The Rebel Chief
| The Rebel Chief | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Francis Belfield |
| Date premiered | December 14, 1849[1] |
| Place premiered | Queens Theatre, Melbourne |
| Original language | English |
The Rebel Chief is a 1849 Australian stage play by Francis Belfield. It was produced at a time when Australian plays were extremely rare.[2]
The play was also revived a number of times.[3][4][5]
Bells Life said "it has all the requisites of a good drama – the plot is excellent and clearly developed; tho situations are of thrilling interest; the characters naturally drawn, and tbo language is powerful without hyperbole or exaggeration."[6]
Leslie Rees later called it "a longer, multicoloured melodrama set in the reign of Charles the Second, with a comic Irishman and his biddy thrown in for good measure. The dialogue was highfalutin, to say the least. Mr Belfield gallantly attempted to breathe life into it by filling the title-role himself."[7]
The play was published in 1850.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Advertising". The Argus (Melbourne). Vol. II, no. 239. Victoria, Australia. 13 December 1849. p. 3. Retrieved 8 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Pelosi, Janette. "Colonial drama revealed, or plays submitted for approval". Margin: life & letters in early Australia, no. 60, July-Aug. 2003, pp. 21+. Gale Academic OneFile, . Accessed 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Domestic Gazette". Port Phillip Gazette and Settler's Journal. Vol. X, no. 1974. Victoria, Australia. 23 February 1850. p. 2. Retrieved 8 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. Vol. XXX, no. 4328. New South Wales, Australia. 31 March 1851. p. 2. Retrieved 8 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Advertising". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 2688. Victoria, Australia. 4 February 1856. p. 8. Retrieved 8 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Local Intelligence". Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer. Vol. VII, no. 66. New South Wales, Australia. 5 April 1851. p. 2. Retrieved 8 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Rees, Leslie. Australian drama, 1970-1985: a historical and critical survey. p. 26.
- ^ "Sydney Diary". The Sun. No. 12, 676. New South Wales, Australia. 13 September 1950. p. 25 (Late final extra). Retrieved 8 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
[edit]- The Rebel Chief at Ausstage
- Full copy of play at State Library of New South Wales