Two Strings to your Bow

Two Strings to your Bow is a farce, in two acts by Robert Jephson (1736-1803)[1].

The original text

Two Strings to your Bow was in actual fact an adaptation by of The Hotel, or The Double Valet, a farce in two acts by Thomas Vaughan, Thomas (fl. 1772-1820), originally performed at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane in 1776, and published by T. Becket,1776. Vaughan's play in turn was based on Carlo Goldoni's farce Il Servitore di Due Padrone (1776-7) and Arlequin Valet de Deux Maitres.

Originally performed in Ireland at Smock Alley under the title The Hotel, or The Servant with Two Masters in 1783 and printed in Cork, it was first performed in London at the Theatres Royal, Covent Garden and the Drury Lane as Two Strings to your Bow in 1791. Printed in London for C. and G. Kearsley,1791.

In his study F.C.L. Bosman (1928) wrongly attributes authorship of the play to the actor Andrew Cherry, who had played the character "Lazarillo" in the Drury Lane production.

Performance history in South Africa

1818: Performed in the African Theatre, Cape Town by the Garrison Players on 7 November, as a benefit for Mrs Brough, with The Will (Reynolds).

1823: Performed by the Amateur Company as a benefit for Mrs Green, in the African Theatre, Cape Town on 25 November 1823; with Wild Oats by O'Keeffe.

1824: Performed the African Theatre on 24 July by the Garrison Players, along with John Bull, or an Englishman's Fireside (Colman Jr).

Sources

Two strings to your bow: a farce, in two acts, as now performed at the Theatre-Royal, Covent-Garden, with distinguished applause. By Robert Jephson, Esq. at http://ota.ox.ac.uk/id/4239 via http://writersinspire.org/content/two-strings-your-bow-farce-two-acts-now-performed-theatre-royal-covent-garden-distinguished. Accessed on Friday, June 24, 2016.

The hotel: or, the double valet. A farce, in two acts. As it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane. By Thomas Vaughan, Esq. at http://ota.ox.ac.uk/id/3999 via http://writersinspire.org/content/hotel-or-double-valet-farce-two-acts-it-performed-theatre-royal-drury-lane-thomas-vaughan. Accessed on Thursday, June 23, 2016.

Facsimile version of the 1806 published text by John Cawthorn, Google E-book[2]

David Erskine Baker. 1812. Biographia Dramatica: Or, A Companion to the Playhouse, Volume 2. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown: p. 310 - Google E-book[3]

Asier Altuna Garciá de Salazar. 2008 “Robert Jephson, Anglo-Ireland, A Spanish Lazarillo of Valencia and the farcical recourse to food in Two Strings to Your Bow (1791)” in Odisea No 9. [4]

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

F.C.L. Bosman, 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [5]: pp. 155, 185

Go to the ESAT Bibliography