Great War Theatre

Examiner of Plays' Summary:

This is a clever amusing, rather caustic comedy the central figure is one, Sam Apples, a trade union secretary. The is a blustering humbug, merely out for his own interests politically and a would-be, ineffectual bully at home. He is run as a candidate for parliament by his union. But disasters overtake him. The leader of the temperance party supports him and loses him votes among the drinkers and then deserts him after finding him in the act of drinking. Lord Ferriport is instigated to make a speech for him, and that loses him the anti-lord vote, Ferriport’s son wants to marry his daughter with the same vote-losing result. Finally, having been badly beaten in the election he rounds on his former friends in disgust s and accepts a position as an ‘anti-socialist lecturer’. This was given him by Lord Ferriport as a reward for breaking off the above-mentioned marriage, but in reality the girl has only been amusing herself and has no intention of marrying Lord Ferriport’s son, who is a sprig of the first water, a eugenics and entirely without any real passion. The state of the labour party in the imaginary Ferriport is not flattered, and possibly somebody may object to a labour leader - even a very minor one- being made such a fraud. But political satire is a legitimate theme for a play, and so far as I can tell no actual person is aimed at.

Licensed On: 9 Nov 1916

License Number: 568

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British Library Reference: LCP1916/27

British Library Classmark: Add MS 66148 Q

Performances

Date Theatre Type
20 Nov 1916 Gaiety Theatre, Manchester Unknown Licensed Performance