The King of the Road
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| The King of the Road | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Edward Irham Cole |
| Directed by | Edward Irham Cole |
| Date premiered | 1900 |
| Original language | English |
| Series | bushrangers |
| Subject | melodrama |
The King of the Road is a 1900 Australian play performed by Edward Irham Cole performed by Cole's Bohemian Drama Company about the bushranger Ben Hall.
The play appears to have debuted in 1900.[1] According to one description the play was "founded on episodes in the careers of the old time bushrangers Ben Hall, Frank Gardiner and the gangs that, in the days before telegraphs and railway extension, kept parts of this colony and Victoria in a state of terrorism."[2] The play featured the death of Hall.[3]
The play was part of Cole's repertoire of plays for the next decade. There were seasons in Sydney in 1904,[4] 1906,[5] 1907,[6] and 1908.
The play was also performed in Melbourne.[7] There were performances of the play as late as 1916.[8]
Lead roles were usually played by Cole and his wife Vene Linden.[9] Sometimes the lead was played by Cole's son-in-law Bill Ayr.[10]
