Military Showtime

Showtime in New Plymouth during the late 1850s often meant calling in the British imperial troops. The fledgling town of New Plymouth was given a fresh injection of culture with the arrival of the British army, who were garrisoned on Marsland Hill (formerly Pukaka pā) from 1855. Many of the officers were well educated and demanded lively entertainments. This theatre programme printed on silk advertises a performance of The Wreck Ashore, a drama in two parts, and the comedy Used Up to be performed first on 19 June 1857 by "officers of the Garrison, assisted by the Amateurs of New Plymouth". The performance was hailed as "brilliantly successful" in a Taranaki Herald review printed on 27 June 1857 which noted “the Orchestra also merits honourable mention, its spirited performance contributed in no small part to the evening’s amusement.” Interestingly, the play features a character titled Magog, predating the arrival of the motorcycle club of the same name in New Plymouth by 117 years.