''The West Indian'' is a play by

Richard Cumberland Richard Cumberland may refer to: * Richard Cumberland (philosopher) (1631–1718), bishop, philosopher * Richard Cumberland (dramatist) (1732–1811), civil servant, dramatist * Richard Cumberland (priest) (1710–1737), Archdeacon of Northa ...

first staged at the

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

in 1771. A comedy, it depicts Belcour, a West Indian plantation-owner, travelling to Britain. Belcour tries to overcome his father's lingering disapproval of him and marry his sweetheart Louisa. Its hero, who probably owes much to the suggestion of Garrick, is a young scapegrace fresh from the tropics, "with rum and sugar enough belonging to him to make all the water in the Thames into punch," — a libertine with generous instincts, which prevail in the end. This early example of the modern drama was favorably received; Boden translated it into German, and Goethe acted in it at the Weimar court. The play was a success running for 28 performances in its original run and was Cumberland's most popular comic work. One of the Drury Lane staff observed "the success which has attended the performances of ''The West Indian'' has exceeded that of any comedy within the memory of the oldest man living". The play proved popular in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and was staged in the West Indies, British North America, and in the United States. It was the first English language play known to have been staged in Jersey (on 5 May 1792). It was staged at Yale on April 13, 1773 by an all male cast who were members of the Linonian literary society, which included

Nathan Hale Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was an American Patriot, soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City but was captured b ...

and David Bushnell. A popular character was the Irishman Major O'Flaherty who re-appeared in the 1785 play ''

The Natural Son ''The Natural Son'' is a comedy play by the British writer Richard Cumberland. It was first staged at the Drury Lane Theatre in London in December 1784. The play is notable for the return of the popular character Major O'Flaherty from Cumberland ...

''. The play was one of a number written by Cumberland that contained sympathetic depictions of

colonists A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

from the British Empire. Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition

Bibliography

* Arnold, Albert James. ''A History of Literature in the Caribbean: English- and Dutch-speaking countries''. John Benjamins Publishing, 2001. * Nettleton, George H. & Case, Arthur E. ''British Dramatists from Dryden to Sheridan''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West Indian, The Plays by Richard Cumberland 1771 plays