"Fool Of The Family" 19th c. American Stage Play Handwritten Actor’s Prompt Book

, circa 1860; 8" x 10", 20 pages; 1/4 leather; marbled boards. Actor’s prompt book for "Fool Of The Family" one act comedy taking place on the estate of prosperous land owner Mr. Sanders, indulgent father of two nubile daughters, the elder of which, Lucretia, is conscious of her elevated social position and affects high society manners, while Betty, the "fool of the family," is rustic, frank to a fault, perfectly content with kitchen work and farming chores, and thus a source of some embarrassment to her sister. Lucretia is openly pursued by Augustus Gumption, foppish aristocratic milksop with an eye on her dowry. Betty is secretly desired by Zebulon, a common farm hand who has just been promoted to farm manager by Mr. Sanders and so feels qualified to seek the hand of the squire’s daughter. Geographic setting not specified, but references to Boston would suggest somewhere in New England. Author unidentified, however initials R.M.B. are inscribed on the verso of page one. Cast list at the front shows popular American comedic actress Miss Julia Daly in the title role of Betty Sanders. The U. of Mass. Adelphi Theater Project database documents this play, with Miss Daly in the role of Betty, engaged for a six week run at the Adelphi in London from July 12 to August 25, 1860, and a broadside in the collection of the Library Of Congress advertises a performance, with Ms. Daly again in the lead, at the Boston Academy of Music in October of 1861. A handwritten notation on the verso of the last page of the book by prompter Geo. B. Berrell makes record of a performance on April 19, 1877 at Debar’s Theater in St. Louis, some seventeen years after the London production. Such longevity would seem to indicate considerable popularity of both this play and its actress. Daly’s other recorded credits include "Ireland As It Was," "Child Of The Regiment," and "In And Out Of Place" (at Cleveland’s Atheneum in 1864), in which she played seven parts, garnering enthusiastic praise in the "Ohio Statesman" newspaper. Very Good. Inside front cover hinge cracked, diagonal tear on third blank front end paper repaired with japan paper. Gilt-stamped morocco ownership label on the front bears the name of actor-manager Wayne Olwine, Julia Daly’s husband. In 1854 Olwine was hired by publisher William Vaughn Spencer to write the texts and prefaces for his distinguished American play series "The Boston Theatre." Olwine later moved to New York where he went on to publish his own series entitled "Olwine’s New York Theatre." He died in 1862.