Described in advertising as an 'up-to-date musical comedy,' The Two Scamps is based on the German play Robert und Bertram (1856). It concerns Bert and Bob, two tramps (also referred to as 'Jack Shepherds'), who escape from imprisonment, disguise themselves as an English Lord and Italian opera singer, and while on the run get themselves invited into the mansion of a wealthy parvenu. After despoiling their host and one of his friends the pair change their disguises and flee aboard a streamer. They are eventually brought to justice, however, by the would-be lover of the host's daughter. The young man has been rejected by the father and in a desperate effort to win his favour turns detective hoping to track down the two criminals.
Interestingly the par of Bert was played by Miss Mina Phillips. One critic wrote of Bert and Bob, 'their chief accomplishments appear to be an aptitude to take advantage of a decided looseness of lock-up regulations, which enable them to escape as soon as arrested, which happened so often as to become slightly monotonous' ('Opera House - The Two Scamps,' Australian Star 1 May 1899, p.7). Another, from Sydney's Evening News, records:
Both are of the 'bad lot' type, but they carry out their nefarious schemes with a sangfroid which would bare done credit to the fashionable pickpocket of the end of the eighteenth century. Indeed there is a vein running through the comedy strongly reminiscent of the adventures of 'Robert Macaire' ("Opera House - The Two Scamps." 2 May 1899, p.8).
The Two Scamps received largely positive reviews from the Sydney press, with most agreeing that Phillips and her co-star. T. Edmond Leonard, were well-suited to the roles. Although the libretto was considered minimal, it was viewed as 'infinitesimal' by the Australian Star critic (p.7) and 'slight' by the Referee's critic (3 May 1899, p.10), Tucker nevertheless drew much praise for his topical hits and local allusions - among them references to the Paddington military band, the Premier and his Federal proposals. The libretto also allowed for a number of show highlights, one of which was a country dance that preceded a wedding procession.
Hermann Florack's score and original songs were also well-praised, as was the orchestra and the singing by both the principal cast and the support ensemble. The musical's songs included 'Off to Philadelphia (parody sung by T. Edmond Leonard), 'The Deathless Army (Wentworth), 'Tyroleon Serenade' (Shepherd), 'Known to Everybody in the Force' (Phillips), 'Dreaming' (Miriam Lewis), 'If You Only Know the Way to tell the Tale' (Phillips and Leonard), 'Swinging' and 'Come My Beloved' (Shepherd and Lewis), and 'The Skipper' (Ambrose).
Source: 'H. Florack.' Australian Variety Theatre Archive : Popular Culture Entertainment: 1850-1930.
