THE MINOR DRAMA.
The Acting Edition.
No. CXXXI.
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THE CORSAIR;
OR, THE
LITTLE FAIRY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.
A New Christmas Burlesque and Pantomime,
Founded upon the Ballet of “Le Corsaire.”
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BY WILLIAM BROUGH, ESQ.,
Author of Perdita, or the Royal Milkmaid, Prince Prettypet and the
Butterfly, Trying It On, Phenomenon in a Smock-frock,
A Comical Countess, &c., &c.
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TO WHICH ARE ADDED
A description of the Costume--Cast of the Characters--Entrances
and Exits--Relative Positions of the Performers on the
Stage, and the whole of the Stage Business.
AS PERFORMED AT THE
PRINCIPAL ENGLISH AND AMERICAN THEATRES.
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NEW YORK:
SAMUEL FRENCH,
122 NASSAU STREET; (UP STAIRS.)
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Cast of Characters.--[THE CORSAIR.]
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Royal Wallack’s
Lyceum, Theatre
London, 1857.
Dec. 26,
1856.
_Conrad, the Corsair_, (“a notable Pirate and Mrs. A. Mrs. John
salt water Thief,” gloomy, misanthropical, Melion, Wood.
ironical and Byronical,) LATE Miss
Woolgar.
_Birbanto_, (his Lieutenant--an Officer, but not a Mr. J. L. Mr. John
Gentleman,) Toole. Wood.
_Seyd (or Seedy) Pasha_, (a terrible Turk,) Mr. Mr. H. B.
Barrett. Phillips.
_Syng Smaul_, (a General Officer--Major-domo, Head Mr. Mr.
Cook and Bottle-washer to the Pasha,) Holston. Holmes.
_Yussuf_, (in his own country Joseph--or Mr. S. Mr.
familiarly, Old Joe--a renegade Slave Merchant,) Calharm. Peters.
_Hassan_, (a Boatswain,) Miss
Goward.
_Medora_, (a Grecian Maiden, Niece and Ward to Mrs. C. Miss J.
Yussuf--a sacred pledge intrusted to her uncle,) Dillon. Manners.
_Gulnare_, (the reigning Beauty of the Pasha’s Mrs. B. Mrs.
Harem, his favorite, and most other people’s, White. Vernon.
it is hoped--including the audience,)
_Zuliema_, (a “light of other days” a little Mrs. C. Mrs. Cook.
“faded,”) Melville.
_Submarina_, (the Fairy guardian of the Deep, Miss J. Mrs. H. B.
Deep Sea, Chief Inspector of the Ocean Police, Ryder. Phillips.
and Deputy Ruler of the Waves,)
_Serena_, (the Little Fairy at the bottom of the Mrs. M. Miss Emily
Sea,) Wilton. Milton.
_Corsairs, Slaves, Odalisques, Almas, Water Nymphs, Fairies, Guards,
Attendants, &c._
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THE CORSAIR.
SCENE I.--_Marine Aquarium, or Naiad’s Coralline Temple--WATER SPIRITS
discovered sleeping in shells; TRITONS come in and arouse them, by
sounding their conches; SPIRITS rise and dance; a coral grotto
rises, having in it SUBMARINA, CORALIA, AZURINA, TEMPESTIA, &c._
_Sub._ Friends, mermaids, sprites and guardians of the sea,
Leave off your dancing and attend to me;
This is a public meeting, not a ball;
Here come, I’ll take the chair--now silence, all.
_All._ Hear! hear!
_Sub._ [C.] Do let me speak, I say, once more--
Friends, sprites and guardians,
_Cor._ That you said before.
_Sub._ Another interruption of this sort,
And I’ll--
_Cor._ [R. C.] Well, well, go on--but cut it short;
_Sub._ Friends, sprites, _et cetera_--We’ve assembled thus,
The state of our dominions to discuss;
Each day we read, in the _Subaqueous Times_,
Of murders, robberies, and other crimes,
Daily committed with impunity,
In open day--upon the open sea--
Till none are safe who roam the ocean o’er.
_Cor._ They’re just as safe as if they stayed on shore;
There, too, I’m told, you’ll find on the increase--
Burglaries--robberies--but _not_ police.
_Sub._ Pray, what’s the shore to you--
_Cor._ I but to tell ye meant.
_Sub._ Pooh! pooh! on land we’re quite out of our element;
What we’ve to do, is to find out some plan
To rid the ocean of that bad young man,
Conrad the Corsair.--None can safety gain
Until, like gas, he’s turned off from the main;
At all attempts to do so, he has laughed,
While his great cunning saves his little craft;
All commerce doth he from the waters sweep--
Cleans out the simple ones and scours the deep;
None cross the seas thro’ fear of this vile rover--
Their spirits fail, ere they get half seas over--
In short, unless mankind from him we save,
There’ll soon be _no_ life on the ocean wave.
_Cor._ What shall we do, in his career to check him--
_Azurina._ Hang him!
_Sub._ Can’t catch him.
_Tempestia._ Raise a storm and wreck him.
_Sub._ A good idea, most reckless of all men;
His ship destroyed, he’ll not be wreckless then.
About it straight.
_Music._--_SERENA rises through trap, L. C._
_Serena._ One moment hear me, pray.
_Sub._ A motion, an arrest of judgment, eh!
_Serena._ Not only that, but one for a new trial.
_Sub._ Nay--his guilt’s plain.
_Serena._ Too plain for my denial.
But ’stead of punishing, could we reclaim him--
_Sub._ Can you reclaim a tiger?
_Serena._ You can tame him!
Let me attempt the task.
_Cor._ Nay, have a care,
We don’t want Conrad made a tame affair.
_Sub._ Say by what potent magic will you try?
_Serena._ One which the rudest breast can purify--
Lifting the soul all meaner thoughts above--
The magic influence of woman’s love.
_Cor._ Ho! ho! I see--the Corsair’s handsome face
And figure, eh?
_Azurina._ A most decided case.
_Cor._ You’re smitten, miss.
_Serena._ I scorn the imputation;
I am a fairy, and I know my station!
_Sub._ No quarreling--I own your plan seems strange;
Think you that love can work this mighty change?
_Serena._ Madam, I’ve heard of fast young men on town,
Desperate dogs, by marriage settled down--
Men, who for years would not go home till morning,
Found the domestic tea-table adorning;
Smokers, I’ve heard, have put their pipes out--nay
I’ve even heard of latch-keys thrown away.
Can love do this, and yet be unavailing,
To cure a paltry pirate’s little failing?
Let Conrad only get a loving wife,
And, on my word, he’ll lead another life.
_Sub._ Enough--we’ll try your plan.
_Serena._ I ask no more,
Than leave of absence for a month on shore--
If, ere that time be passed, I don’t succeed,
Then wreck him, or whate’er you please--
_Sub._ Agreed!
[_Music._--_The SPIRITS form a group, and SERENA is seen
darting up towards the earth as the scene closes._