Children in the Wood

The Children in the Wood is a 1793 two-act musical play with a libretto by English playwright Thomas Morton and music by Samuel Arnold. It was derived from the children's story Babes in the Wood,[1] and was very popular into the early 19th century.[2][3]

The Children in the Wood
Robert William Elliston as Walter
Written byThomas Morton, Samuel Arnold
Date premieredOctober 1, 1793
Place premieredTheatre Royal Haymarket, London
Original languageEnglish

The play debuted at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on October 1, 1793. The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure called it "one of the most interesting trifles that has been lately exhibited." "The subject is the old legendary tale of the Babes of the Wood; and though the author has necessarily departed from the anecdote in the ballad, by saving the infants, he has imparted much tenderness and simplicity to the fable, and in the gayer scenes thrown much cheerfulness into his characters." The review also praised the performance of actor John Bannister.[4]

Original cast

The following appeared in the original cast for the play:[5][6]

References
  1. "Children in the Wood". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. The Children in the wood, American Antiquarian Society, Retrieved 31 August 2023
  3. Memoirs of John Bannister. Vol. I. Archive.org. 1839. pp. 316–321.
  4. "The Theatre". The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure. Google Books. October 1793. p. 301.
  5. The Children in the Wood. Google Books. 1796.
  6. A Biographical Dictionary of Actors. Vol. 10. Google Books. 1984. pp. 190–192. (Biographical entries on Frederick Menage and Mary Menage, the child actors.)
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