Nellie Lacey and the Bushranger
| Genre | drama play |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 mins (9:00 pm – 9:30 pm) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | ABC |
| Starring | Patricia Kennedy |
| Written by | Charles Porter |
| Directed by | John Cairns |
| Recording studio | Melbourne |
| Original release | March 13, 1943 |
Nellie Lacey and the Bushranger is an Australian stage play by Charles Porter.
It was published in a 1944 collection of plays Six Australian one-act plays by Louis Esson [and others] by Mulga Publications.[1] The Bulletin said the play "(it would surely be better without its prologue and epilogue) has one nice moment of irony when the weakling settler, mistakenly believing that fifty guineas given by Midnight to his wife is a payment for her infidelity, “forgives” her for the sake of the money."[2]
The ABC originally produced it for radio in 1943, repeated it later that year, and produced it again in 1945[3] and once more in Brisbane in 1950.[4]
It is arguably the best known play from Porter, who Leslie Rees said "has an unusually precise ear for sound, and some psychological understanding, though critics have objected that his plays are fragmentary." Rees called the play "An engaging period trifle."[5]
Premise[edit]
A man and his wife are visited by the bushranger Captain Midnight.
References[edit]
- ^ "From The "Scribe's" Book Case". The Mercury. Vol. CLX, no. 23, 018. Tasmania, Australia. 9 September 1944. p. 10. Retrieved 18 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Six One-acters", The Bulletin, John Ryan Comic Collection (Specific issues)., 65 (3374), Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 11 Oct 1944, retrieved 18 October 2023 – via Trove
- ^ "Programme Hightlights – What's on This Week", ABC Weekly, 7 (33), Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Commission, 18 August 1945, retrieved 18 October 2023 – via Trove
- ^ "The Week's Plays Over the A.B.C.", ABC Weekly, 12 (16), Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Commission, 22 April 1950, retrieved 18 October 2023 – via Trove
- ^ Rees, Leslie (1953). Towards An Australian Drama. p. 102.
External links[edit]
- Nellie Lacey and Bushranger at Ausstage