The Bank of England (play 1909)
From The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia
The Bank of England is an Australian 4-act play, written by Max Goldberg and directed by William Anderson, performed at The King's Theatre (Melbourne, Australia) from 5 june 1909, starring Roy Redgrave as Sherlock Holmes.
A melodramatic Holmes thwarts a criminal plot against the Bank of England — stopping forgeries and a bullion robbery, exposing a corrupt director and a vampire-like financier, and solving a murder. He also restores lost heirs, saves a noble house, prevents suicides, and reunites lovers. Briefly captured with dynamite at his feet, he's rescued in time; an American heiress confesses love, but he remains unattached.
- Review (7 june 1909)
Cast
- Sherlock Holmes : Roy Redgrave
- Lord Barraclough : Stirling Whyte
- Stephen Hartley : Laurence Dunbar
- Hon. Bertie Burlington : Temple Harrison
- Godfrey Dane (alias Silas Baxter), an engraver : J. H. Nunn
- Eric (his supposed son) : Max Clifton
- Gordon Isaacs, a money-lender : Edmund Duggann
- Tommy Sprouts, a racing man : Bert. Bailey
- Atherley Jones, a detective : Walter Dalgleish
- Jeames, a servant : Fred Kehoe
- Gibson, a bank clerk : F. Slade
- Parker, a bullion packer : Frank Rossmore
- Lady Sylvia (Lord Barraclough's daughter) : Kate Gair
- Margaret Dane (Godfrey Dane's daughter) : Kathleen Lorrimor
- Lucy Lockett, a housemaid : Fanny Erris
- Aminta J. Beane, an American widow : Fitzmaurice Gill
- Soldiers, Police, Bank Clerks, Packers, Smugglers, &c : uncredited
Crew
- Director : William Anderson
- Playwright : Max Goldberg
- Scenery : Rege Robins
- Mechanical Effects : John Wyte, Harry Pike
- Properties : Thomas Coogan, Thomas Hardy
- Limelight Effects : G. Stram
- Costumes : Madame Edwards
- Stage Director : J. H. Nunn
- Musical Director : G. Sutch
- Business Manager : Julius Grant
Synopsis of Scenery and Incidents
ACT I.
- Scene. — Grounds of Lord Barraclough — The False Bank Notes — Fettered in Chains of Gold — The Rival Detectives — Opinion of Sherlock Holmes.
ACT II.
- Scene 1. — Sherlock Holmes's Chambers — The Human Spider — Holmes Compels Isaacs to Disgorge — The Veiled Lady.
- Scene 2. — The Bullion Cellars — Weighing the Treasure — The Guards on Duty — THE MURDER Seal of the Bank of England.
- Scene 3. — Corridor in Lord Barraclough's House. An Inventory of the Treasure Chest.
- Scene 4. — Exterior of the Bank — Sherlock Holmes Stops the Treasure — Guards to the Rescue — "By the Order of the Governor of the Bank of England."
ACT III.
- Scene 1. — Holmes's Chambers — Gordon Isaacs in a Warm Corner — Another Link in the Chain — Searching for Godfrey Dane.
- Scene 2. — Interior of Bank — Stephen Hartley Nonplussed — "Time and the Hour" — The Confession — Victory for Holmes.
ACT IV.
- Scene 1. — Barraclough's House — The Abduction — Holmes on the Track.
- Scene 2. — Ruins of Pevensey Abbey — Hartley's Revenge — Holmes in the Toils — The Rescue — Hartley and Isaacs — Arrested.
HAPPINESS AT LAST.
