Issue Details: First known date: 1875... 1875 A Froggee Would a Wooing Go ; Or, Harlequin Al Kohol the Bad Djinn, the Pretty Princess, and the Fairy of the Dancing Water
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

The story begins with a prologue, set on a beach at Sorrento, where the Stewart sisters and H. R. Harwood discuss the subject of the next pantomime. The demon Djin Al Kohol then enters and promises to aid the Frog King in his attempt to win the hand of Princess Zu Zu. In this scene "plentifully interlarded with local allusions" they contrive to carry off Princess Zu Zu if all else fails. The pantomime then moves to the palace of King Djol Sopht and Queen Schezatarta (the real power of the realm), Froggee arrives at the court and presses his suit for the hand of the princess, but his intentions are put on hold when the royal parents decree that the successful suitor must first procure a bottle of water from the fountain of dancing water, which is believed to exist somewhere but no one has yet found it. Froggee soon learns that his most ardent rival is, Prince Agib, who is being assisted by the good fairy Namoune.

After adventures in various locales, including the palace of King Loll-I-Pops, the Peri Lake, the cave of Al-Kohol (which sees him present a peep show panorama of the Prince of Wales' route to the East), and Banyon Groves. Eventually, with the help of the good fairy Prince Agib wins his quest and is granted the hand of Princess Zu Zu, who naturally has been in love with him all the time (Argus 28 December 1875, p.6). The panorama consisted of 12 views beginning with Windsor Castle and moving though Venice, the Red Sea, Madras, Calcutta and other localities.

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]

Notes

  • Although most likely adapted from William Brough's Frog He Would a Wooing Go, it is also possible that the original source may have been an anonymous pantomime which premiered in Brighton (UK) in 1874 under the title Froggy Would a Wooing Go; Or, Harlequin Lily White Duck, the Pretty Princess, and the Fairies of the Dancing Water.
  • Writing of this production the Age theatre critic records: 'The perplexities that beset a theatrical management [which] has to provide entertainment for a fastidious public are brought prominently forward in the opening scene, and Mr Harwood is represented as endeavouring to draw some inspiration from the sea on the sands at Sorrento. The brain-cudgelling is overcome by a frog, which obligingly appears on the scene, and suggests the idea that frog known to fame who would a wooing go. The notion is handed over to Mr Walch whose fertile imagination concocts a perfect story of a frog in love, assisted in his love by a demon named Al-Kohol. The machinations of the froggie end in his taking to his native waters and being swallowed up by an enormous white duck, the mechanism and portraiture of which are not faultlessly true to natural history. The duck appears in fact to be as tardy in swallowing Froggie as the audience sometimes were in taking the puns and jokes interspersed throughout the piece. However, the earnest love of Prince Agib... after innumerable crosses is rewarded by his securing the hand of Zu Zu, a fair princess, and they are eventually raised to the seventh heaven of the transformation scene by the good Peri Namoune... who watches over Zu Zu and her lover, and finally secures them the enjoyment of a happy wedlock in spite of covetous rivals, in spite of Al-Kohol, [and] in spite of Froggee and all his amphibious troop. Mr Walch has attempted to acclimatise the pantomime as far as possible, but the effort to transplant such a species of entertainment has proved in his hands, and will probably remain, an unaccomplished task. An author might as well attempt to make ghost stories and haunted houses racy of the soil, as to attempt to produce a really Australian pantomime. Excepting the mention of some native places and the introduction of some local hits, the production is purely exotic, oriental, and foreign as a piece could well be' (28 December 1875, p.3).

Production Details

  • 1875: Theatre Royal, Melbourne; 27 December 1875 - 29 January 2-4 Feb 1876

    • Director Henry R. Harwood; Producer/Lessee. Harwood, Stewart, Hennings and Coppin; Music Arranger Mr Hore (vocal music) and Frederick Coppin (incidental music and overture); Scenic Art Charles Brew, John Hennings, Harry Grist and John Little; Choreography Mons. Massartic; Costumes Mde Jager; Stage Manager Mr Dampier.
    • Troupe: Royal Burlesque Company.
    • Cast incl. H. Deorwyn (Djol-I-Sopht, a King of the Period), Docy Stewart (Prince Agib), Nellie Stewart (Prince Selim), Constance Deorwyn (Prince Hassan), Richard Stewart (Roley the First, King of Frogland), Florence Norman (Loll-I-Pops, King of the Land of Sweets and Comfits), Miss Maynard (Lord Al Ber Trock), Jenny Watt (Lord Schoo Gar Kandi), J. Dias (Djellee (an attendant to King Loll-I-Pops), Henry R. Harwood (Al-Kohol (a very bad spirit called in the Eastern language Djinn), J. R. Greville (Queen Schezatarta - the considerably better half of King Djol-I-Sopht), Jenny Bryce (Zu Zu - her one fair daughter, with a weakness for Agib), Maggie Stewart (Namouna - a Peri watching over Zu Zu), Miss Millman (Zelma - another Peri doing very much the same), A. Nobler (Old Tommie - a good strong tumbler), Colonial Pinto (Shandiegaff), J. Caesar (Sir Officer), Mr Tippler (Raw Whiskie - a dangerous spirit), Boleno Brown (Allale), Joey Brooks, Mr Maynard, Rosalie and Heloise Duvalli (dancers), Baby Osborne (dancer); Harlequinade - Mons. Massartic (Harlequin), Constance Deorwyn (Harlequina), Rosalie Duvalli (Harlequin - a la Watteau), Heloise Duvalli (Columbine 1), Alice Deorwyn (Columbine 2), Tom Wieland (Clown), Boleno Brown (Pantaloon).
    • Minor characters incl. Zaidee, Coralie, Silvermist, Sparklingdew, Nymphs, Rosey Lips, Golden Hair, Lilybell, Snowdrop, Forget-me-Not, Twinklingeye, Prettifeet - ("by a number of ladies too beautiful to be named"); Nubians, Fairy Dancers, Barley-Sugar Courtiers, Royal Grooms, Corps de Ballet.
    • 24 performances.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

Theatre Royal 1875 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 28 December 1875; (p. 3)

— Review of A Froggee Would a Wooing Go ; Or, Harlequin Al Kohol the Bad Djinn, the Pretty Princess, and the Fairy of the Dancing Water Garnet Walch , 1875 single work musical theatre
The Christmas Pantomimes : The Theatre Royal 1875 single work review
— Appears in: The Argus , 28 December 1875; (p. 6)

— Review of A Froggee Would a Wooing Go ; Or, Harlequin Al Kohol the Bad Djinn, the Pretty Princess, and the Fairy of the Dancing Water Garnet Walch , 1875 single work musical theatre
The Christmas Pantomimes : The Theatre Royal 1875 single work review
— Appears in: The Argus , 28 December 1875; (p. 6)

— Review of A Froggee Would a Wooing Go ; Or, Harlequin Al Kohol the Bad Djinn, the Pretty Princess, and the Fairy of the Dancing Water Garnet Walch , 1875 single work musical theatre
Theatre Royal 1875 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 28 December 1875; (p. 3)

— Review of A Froggee Would a Wooing Go ; Or, Harlequin Al Kohol the Bad Djinn, the Pretty Princess, and the Fairy of the Dancing Water Garnet Walch , 1875 single work musical theatre

PeriodicalNewspaper Details

Note:
This entry has been sourced from research undertaken by Dr Clay Djubal into Australian-written popular music theatre (ca. 1850-1930). See also the Australian Variety Theatre Archive
Last amended 1 Apr 2014 11:03:59
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