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An American & an English Theatrical Production of B. M. Croker's "Terence". We have searched for information about Croker's plays on the internet but have been unable to find anything substantial. We therefore appeal to any visitor who has information on this subject to please contact us.
On 27 August 1903 Augustus Pitou produced an American dramatisation of B. M. Crokers' book "Terence" in the Metropolitan Opera House, St. Paul, Minnesota. The play was written by Mrs. Edmond Nash Morgan and edited by Eugene W. Presbrey. The lead role was played by Chancellor John (Chauncey) Olcott, (far right, as Terence) a noted "Irish" comedian and singer in the US, who impressed Croker when they eventually met. The action takes place in Ballybay, Shrule and Dublin, in Ireland.
ACT 1: The "Fly and Fish" Inn at Ballybay. Terence the Coachman. ACT 2: Mrs. O'Hara's Inn at Shrule. Saddling the wrong horse. ACT 3: Road near Ballybay - "The Devil's Elbow". The temptation of Terence. ACT 4: Reception room in the house of Sir Greville Fanshawe, Dublin, during a fancy dress ball. The last of the Desmonds.
Chauncey Olcott wrote four new ballads for the play and they are listed as; My Own Dear Irish Queen, The Girl I Used To Know, My Sonny Boy and Tick, Tack, Toe.
The St. Paul "Globe” of 19 August mentions the play and states that it will contain new songs especially written by Mr. Olcott. A later review (no date, but from a New York newspaper) seems to indicate that when they brought this play to Broadway it was Olcott's first performance there?
From the reviews it appears that the play was well received at the time. Images are not to scale.
St. Paul's "News" 1 Sept. 1903. "Chauncey Olcott's former successes are scarcely so bright when compared with the greeting tendered by theatre patrons to his new play "Terence". Without exaggeration, his audiences at the Metropolitan this week are delighted with the play, with the songs and with the unquestionably good acting of Mr. Olcott, to say nothing of his supporting company"
Four pages of cuttings (left) for the American version of "Terence".
Cuttings from the collection show that, apart from St. Paul and New York, the play was also staged in Lincoln and Omaha (Nebraska), Council Bluffs (Iowa), Chicago (Illinois), Grand Rapids and Detroit (Michigan), Cleveland (Ohio) and Pittsburgh ( Pennsylvania). The play ran for over two years and Olcott later promised to bring this version to England and Australia! As things turned out he didn't come to England and no reviews for Australia are currently known, but Mrs. Croker collected "hundreds" of cuttings for the American version, which she mentions in a July 1905 letter.* (Is this the scrapbook illustrated here? **).
She wrote to her literary agent Morris Colles that the American play was Chauncey Alcott's "greatest success". She continues "It is said that Mr. Olcott cleared 140,000 [dollars?] the first year. He sings as well as acts and is a very attractive personality - the American Waller". This is a reference to the actor Lewis Waller whom she hoped would take her version of the play to England but "Mr Waller's reader sent [it] back". She later sent it to Sir Charles Wyndham and Otho Stewart, amongst others, but without success. In a letter of December 1905 she intimated that the reason her play was not staged in England was because Ireland "was not popular" there - but this may not have been the only reason for the lack of support she received! *
In December 1909 the play was performed at The Fulham, London and in May 1910 at The Pleasure Gardens Theatre, Folkestone, with Mr. A. Austin-Leigh in the role of Terence. Although also a four-act play, the action in the English version is set in Co. Kerry. According to the cuttings in the scrapbook the play was well received. Though "marked for success" by one critic there are no further additions after The Folkestone Herald entry of June 1st and the following pages of the scrapbook are blank, therefore we conclude that it was not re-staged after this date. (Wolff erroneously stated in his book * that the play was NOT staged in England)! There was also talk of taking it to Ireland?
Two pages of cuttings for the English stage version of "Terence".
* Letters to Morris Colles:1905 - 1908. References published in Robert Lee Wolff’s "Nineteenth-Century Fiction" catalogue Vol. 1 (1981). The Ransom Centre at the University of Texas - Austin has Wolff's original documents and may also have these letters?. My thanks to Melissa Edmundson for the extra sources. ** This scrapbook, along with two others, is now in the Local Studies Section of Roscommon County Library.
An unusual and interesting version of "Terence" published by F. M. Buckles & Company of New York. Undated but with "Copyright 1899" on page 6. This version contains the addition - "Olcott" Edition - and a photograph on the front cover (above: left). It also includes photographs of Chauncey Olcott in the text (above: centre) and the events of the book are centred on Ballybay (rather than Kerry, as in Crokers original). The print on the right is the same as the one on the front cover and is by Donovan of New York.
Though the book has a late nineteenth century Copyright date, the illustrations are from the 1903 - 05 production? The "Copyright 1899" text appears to be simply a reference to the original copyright held by the publishers? B. M. Croker refers in her correspondence to having a copy of "the American edition of Terence". Her letter is dated 1905. If anyone knows when this book was printed or has any further information on it - please contact us. More information required, especially on the English Productions and on any possible Irish or Australian staging? Please contact us. |
A
year later, in January 1907, she declared that she was going to
stage the play herself in the Repertoire Theatre in Margate
under the auspices of Mr. E. Michael? Further letters through to
1908 appear to show that the production was publicly staged at least
once and made £170.* 
