The Drunkard; or, The Fallen Saved is an American temperance play first performed on February 12, 1844.[1][2] A drama in five acts, it was perhaps the most popular play produced in the United States until the dramatization of Uncle Tom's Cabin [3] premiered in 1853. In New York City, P.T. Barnum presented it at his American Museum in a run of over 100 performances.[4] It was among the first of the American temperance plays, and remained the most popular of them until it was eclipsed in 1858 by T. S. Arthur's Ten Nights in a Bar-Room.[3]
The primary writer of the play was William Henry Smith (1806–1872), who also directed and starred in the original production in Boston in the 1844–45 season.[1][3] Smith was the stage manager at Moses Kimball's Boston Museum, where the play was originally produced.[3] An anonymous collaborator co-wrote the script. A commonly held theory identifies Unitarian minister John Pierpont as the unnamed collaborator. Pierpont's motive to remain anonymous may have been rooted in the desire to avoid affiliation with the theatre, which was considered a taboo subject in the Christian community.[3]
The play ran for an unprecedented 140 performances in the Boston Museum's 1844–45 season, sometimes running three times a day. This was astonishing at the time. The success of the play led to the beginning of the temperance movement's success.
- ^ a b "The Drunkard: Author's preface (1850 edition) in Uncle Tom's Cabin & American Culture: A Multi-media Archive on the University of Virginia website
- ^ Smith, William. The Drunkard. Literature House/Gregg Press, 1972.
- ^ a b c d e "The Drunkard" in Uncle Tom's Cabin & American Culture: A Multi-media Archive on the University of Virginia website
- ^ Burrows, Edwin G. and Wallace, Mike (1999). Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195-11634-8. p.815