''Little Jack Sheppard'' is a

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

written by Henry Pottinger Stephens and William Yardley, with music by

Meyer Lutz Wilhelm Meyer Lutz (19 May 1829 – 31 January 1903) was a German-born British composer and conductor who is best known for light music, musical theatre and Victorian burlesque, burlesques of well-known works. Emigrating to the UK at the age o ...

, with songs contributed by Florian Pascal,Florian Pascal was a pseudonym for Joseph Williams, Jr. (1847-1923), a music publisher and composer. Se
Florian Pascal profile at the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive

and ttp://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Search/Home?lookfor=author:%22Pascal,%20Florian,%201847-1923%22&iknowwhatimean=1 Songs by Florian Pascal/ref> Corney Grain, Arthur Cecil, Michael Watson, Henry J. Leslie,

Alfred Cellier Alfred Cellier (1 December 184428 December 1891) was an English composer, orchestrator and conductor. In addition to conducting and music directing the original productions of several of the most famous Gilbert and Sullivan works and writing th ...

and

Hamilton Clarke James Hamilton Siree Clarke (25 January 1840 – 9 July 1912), better known as Hamilton Clarke, was an English conductor, composer and organist. Although Clarke was a prolific composer, he is best remembered as an associate of Arthur Sullivan, ...

. The comedy lampooned the serious plays based on the life of

Jack Sheppard John Sheppard (4 March 1702 – 16 November 1724), nicknamed "Honest Jack", was a notorious English thief and prison escapee of early 18th-century London. Born into a poor family, he was apprenticed as a carpenter, but began committing thef ...

, especially the popular 1839 play by John Buckstone, which was in turn based on the novel of that year by

William Harrison Ainsworth William Harrison Ainsworth (4 February 18053 January 1882) was an English historical novelist born at King Street in Manchester. He trained as a lawyer, but the legal profession held no attraction for him. While completing his legal studies in ...

. The piece opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London on 26 December 1885 and initially ran for 155 performances. It featured

Nellie Farren Ellen "Nellie" Farren (16 April 1848 – 28 April 1904"Death of Nellie Far ...

Fred Leslie Frederick George Hobson, known as Fred Leslie (1 April 1855 – 7 December 1892), was an English actor, singer, comedian and dramatist. Beginning his career in operetta, Leslie became best known for starring in, and writing (under the pseudon ...

Jonathan Wild Jonathan Wild, also spelled Wilde (1682 or 1683 – 24 May 1725), was an English thief-taker and a major figure in London's criminal underworld, notable for operating on both sides of the law, posing as a public-spirited vigilante entitled th ...

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 ...

as Blueskin.

Marion Hood Marion Hood (1 April 1854 – 14 August 1912) was an English soprano who performed in opera and musical theatre in the last decades of the 19th century. She is perhaps best remembered for creating the role of Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Th ...

and

Sylvia Grey Sylvia Grey (1866–1958) was an English actress, dancer and singer best remembered for her roles in burlesques in London during the Victorian era. Life and career Grey was born in London, England, partly of Swiss ancestry. She began her stage ...

. Other cast members included

Willie Warde Willie Warde (1857 – 18 August 1943) was an English actor, dancer, singer and choreographer. The son of a dancer, his first theatre work was with a dance company. He was engaged to arrange dances for London productions and was later cast as a ...

, who also choreographed the dances. The piece was presented in the U.S. and Australia in 1886 and was given revivals and extensive tours in Britain for nearly a decade.

Background

This production was to be

John Hollingshead John Hollingshead (9 September 1827 – 9 October 1904) was an English theatrical impresario, journalist and writer during the latter half of the 19th century. After a journalism career, Hollingshead managed the Alhambra Theatre and was later th ...

's last burlesque at the Gaiety Theatre, and

George Edwardes George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond. Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...

joined as his co-producer. Hollingshead had created a popular following at the Gaiety Theatre for musical

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

. Other examples include ''

The Bohemian G-yurl and the Unapproachable Pole ''The Bohemian G-yurl and the Unapproachable Pole'' is a musical Victorian burlesque, burlesque in two acts, with a score by Meyer Lutz to a libretto by Henry James Byron, which played under the management of John Hollingshead at the Gaiety Theat ...

'' (1877), ''Blue Beard'' (1882), ''Ariel'' (1883, by F. C. Burnand), and ''

Galatea, or Pygmalion Reversed ''Galatea, or Pygmalion Re-Versed'' is a musical burlesque that parodies the Pygmalion legend, and specifically W. S. Gilbert's 1871 play '' Pygmalion and Galatea''. The libretto was written by Henry Pottinger Stephens and W. Webster. The s ...

'' (1883). Beginning with ''Little Jack Sheppard'', however, Hollingshead's successor, George Edwardes, expanded the format of the burlesques to full-length pieces with original music by

, instead of scores compiled from popular tunes. These included '' Monte Cristo Jr.'' (1886); ''

Miss Esmeralda ''Miss Esmeralda'' is a Victorian burlesque, in two acts, with music by Meyer Lutz and Robert Martin and a libretto by Fred Leslie, under his pseudonym "A. C. Torr", and Horace Mills. It is based on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel ''The Hunchback of No ...

'' (1887), ''

Frankenstein, or The Vampire's Victim ''Frankenstein, or The Vampire's Victim'' (sometimes called ''Frankenstein, or The Model Man'') is a musical burlesque in three acts written by Richard Henry (a pseudonym of Richard Butler and Henry Chance Newton). The music was composed by Me ...

'' (1887), ''Mazeppa'', '' Faust up to Date'' (1888), ''

Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué Ruy or RUY may refer to: Arts and Entertainment *Ruy, the Little Cid, Spanish animated television series *Ruy Blas, a character in the eponymous tragic drama by Victor Hugo People *another form of Rui, a Portuguese male given name *another form o ...

'' (1888), ''

Carmen up to Data ''Carmen up to Data'' is a musical burlesque with a score written by Meyer Lutz. Set in Seville, the piece was a spoof of Bizet's 1875 opera ''Carmen''. The libretto was written by G. R. Sims and Henry Pettitt. After a tryout in Liverpool in ...

'' (1890), ''

Cinder Ellen up too Late ''Cinder Ellen up too Late'' is a musical burlesque written by Frederick Hobson Leslie (writing under the pseudonym A. C. Torr) and W. T. Vincent, with music arranged by Meyer Lutz from compositions by Lionel Monckton, Sidney Jones, Walter Sl ...

'' (1891), and ''Don Juan'' (1892, with lyrics by

Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes (23 December 1859 – 11 September 1933), better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific English writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th ...

had managed the Gaiety Theatre from 1868 to 1886 as a venue for variety, continental

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

, light comedy, and numerous musical burlesques composed or arranged by the theatre's music director, Wilhelm Meyer Lutz. Hollingshead called himself a "licensed dealer in legs, short skirts, French adaptations,

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, taste and musical glasses."Arthur Lloyd Music Hall site (on Gaiety) ''Cuttings''
accessed 01 Mar 2007 In 1886, Hollingshead ceded the management of the theatre to Edwardes, whom he had hired in 1885.

Nellie Farren Ellen "Nellie" Farren (16 April 1848 – 28 April 1904"Death of Nellie Far ...

, as the theatre's "principal boy", and

starred at the Gaiety for over 20 years. Leslie wrote many of its pieces under his pseudonym, "A. C. Torr". In the early 1890s, as burlesque went out of fashion, Edwardes changed the focus of the theatre from musical burlesque to the new genre of

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy is a genre of British musical theatre that thrived from 1892 into the 1920s, extending beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions. It began to dominate the English musical stage, and even the American musical ...

. Many works of literature and theatre have been based on Sheppard's life. Perhaps the most prominent theatrical work is

John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for ''The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peach ...

's ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of sati ...

'' (1728). Sheppard was the inspiration for the character of Macheath, and his nemesis, Peachum, is based on Jonathan Wild. A melodrama, ''Jack Sheppard, The Housebreaker, or London in 1724'', by

William Thomas Moncrieff William Thomas Moncrieff (24 August 1794 – 3 December 1857), commonly referred as W. T. Moncrieff, was an English dramatist and author. Biography William Thomas Thomas, born in London to a Strand tradesman named Thomas, assumed the name Moncri ...

was published in 1825. Ainsworth's popular novel was published in ''

Bentley's Miscellany ''Bentley's Miscellany'' was an English literary magazine started by Richard Bentley. It was published between 1836 and 1868. Contributors Already a successful publisher of novels, Bentley began the journal in 1836 and invited Charles Dicken ...

'' from January 1839, with illustrations by

George Cruikshank George Cruikshank or Cruickshank ( ; 27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern William Hogarth, Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dicken ...

. Ainsworth's novel was adapted into a successful play by John Buckstone. The Ainsworth and Buckstone versions portrayed Sheppard as a swashbucking hero, and the fear that young people might emulate Sheppard's behaviour led the

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

to ban, at least in London, the licensing of any plays with "Jack Sheppard" in the title for forty years.

Productions

''Little Jack Sheppard'' opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London on 26 December 1885 and ran for 155 performances. It featured

Nellie Farren Ellen "Nellie" Farren (16 April 1848 – 28 April 1904"Death of Nellie Far ...

as Blueskin and

as WinifredInformation about the original production
Other cast members included

(who also choreographed the dances) and

. The production marked the first appearances at the Gaiety of David James and Fred Leslie, and it was Marion Hood's first appearance in burlesque.Programme for first production Leslie introduced parodic elements caricaturing

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

into his portrayal of Jonathan Wild"Theatres", ''The Graphic'', 2 January 1886, p. 7 In June 1886, the production was moved from the Gaiety to the less fashionable

Grand Theatre, Islington The Grand Theatre, Islington – formerly the Philharmonic, Islington, later the Empire, Islington, and finally the Empire Cinema – was a theatre and later a cinema in the London suburb of Islington. Opened in 1860 as a concert hall it became a ...

, to make way for Henry E. Dixey's company. A new cast was engaged for the Islington production, while a touring company including most of the original principals took the piece around the English provinces. In December 1886, the touring company, still led by Farren and Leslie, returned to London and took over at the Grand Theatre. The piece was produced in New York in 1886 at The Bijou Theatre and had its Australian premiere in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in December 1886 at the Opera House, with Fanny Robina as Jack and

Lionel Brough Lionel "Lal" Brough (10 March 1836 – 8 November 1909) was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s. H ...

as Wild. In 1887, a second English touring production was launched, with a new cast. ''Little Jack Sheppard'' continued to play in the provinces until late 1891. It was revived at the Gaiety in 1894, with a cast including

Ellaline Terriss Mary Ellaline Terriss, Lady Hicks (born Mary Ellaline Lewin, 13 April 1871 – 16 June 1971), known professionally as Ellaline Terriss, was a popular British actress and singer, best known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies. Sh ...

and

Seymour Hicks Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (30 January 1871 – 6 April 1949), better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, actor-manager and producer. He became known, early in his career, for writing, starring in and p ...

Synopsis

The plot, as reported in '' The Era'', 2 January 1886, was as follows:''The Era'', 2 January 1886, p. 7. ;Act I "After a preliminary chorus of rustics, introducing the now threadbare allusion to three acres and a cow, we have the musical courtship of fascinating Winifred Wood and her lover Thames Darrell. Thames is being persecuted by his wicked uncle Sir Rowland Trenchard who has enlisted Jonathan Wild in his pay, and the latter presently brings his chorus of pretty Janissaries upon the scene. An attempt is made to seize Thames, who is, however, rescued by Jack and Blueskin, aided by an army of blue satin-clad swell mobsmen." ;Act II "The second act shows Jack carousing with his boon companions in a hall gorgeous enough to be Aladdin's Palace, but which is understood to be merely the 'cave of harmony' at the 'Crown and Sovereign' in the Mint. Here Blueskin presides over a free-and-easy with all the genial ''aplomb'' of a music hall chairman, and obliges the company with a spirited rendering of the quaint old ditty 'Botany Bay', which is, of course, given with the time-honoured whistling variations in the chorus. The 'harmony of the evening' is now rudely disturbed by Wild and his janissaries who, this time assisted by the military, take Jack prisoner." ;Act III "The third act transports us to the interior of Newgate rison where we find Jack carving his name on the walls of the condemned cell, and keeping up his spirits by engaging in a duet and a ''pas de deux'' with his jailer, Wild. Blueskin now contrives to enter the prison in the guise of a turnkey, and with his help Jack effects his escape, the series of scenes in which the pair are shown traversing the cells and scaling the walls being apparently intended as a parody of the present fashion of mechanical scene changes. "The final meet of all the characters takes place on Willesden green, where Wild and Sir Rowland are denounced as Jacobites by Jack, who receives as a reward the King's pardon, and forthwith marries the girl of his choice."

Roles and original cast

The original cast was as follows: *Jack Sheppard –

Nellie Farren Ellen "Nellie" Farren (16 April 1848 – 28 April 1904"Death of Nellie Far ...

*Thames Darrell – Mathilde Wadman *Blueskin –

*Jonathan Wild –

*Sir Rowland Trenchard – Mr. Odell *Abraham Mendez – F. Wood *Mr. Kneebone –

*Mr. Wood – Mr. Guise *Captain Cuff – Emily Duncan *Shotbolt – Miss Ross *Marvel – Miss Raines *Ireton – Emily Robina *Quilt Arnold – Miss Handley *Little Gog – Miss Pearce *Little Magog – Miss Tyler *Mrs. Sheppard – Harriet Coveney *Winifred Wood –

*Edgworth Bess – Bessie Sanson *Polly Stanmore –

*Kitty Kettleby – Miss Eunice Chorus of Peasants, Janissaries, Blueboys, Jacobites, Bridesmaids and Soldiers

Musical numbers

The musical numbers were composed by Meyer Lutz, except as otherwise indicated: *If you take into your head (Duet) – Florian Pascal *Winifred Wood – Pascal *A Fairy Tale (Duet) –

*There once was a time, my darling –

*Farewell to Old England *Polyglot Duet *Keep the ball a-rolling (Quintet) *Chorus and march of Janissaries – Pascal *Jonathan Wild – Arthur Cecil *Jack's alive 'O *They call me the Belle of Dollis Hill – Pascal *You mustn't believe all you hear *Silver star – Pascal *Leave the whole business to me (Trio) *

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...

– Pascal *All nations (Duet) *Chorus of Peasants and Bridesmaids

Critical reception

''The Era'' praised the production and the music for their unusual refinement, but found the libretto inadequate: "Messrs. Stephens and Yardley … have aimed at decorum, and succeeded in hitting dulness." The paper went so far as to write of "the vapid, wishy-washy, flatulent quality of the stuff they have manufactured between them." Nonetheless, the music, the staging and the performances adequately compensated, and made it "a capital evening's entertainment." Other critics, including that of ''The Theatre'', were more favourably disposed towards the libretto, and in agreement with ''The Era'' about the excellence of the music, the production and the performers.Clarke, H. Savile, "Little Jack Sheppard", ''The Theatre'', 7 January 1886, p. 44 ''The Graphic'' wrote, "A company equally strong for the representation of pieces of this class has rarely if ever been assembled. ... A prettier spectacle to behold, from the opening rustic ballet down to the marvellous scenic changes of the escape from Newgate, is certainly nowhere to be seen."

Notes

References

*Traubner, Richard. ''Operetta: A Theatrical History'', (2003) Routledge. *Adams, William Davenport.
''A dictionary of the drama''
(1904) Chatto & Windus *Hollingshead, John. ''Good Old Gaiety: An Historiette & Remembrance'' (1903) London:Gaiety Theatre Co

External links

Photos from ''Little Jack SheppardTheatre poster
from performances at

Royal Lyceum Theatre The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...

, Edinburgh in 1885 {{Authority control Musicals by Meyer Lutz 1885 musicals Musicals set in London Musicals set in prison Plays by Henry Pottinger Stephens