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Source: State Library of Victoria.
Issue Details: First known date: 1871... 1871 Trookulentos the Tempter ; Or, Harlequin Cockatoo!! The Demon of Discontent, the Good Fairy of Contentment, and the Four-Leaved Shamrock of Australia
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Described in the Australian Town and Country Journal as 'a truly Australian pantomime - not a joint from another man's table dished up into a ragout' (30 Dec. 1871, p.852), the story concerns Trookulentos, the Demon of Discontent, who, having just returned from Sydney to his den in the Blue Mountains, is told that Fairy Placida has declared war against him and his followers. In an attempt to out-manoeuvre her, he persuades young Patrick O'Brien, a discontented native who also happens to be the object of Placida's affections, to leave his poor squatter parents and join his forces. Placida, with the aid of Cockatoo, attempts to intercept Patrick, but the demon's power is too strong, and he is able to lure the young man and his servant Bulgurroo (a 'blackfellow') to the bright lights of Sydney. There, Patrick meets a 'Swell of the Period', who begins introducing him to all manner of improper activities. He also takes up with a 'Girl of the Period', who believes him wealthy. Placida and her helpers work hard to free Patrick from Trookulentos' control and manage, at one stage, to entertain him just long enough for his parents to arrive and claim their runaway boy. However, the demon also reappears and claims him as his own. A pitched battle takes place between Placida's forces and those of her enemy. She eventually overcomes the demons, however, with this scene intended as a metaphor for the future of the colony. As a punishment, Placida imprisons Trookulentos and metamorphoses him into Clown. Patrick and two others are changed into Harlequin, Columbine, and Pantaloon.

The musical aspects of the production, arranged entirely by John Hill, comprised a selection of operatic material and the latest popular airs of the period.

The settings presented were:

Scene 1. Den of the Demon of Discontent.

Scene 2. Settler's Hut at the Foot of the Blue Mountains.

Scene 3. Happy Valley and Home of Perpetual Sunshine (incl. Grand Fairy Ballet of the Australian Flowers).

Scene 4. The New Oddfellows' Hall.

Scene 5. Hall of Novelties.

Scene 6. A Haunted Wood.

Scene 7. The Fairy Grotto Prison.

Grand Transformation Scene (Placid Lake of Pure Delight; Grotto of Gloom; Floral Arcades and Golden Glades; The Feats of Ferns, Fruits and Flowers; The Temple of Coruscating Jewels; The Rainbow Cataract and Cascade of Liquid Light).

Harlequinade (set in two well-known Sydney shops: a bakery and a George Street hairdresser's).

Adaptations

Trookulentos in a Nutshell; Or, The Demon of Discontent, and the Good Fairy of Contentment Garnet Walch , 1872 single work musical theatre burlesque fantasy humour

Garnet Walch's abridged adaptation of his own pantomime Trookulentos the Tempter was presented at a benefit given for the author the year after the original work premiered. The major characters are Trookulentos, Crosstyx, Glumpykuss, and Placida. Advertising for the benefit indicates that the 'miner' [sic] characters included fairies, Amazons, imps, demons, blue devils, Aborigines, a hairless horse, a big sun-fish, and Sir James Martin.

Production Details

  • 1871: Royal Victoria, Sydney, 26 December 1871 - 26 January 1872

    • Director/Stage Manager George Darrell; Music Arranger John Hill; Music Director Mr Miller; Chorus J. H. Flexmore and Carry Allnutte; Director of Comic Scenes Charles Ward; Costumes Mrs and Miss Stapleton, Manager John Bennett; Scenic Art Alexander Habbe.
    • Cast incl. George Darrell (Trookulentos), Patty Holt (Patrick John Angus Cornstalk O'Brien), Alicia Manderville (The Swell of the Period), Miss Montague (The Girl of the Period), Miss Allen (Betsy Ann Ward, a Yankee show woman), Lydia Howarde (Placide, the Fairy of Contentment), Miss J. Harwood (Waratah), Miss N. Murphy (Wattleblossom), John Howe (Shamus O'Brien, Patrick's father), W. Andrews (Judy O'Brien, Patrick's mother), Sam Poole (Bulgurroo, 'the native nut'), Mr Metcalf (Jeames, a flunky with a vengeance), H. H. Davis (The Cockatoo), J. Irvine (Glumpkuss), Mr Horton (Scorch-em-up), Mr Sweeney (Crossixy), Mr Dillon (Fizzleemdry), J. H. Flexmore (Harlequin), Mr Ford (Pantaloon), Carry Allnutte (Columbine), Charles Ward (Clown).
    • A comprehensive description of the principal characters is published in the Sydney Morning Herald 23 December 1871, p.4.
    • 19 performances.

    1875: Wellington, NZ, (no details).

    • Director/Stage Manager George Darrell.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1871
    • Parramatta, Parramatta area, Sydney, New South Wales,: Cumberland Times , 1872 .
      Link: U23335Full text resource (Sighted 27/08/2012)
      Extent: 44p.p.
      Note/s:
      • Sighted copy (VSL) contains a paper cover with quotations extracted from Sydney newspapers following the premiere. Presumably, this sheet was attached to the original publication for later sales of the pamphlet.

Works about this Work

y separately published work icon Australia on the Popular Stage 1829-1929 Margaret Williams , Melbourne : Oxford University Press , 1983 Z922827 1983 selected work
Dramatic and Musical Review Biron , 1871 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Town and Country Journal , 30 December vol. 4 no. 104 1871; (p. 852)

— Review of The House that Jack Built ; Or, Harlequin Jack Sydney, Little Australia and the Gnome of the Golden Mine, and the Australian Fernery in the Golden Conservatory, the Home of Diamantina W. M. Akhurst , Anonymous (fl 1871) , 1871 single work musical theatre ; Trookulentos the Tempter ; Or, Harlequin Cockatoo!! The Demon of Discontent, the Good Fairy of Contentment, and the Four-Leaved Shamrock of Australia Garnet Walch , 1871 single work musical theatre
Theatrical and Amusements 1871 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Mail , 30 December 1871; (p. 1395)

— Review of The House that Jack Built ; Or, Harlequin Jack Sydney, Little Australia and the Gnome of the Golden Mine, and the Australian Fernery in the Golden Conservatory, the Home of Diamantina W. M. Akhurst , Anonymous (fl 1871) , 1871 single work musical theatre ; Trookulentos the Tempter ; Or, Harlequin Cockatoo!! The Demon of Discontent, the Good Fairy of Contentment, and the Four-Leaved Shamrock of Australia Garnet Walch , 1871 single work musical theatre
The Christmas Pantomime at the Victoria 1871 single work review
— Appears in: Sydney Morning Herald , 26 December 1871; (p. 5)

— Review of Trookulentos the Tempter ; Or, Harlequin Cockatoo!! The Demon of Discontent, the Good Fairy of Contentment, and the Four-Leaved Shamrock of Australia Garnet Walch , 1871 single work musical theatre
The Christmas Pantomime at the Victoria 1871 single work review
— Appears in: Sydney Morning Herald , 26 December 1871; (p. 5)

— Review of Trookulentos the Tempter ; Or, Harlequin Cockatoo!! The Demon of Discontent, the Good Fairy of Contentment, and the Four-Leaved Shamrock of Australia Garnet Walch , 1871 single work musical theatre
Theatrical and Amusements 1871 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Mail , 30 December 1871; (p. 1395)

— Review of The House that Jack Built ; Or, Harlequin Jack Sydney, Little Australia and the Gnome of the Golden Mine, and the Australian Fernery in the Golden Conservatory, the Home of Diamantina W. M. Akhurst , Anonymous (fl 1871) , 1871 single work musical theatre ; Trookulentos the Tempter ; Or, Harlequin Cockatoo!! The Demon of Discontent, the Good Fairy of Contentment, and the Four-Leaved Shamrock of Australia Garnet Walch , 1871 single work musical theatre
Dramatic and Musical Review Biron , 1871 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Town and Country Journal , 30 December vol. 4 no. 104 1871; (p. 852)

— Review of The House that Jack Built ; Or, Harlequin Jack Sydney, Little Australia and the Gnome of the Golden Mine, and the Australian Fernery in the Golden Conservatory, the Home of Diamantina W. M. Akhurst , Anonymous (fl 1871) , 1871 single work musical theatre ; Trookulentos the Tempter ; Or, Harlequin Cockatoo!! The Demon of Discontent, the Good Fairy of Contentment, and the Four-Leaved Shamrock of Australia Garnet Walch , 1871 single work musical theatre
y separately published work icon Australia on the Popular Stage 1829-1929 Margaret Williams , Melbourne : Oxford University Press , 1983 Z922827 1983 selected work

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

Details have also been derived in part from the Annotated Calendar of Plays Premiered in Australia: 1870-1890.

Last amended 10 Oct 2014 10:11:19
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