Edward Solomon's piece was a great success at its London premiere, and the lavish settings and exotic costumes were much admired. As usual, with D'Oyly Carte shows, the first Scottish visit was divided between Glasgow and Edinburgh, but it does not seem to have come back for more, or have travelled further. Unusually for this usually reliable company, the actual standard of performance may have been at fault.
The Glasgow performances were at the Theatre Royal, a venue not often used by D'Oyly Carte. Usually, when the company brought a piece to Glasgow and Edinburgh it would return for a second visit taking in Dundee and Aberdeen, but this work does not seem to have returned.
Given Dundee's important trading links with India, this seems strange. Programmes for the Dundee theatre certainly list it among future events, so it may simply have been a scheduling problem that prevented a longer tour - planning and co-ordinating with so many theatres and multitudes of shows to fit in must have been a nightmare. This was especially the case when, like Dundee and Aberdeen, there was only one suitable theatre in the city. It must have been common for shows in effect to be 'turned away' because the theatre's schedule was already full.
Royal Lyceum Theatre | Edinburgh
5 Oct, 19.30 6 Oct, 19.30 7 Oct, 19.30 8 Oct, 19.30 9 Oct, 19.30 10 Oct, 19.30 12 Oct, 19.30 13 Oct, 19.30 14 Oct, 19.30 15 Oct, 19.30 16 Oct, 19.30 17 Oct, 19.30
Theatre Royal, Glasgow | Glasgow
19 Oct, 19.30 20 Oct, 19.30 21 Oct, 19.30 22 Oct, 19.30 23 Oct, 19.30 24 Oct, 19.30 26 Oct, 19.30 27 Oct, 19.30 28 Oct, 19.30 29 Oct, 19.30 30 Oct, 19.30 31 Oct, 19.30
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