- Curse you, Jack Dalton!
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Curse you, Jack Dalton! An Old-fashioned Melodrama in One Act is a spoof of Victorian-style comic musical melodrama, written by Wilbur Braun in 1936. The work is still frequently performed.
Roles
- Mrs. Dalton (contralto)
- Anna Alvarado (mezzo-soprano)
- Bertha Blair (soprano)
- Jack Dalton (tenor or lyric baritone)
- Egbert Van Horn (bass-baritone)
- Richard Blair
- Eloise Dalton (non-singing)
Synopsis
Young Jack Dalton, possessor of a large fortune, is in love with his humble but pure housemaid, Bertha Blair. His aristocratic mother, who has social ambitions for him, wants him to marry the seemingly wealthy Anna Alvarado, who in reality is penniless and after Jack's fortune. When Jack's mother discovers that her son loves the maid, she orders Bertha from the house. Meanwhile, Egbert Van Horn, who is posing as a wealthy socialite, plots to wrest the Dalton's fortune from them. He threatens to have Bertha committed to an asylum if she does not renounce Jack. Van Horn pursues Mrs. Dalton. Anna and Egbert join forces to achieve their ends, but they are foiled at the last moment. Jack gets Bertha, virtue is triumphant, all ends happily, and the villain is arrested, crying out, "Curse you, Jack Dalton!"
References
Categories:- Musical theatre stubs
- British plays
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