''Our Boys'' is a
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
in three acts written by
Henry James Byron, first performed in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on 16 January 1875 at the
Vaudeville Theatre. Until it was surpassed by the run of ''
Charley's Aunt'' in the 1890s, it was the world's longest-running play, up to that time, with 1,362 performances until April 1879. Theatre owner David James (1839–93) was Perkyn in the production. The production also toured extensively. The play contains the famous line, "Life’s too short for chess."
The piece played in New York in 1875, at the New Fifth Avenue Theatre, and in 1907 at the Lyric Theatre. It also played in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
.
Philadelphia production mentioned
/ref> Arthur Williams appeared in a 1914 London revival of the piece.
Roles
*Sir Geoffrey Champneys (a county magnate) – William Farren Jr.
William Farren Jr. (28 September 1825 – 25 September 1908) was an English actor.
Life
He was born in London, the son of actor William Farren (1786–1861), brother of Henry Farren (1826–1860) and uncle of Nellie Farren.
Beginning life as a ...
*Talbot Champneys (his son, a washed-out youth) – Thomas Thorne
Thomas Thorne (1841–1918) was an English actor and theatre manager. Thomas Thorne was one of the founding managers of London's Vaudeville Theatre, along with David James and Henry James Montague, and performed leading roles in many of the p ...
*Perkyn Middlewick (a retired butterman) – David James Dewi, Dai, Dafydd or David James may refer to:
Performers
*David James (actor, born 1839) (1839–1893), English stage comic and a founder of London's Vaudeville Theatre
*David James (actor, born 1967) (born 1967), Australian presenter of ABC's ''P ...
*Charles Middlewick (his aristocratic-looking son) – Charles Warner
*Poddles (Middlewick's butler) – W. Lestocq
*Kempster (Sir Geoffrey's servant) – Mr. Howard
*Violet Melrose (an heiress) – Kate Bishop
*Mary Melrose (her poor cousin) – Amy Roselle
*Clarissa Champneys (Sir Geoffrey's sister, an elderly spinster) – Sophie Larkin
Sophie Larkin (1833–1903) was an English actress of the late Victorian era. She created roles in plays by T. W. Robertson and in the long-running play ''Our Boys'' by H. J. Byron.
Life
Larkin's London debut was in 1865 at the Prince of Wales's ...
*Belinda (a lodging-house slave) – Cicely Richards
Synopsis
Sir Geoffrey Champneys is very proud of his son, Talbot, an uninspired and weak youth. Mr. Middlewick, a retired butterman, also thinks highly of his son, Charles, an enthusiastic and lively young fellow. They are delighted to welcome their 'boys' home after a three-years' sojourn on the Continent. The Baronet — proud and poor — has determined that his son should marry Violet Melrose, an heiress; but that young lady and Charles Middlewick have already met at Vienna and decided differently (although she was, at first, unhappy with his lowly station). Meanwhile, Talbot is in love with her poor cousin, the free-and-easy Mary. Old Middlewick has taken a great dislike to Violet, whom he considers 'stuck-up,' and he desires his son to wed Mary. Needless to say, Sir Geoffrey is also displeased, and the fathers disown their sons. The latter retire in disgrace to a miserable London rooming house, where they try to earn an independence by writing.
The fathers, after a few months, become so profoundly miserable without their boys that they follow them and find out from Belinda, the 'slavey,' that the sons are at the point of starving. Miss Champneys also arrives with a chicken and other delicacies, and Violet and Mary come to discover if their lovers are still faithful. After a few more misunderstandings, the boys are forgiven and taken back into favour. Miss Champneys has designs on the butterman's hand and heart. Sir Geoffrey gives a speech of understanding.
Notes
References
James, M. E. ''What shall we act?'' (1882), pp. 80-81
External links
*Davis, Jim (ed.) ''Plays by H.J. Byron: The Babes in the Wood; the Lancashire Lass; Our Boys; the Gaiety Gulliver'' (Cambridge, 1984).
Information about a lawsuit over the rights to produce the play in New York
{cbignore, bot=medic
English plays
1875 plays