Marvellous Melbourne is a 1889 Australian stage play by Alfred Dampier and J.H. Wrangham. It was hugely popular in Melbourne and is one of Dampier's most iconic plays.[1][2]
| Marvellous Melbourn | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Alfred Dampier J.H. Wrangham. |
| Directed by | Alfred Dampier |
| Date premiered | 1889 |
| Place premiered | Alexandra Theatre, Melbourne |
| Original language | English |
| Setting | Melbourne, Australia |
The Age said "The drama itself seems to be composed of scraps taken from half the sensational plays which have been produced in this city during the last 20 years."[3]
The Argus said "The drama is unsatisfactory in that too much superilous matter is introduced, so that the plot does not stand out with sufficient force, and that it is not without incongruity. In its construction there has been too great a desire to provide sensation. Every attempt has also been made to create fun by local allusions fit only for burlesque, and the so called "working man" of Australia, the Chinese question, and the land boom afforded convenient agencies for obtaining the laughter of the audience, whose extra ordinarily appreciative mood may thus to some extent be accounted for."[4]
The play was later published in book form.
Slaves of Sydney
editThe script was rewritten for Sydney in 1893 as Slaves of Sydney by Dampier and J.H. Wrangham.[5]
References
edit- ^ "WHIBPERB AT THE WINGS". Sportsman. No. 415. Victoria, Australia. 30 January 1889. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE A CRITIQUE". The Herald. No. 4066. Victoria, Australia. 18 February 1889. p. 4. Retrieved 7 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "ALEXANDRA THEATRE--MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE". The Age. No. 10, 581. Victoria, Australia. 21 January 1889. p. 5. Retrieved 7 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "THE ALEXANDRA THEATRE". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 13, 286. Victoria, Australia. 21 January 1889. p. 6. Retrieved 7 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Other Theatres". The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. Vol. LV, no. 1715. New South Wales, Australia. 20 May 1893. p. 1017. Retrieved 7 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
edit- Marvellous Melbourne at AustLit
- Marvellous Melbourne at Ausstage
- Slaves of Sydney at Ausstage