AustLit

First performed at the Theatre Royal, Stratford, in 1888, seemingly for copyright purposes only.

First full theatrical performance at the Victoria Hall, Exeter.

Director: Phil Beck.

Earliest Australian performance traced so far was given in Mount Gambier by Harry Craig's Australian Players in 1908. The performance subsequently toured the regional circuits throughout 1908 and 1909.

Cast: Andrew Hodge (Gaston Vandeloupe, an escaped convict), John Fyvie Dench (an escaped convict), Bery Frawley (Dr Noel Yorke, an authority on poisons), Ward Lyons (Randolph Villiers, a dissolute husband), Walter Dyer (Slivers, a real bad lot), Frank Duncan (M'Intosh, manager of the mines), Harry Craig (Frank Bellthorpe, a dude), William Dempsey (Meddlechip, alias Kestrike), Arthur Stewart (Spillby, the pieman), Master Lytton (Grattlers, a street arab), Marian Willis (Madam Midas, the Gold Queen), Billie Howarde (Kitty Marchurst, the pet of the camp), and MArie Wilmott (Miss Twexby, a gushing maiden).

Scenes:

Act One: The Pactolus Claim, Ballarat.

Act Two: Black Hill, Ballarat.

Act Three: Bourke St, Melbourne, and Princess Theatre balcony.

Act Four: Madame Midas' home.

(Source: [Advertisement], Telegraph, 15 September 1909, p.8.)