''The Kelly Gang; or the Career of the Outlaw, Ned Kelly, the Iron-clad Bushranger of Australia'' is an 1899 Australian play about bushranger

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

. It is attributed to Arnold Denham but it is likely a number of other writers worked on it. Contemporary reviews remarked on the similarities the play had with ''

Robbery Under Arms ''Robbery Under Arms'' is a bushranger novel by Thomas Alexander Browne, published under his pen name Rolf Boldrewood. It was first published in serialised form by ''The Sydney Mail'' between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes i ...

''. Denham sued for copyright infringement against the producers of other plays about Ned Kelly including ''Outlaw Kelly'' in 1899 and ''The Kelly Gang'' in 1901 (the latter was appealed unsuccessfully).

History

A production was staged on 18 May 1907 at His Majesty's Theatre in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

. The cast featured Walter Dalgleish as Ned Kelly, Herbert Linden as Dan Kelly, Max Clifton as Steve Hart, Crosbie Ward as Joe Byrne, Stirling Whyte as Sergeant Steele, J. J. Ennis as Constable Fitzpatrick, Char Mortyne as Sergeant Kennedy, Albert Lucas as Aaron Sherritt, Charles Daniels as Mr. Scott, William Everett as Roberts, Leo D'Chateau as Murphy, Frank Reis as McGuire, Reg Harcourt as Mr. Curnow, Victor Scott as Mick Mulcahy, Frank Rosemore as McIntyre, D. Durant as Scanlon, Cecil Yates as Donnelly, Herbert Leonard as Macready Ham, Arthur Hart as Leon, Olive Trouchet as Melpomone Prim, Esther Birks as Flossy Blush, James Bell as Dan Healey, Ashton Williams as Father Gibney, Arthur Grant as Jones, Ina Alston as Mrs. Kelly, Roland Watts-Phillips as Lucretia Aspen, Maisie Maxwell as Mary Byrne, and Ada Lawrence as Kate Kelly.

Characters

: An outlaw, referred to as "the Terror of the North East". * Dan Kelly: An outlaw, and the brother of Ned Kelly. * Steve Hart: An outlaw associate of Ned, and a neighbour of the Kelly family. *

Joe Byrne Joseph Byrne (21 November 1856 – 28 June 1880) was an Australian bushranger of Irish descent. A friend of Ned Kelly, he was a member of the "Kelly Gang" who were declared outlaws after the murder of three policemen at Stringybark Creek. De ...

: An outlaw associate of Ned, and a neighbour of the Kelly family. *Sergeant Steele: A police trooper, and Ned's main enemy. He is based on Sergeant Arthur Steele. *Sergeant Kennedy: A "brave and fearless" policeman. He is based on Sergeant Michael Kennedy. *Constable Fitzpatrick: He is based on Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick. *

Aaron Sherritt Aaron Sherritt (August 1854 – 26 June 1880) was an associate of the gang of outlaws led by Ned Kelly in Victoria, Australia. Personal life Aaron Sherritt was born in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran in August 1854, to Irish migrants John and ...

: A police informer and former friend of Joe. *Mr. Scott: The manager of the National Bank, located in

Euroa Euroa is a town in the Shire of Strathbogie in the north-east of Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Euroa's population was 3,275. The name Euroa comes from an Aboriginal word in the old local dialect meaning 'joyful'. History Major T ...

. He is based on Robert Scott. *Roberts: A clerk at the National Bank. *McGuinness: A junior police constable. In an earlier version of the show, he was named Moloney. *O'Hara: A junior police constable. In an earlier version of the show, he was named Murphy. *Lonergan: A trooper. He is based on Constable Thomas Lonergan. *Scanlon: A trooper. He is based on Constable Michael Scanlan. *Bracken: A trooper. He is based on Constable Hugh Bracken. *Macready Ham: A tragic actor. *Leon: An actor and contemporary of Macready Ham. *Mr. Curnow: A schoolmaster and newspaper correspondent. He is based on Thomas Curnow. *Mick Mulcahy: A farmhand. *McIntyre: A trooper. He is based on Constable Thomas McIntyre. *Melpomone Prim: A member of the "Rush for Gold" theatre troupe. * Father Gibney: A priest. He is based on Father Matthew Gibney. *Mr. Jones: The landlord of Jones's Hotel in Glenrowan. In reality, the Glenrowan Inn was owned by publican Ann Jones, whom Mr. Jones likely plays the role of. *Mrs. Kelly: The mother of Ned, Dan, and Kate Kelly. She is based on Ellen Kelly. *Lucretia Aspen: A "giddy" 60-year-old. *Mary Byrne: The sister of Joe Byrne. * Kate Kelly: The sister of Ned and Dan Kelly, called "the Pride of the Forest". *Martin Cherry: A crippled individual. He is based on an individual of the same name. *Mr. Brown: The manager of the bank in

Jerilderie Jerilderie is a small, rural town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Murrumbidgee Local Government Area. At th Jerilderie had a population of 922 people. It can be found along the Newell Highway ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly Gang, The Australian plays 1899 plays Plays set in Australia Plays set in the 19th century Cultural depictions of Ned Kelly Biographical plays about criminals