Described by Errol O'Neil as relatively simple, and in a more agit-prop style than previous productions, Dutch Treat's topical subject matter also gave it an immediate impact with audiences. O'Neil further notes:
The idea for the show came from journalist Anthony Samson, who suggested in a book on the activities of multi-national companies that they were modern-day pirates in the precise sense of having allegiance to no nation but simply operating under flags of convenience. Dutch Treat had characters dressed as pirates but carrying businessmen's umbrellas and, in a Hollywood swashbuckling pirate musical style combined with agit-prop placards and demonstration scenes, analysed the role of international capital in Australia, particularly after the sacking of the Whitlam government in November 1975.
Source: Errol O'Neill. Challenging the Centre, p.65.
1976: First staged during the Popular Theatre Troupes North Queensland tour; April
