Dido, the Celebrated Widow

Dido, the Celebrated Widow is an extravaganza by Francis Cowley Burnand.

The original text

Possibly based on First performed as Dido, the Celebrated Widow in London at St James's Theatre, on 11 February, 1860, and later acted as The Widow Dido at the Royalty Theatre on 20 November, 1865. Published by T.H. Lacy in 1865.

Most probably the text performed a number of times in Cape Town during the 1860-1861 season as Dido, Queen of Carthage and termed a "Grand Musical, Classical and Picturesque Extravaganza in One Act by Burnand" .

Performance history in South Africa

1860: Performed in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town by the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club on 25 November, with The Irish Tutor (Butler) and a musical interlude by the brass orchestra of the 59th Regiment. Announced as a "Grand Musical, Classical and Picturesque Extravaganza in One Act" by "Durnand".

1860: Performed in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town by the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club on 3 December with Who Do You Take Me For? (Morton.

1860: Performed in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town by the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club on 17 and 20 December with The Little Treasure and The Hundred Pound Note (Peake). The first performance was done as a benefit for Mrs Delmaine.

1860: Performed again, by special request, in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town by the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club on 27 December with The Happy Man (Lover).

1861: Performed in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town by the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club on 10 January with Fra Diavolo, or The Beauty and the Brigands and A Night at Notting Hill (Yates and Harrington).

1861: Performed as part of "grand gala night" in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town by the Royal Alfred Dramatic Club on 23 February, with The Irish Tutor (Butler).

Sources

Laura Monros-Gaspar (ed). 2015. Victorian Classical Burlesques: A Critical Anthology. Bloomsbury Publishing[1]