''Prince Karl'' is a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

written by A. C. Gunter in 1886. Gunter originally conceived the play as a drama, but actor

Richard Mansfield Richard Mansfield (24 May 1857 – 30 August 1907) was an English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and the play '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde''. Life and career Mansfield was born ...

thought it would work better as a comedy. Mansfield debuted in the title role at the Boston Museum on April 5, 1886. After a four-week run in Boston, Mansfield took it to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, where it opened at the

Madison Square Theatre ''The Madison Square Theatre'' was a Broadway theatre in Manhattan, on the south side of 24th Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway (which intersects Fifth Avenue near that point.) It was built in 1863, operated as a theater from 1865 to 1908, ...

on May 3. In 1887, Mansfield took his company to England, and he opened ''Prince Karl'' at the Lyceum Theatre in London's West End on October 10 of that year. The play became part of the

repertory A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...

of Mansfield's company, and he continued to perform it until shortly before his death in 1907.

Plot

Karl von Ahrmien is an impoverished German prince. He has agreed to marry Daphne Lowell, an older woman that he believes has a large fortune. However, he falls in love with her beautiful, widowed daughter-in-law, Florence Lowell. To escape his promised marriage, Karl fakes his own death, then pretends to be his own "foster brother", who happens to look identical to the prince. In this guise he takes a job as a courier working for Florence. She discovers his true identity, but keeps her knowledge a secret so he will remain in her service. Karl then discovers that the Lowells' supposed fortune is actually the property of one of Karl's own relatives who has died, and it is Karl's inheritance. With all of their secrets revealed, Florence and Karl agree to marry and share the fortune.

Cast and characters

The characters and cast from the Boston Museum production are given below:

Reception

Reviewers were divided as to the merits of the play itself, but generally agreed that Mansfield gave a strong performance.

References

External links

* {{IBDB show, 7246, Prince Karl 1896 plays Broadway plays Comedy plays West End plays Plays by Archibald Clavering Gunter