The Native Born

The Native Born
Poster from original production
Written byBert Bailey
Edmund Duggan
Date premiered8 February 1913[1]
Place premieredTheatre Royal, Hobart
Original languageEnglish
GenreMelodrama
SettingThe region near Mount Kosciuszko

The Native Born is an Australian play written by Bert Bailey and Edmund Duggan under the name of Albert Edmunds. It was first produced in 1913 by Bailey's own company.[2]

Synopsis

The plot is set in the region near Mount Kosciuszko during the early days of European settlement of New South Wales. Neal Blackmore, a land speculator, discovers a gold deposit on the property owned by selector John Hillgrove and tries to get his hands on it. Blackmore desires Lily Armidale, who is in love with Hillgrove's son Jack - who is loved in turn by Blackmore's sister, Alma. The Blackmores henchman Solly Steele uses a loaded whip to kill an old fossicker called Kosciusko Joe, who also knows about the gold deposit, and frames Jack Hillgrove for the murder.

Comic relief is provided by Miss Cruikshank, Lily's man-hating maiden aunt; a magician called Charles Spinnifex (who falls for Hillgrove's daughter Cissie) and his assistant Willie Staggers; and a Scottish policeman.[3] [4]

During one scene, Spinnifex's magic abilities allow Jack to escape the villains; in another, they enable the heroes to play upon the superstitions of the Blackmore henchman, Barcoo.[5] The climax involves Jack rescuing Lily from Blackmore's henchmen during a snow storm.

Background

The play was written by August 1912.[6]

Reception

The Hobart Mercury said "the play is a very original work, with a well sustained plot and a pretty love story."[7]

The Sydney Morning Herald said "comedy, smart dialogue, and dramatic effect are judiciously interwoven."[8]

They play was popular, although not as much as Bailey and Duggan's earlier collaboration, On Our Selection.[9]

Original cast

  • Bert Bailey as Charles Spinnifex
  • Alfreda Bevan as Miss Cruikshank
  • Mary Marlow as Lily Armidale
  • George Treloar as Neal Blackmore
  • Lilias Adoson as Alma Blackmore
  • Edmund Duggan as John Hillgrove
  • Alred Harford as Constable Finegan
  • Guy Hastings as Jack Hillgrove
  • Laura Roberts as Cisse Hillgrove
  • Fred MacDonald as Willie Staggers
  • George Kensington as Solly Steele
  • Arthur Betram as Kosciusko Joe
  • J K Lennon as Barcoo

References

  1. ^ ""The Native Born"". Daily Post. Vol. VI, no. 34. Tasmania, Australia. 8 February 1913. p. 12. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Table Talk with Bert Bailey". Sydney Mail. Vol. III, no. 74. New South Wales, Australia. 27 August 1913. p. 13. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "AMUSEMENTS." The Mercury (Hobart) 10 Feb 1913: 3
  4. ^ ""The Native Born"". Sunday Times. No. 1439. New South Wales, Australia. 17 August 1913. p. 3. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "THE NATIVE BORN." The Sydney Morning Herald 18 Aug 1913: 5
  6. ^ "Dramtic Notes". Evening Journal. Vol. XLVI, no. 12897. South Australia. 31 August 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Amusements". The Mercury. Vol. XCVIII, no. 13, 375. Tasmania, Australia. 10 February 1913. p. 3. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ ""The Native Born"". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. [?]. New South Wales, Australia. 18 August 1913. p. 5. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Bert Bailey at Live Performance Hall of Fame