx/index.php?id=155]
 +
 +
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reece
  
 
[[F.C.L. Bosman]]. 1980. ''Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912''. Pretoria: [[J.L. van Schaik]]: pp. 325-330, 340, 345, 351, 359.
 
[[F.C.L. Bosman]]. 1980. ''Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912''. Pretoria: [[J.L. van Schaik]]: pp. 325-330, 340, 345, 351, 359.

Latest revision as of 06:44, 20 April 2020

Brown and the Brahmins, or Captain Pop and The Princess Pretty-eyes! is an "oriental burlesque" by Robert Brown Reece (1838–1891)[1]

Sometimes found as Brown and the Brahmins, or Captain Pop and The Princess Pretty-Eyes! or simply referred to as Brown and the Brahmins.

The original text

Based on the drama of the The Illustrious Stranger (Millingen and Kenney, 1827), and first performed at the Royal Globe Theatre, London, on 23 January, 1869. Published in London by T.H. Lacy, 1869.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1875: First performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Bijou Theatre on 24 July, as an afterpiece to Leah, or The Jewish Maiden (Mosenthal/Daly). The production included "An Ashantee Dance and Chorus" directed by Mr Elton and featured "a band of coloured boys picked from the the streets of Cape Town". The novelty of seeing coloured folk on the stage for the first time combined with their "extrvagant contortions of body and limb and grotesque action" apparently set audiences in a furore, though the idea was well received by The Argus on July 27 and the play was repeated a number of times in this season. The entry the entry for this date in F.C.L. Bosman (1980:p.325) is rather confusing however, giving the afterpiece as Brown and the Brahmins or Captain Pop and the Princess Pretty eyes (sic!) or The Illustrious Stranger" - i.e. giving the whole of burlesque's pedigree.

1875: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 26 July, with Lady Audley's Secret.

1875: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 28 July, as afterpiece to Black-Ey'd Susan (Burnand).

1875: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 29 July, as afterpiece to The Honeymoon (Tobin).

1875: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 31 July, as a matinee performance.

1875: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 11 August, with Plot and Passion (Taylor and Lang).

1875: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 14 August, with The Palace of Truth (Gilbert).

1875: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 8 September, with Henry Dunbar (Taylor).

1876: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Athenaeum Hall, Cape Town, on 6 June, with Flowers of the Forest (Buckstone).

1876: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Athenaeum Hall, Cape Town, on 8 June, with East Lynne (Wood).

1876: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Athenaeum Hall, Cape Town, on 9 June, with Pygmalion and Galatea (Gilbert).

1876: Performed ("positively the last time") by the Disney Roebuck company in the Athenaeum Hall, Cape Town, on 10 June, with The Green Bushes (Buckstone).

1877: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town, on 2 August, with The Serious Family (Barnett).

1877: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town, on 3 August, with Withered Leaves (Broughton).

Sources

https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Brown_and_the_Brahmins_or_Captain_Pop_an.html?id=ie8VIwAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

The Victorian Plays Project, Volume 82[2]

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

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 325-330, 340, 345, 351, 359.

William Groom. 1899-1900. Drama in Cape Town. Cape Illustrated Magazine, 10(4): 478-481, 517-520, 547-552, 580-584, 640-643, 670-672, 706-708.

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