''The Ticket-of-Leave Man'' is an 1863 stage

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...

in four acts by the British writer

Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literature and language ...

, based on a French drama, ''Le Retour de Melun''. It takes its name from the

Ticket of Leave A ticket of leave was a document of parole issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in Britain and later adapted by the United States, Canada, and Ireland. Jurisdictions ...

issued to convicts when they were released from jail on parole. A recently returned convict is blackmailed by another man into committing a robbery, but is rescued thanks to the intervention of a detective. It has been described as probably being the first play about a detective. The play introduced the character of

Hawkshaw the Detective Hawkshaw the Detective was a comic strip character featured in an eponymous cartoon serial by Gus Mager from February 23, 1913, to November 12, 1922, and again from December 13, 1931, to 1952. (The revival was a topper to '' The Captain and the ...

, with "Hawkshaw" becoming a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are al ...

for a detective. It was not well received by critics, but proved very popular with audiences and was constantly revived, becoming one of the standard works of Victorian melodrama.

First production

The play was first produced in March 1863 at the

Olympic Theatre The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout ...

in London. The cast included

Henry Gartside Neville Thomas Henry Gartside Neville (20 June 1837 – 19 June 1910) was an English actor, dramatist, teacher and theatre manager. He began his career playing dashing juvenile leads, later specialising in Shakespearean roles, modern comedy and melodram ...

as Robert Brierly, Horace Wigan as Hawkshaw, Robert Soutar as Green Jones and Kate Saville as May Edwards. A reviewer in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'' wrote, " Mr. Tom Taylor, one of our ablest dramatic writers, has treated a great social question with a definite purpose, a degree of artistic skill, and a depth of earnestness... which render ''The Ticket-of-Leave Man'' to be viewed in no ordinary light."30 May 1863, page 15
''The Spectator'' archive, accessed 15 February 2016.

Plot

Robert Brierly, a young man from Lancashire, is enjoying his first visit to London. Two criminals, Melter Moss and James Dalton, pretend to lend him money, giving him a forged note. Brierly is arrested when he tries to exchange the note for currency and is sentenced to four years in prison. He had been kind to May, a young woman, who waits for his release from prison, even though Brierly's forged note caused the ruin of May's landlady Mrs Willoughby. Brierly secretly repays the money to Mrs Willoughby. May and Brierly are planning to marry, but on the day of his wedding, his employer finds out that he is an ex-convict, and he is fired. Brierly cannot find work, and Moss and Dalton try to force him to help them rob the brokerage firm where he had worked. Brierly plays along but reports them to the police; a detective uses a disguise to help him. Brierly is wounded in a fight in a churchyard, but the criminals are arrested, and Brierly's honour is restored.

Film adaptations

It has been turned into a number of film adaptations, mostly in the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

. This included ''

The Ticket of Leave Man The Ticket-of-Leave Man or The Ticket of Leave Man may refer to: * ''The Ticket-of-Leave Man'' (play), an 1863 play by Tom Taylor * ''The Ticket of Leave Man'' (1912 film), an Australian film directed by Gaston Mervale * ''The Ticket-of-Leave Ma ...

'' (1912), '' The Ticket-of-Leave Man'' (1918) and the 1937

Tod Slaughter Norman Carter Slaughter (19 March 1885 – 19 February 1956), also known as Tod Slaughter, was an English actor, best known for playing over-the-top maniacs in macabre film adaptations of Victorian melodramas. Early life Slaughter was born ...

melodrama ''

''. The 1914 film '' The Ticket-of-Leave Man'' is not an adaptation of the play, but is based on the 1869 novel '' Foul Play'' written by Taylor's frequent collaborator

Charles Reade Charles Reade (8 June 1814 – 11 April 1884) was a British novelist and dramatist, best known for '' The Cloister and the Hearth''. Life Charles Reade was born at Ipsden, Oxfordshire, to John Reade and Anne Marie Scott-Waring, and had at lea ...

References

Bibliography

* Lachman, Marvin. ''The Villainous Stage: Crime Plays on Broadway and in the West End''. McFarland, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ticket-of-Leave Man 1863 plays British plays adapted into films Plays set in England Plays by Tom Taylor