The Kaffir Diamond

Opening night cast

Advertisement for play in New York Tribune

The Kaffir Diamond is an 1888 play. It had its New York City debut at the former Broadway Theatre on September 11, 1888.^[1][2][3] Though the audience provided "unbounded applause" on opening night,^[4] reviews of the play were negative,^[5][6] and it played unsuccessfully for only five weeks, concluding on October 13, 1888.^[7][8]

The play was intended as a starring vehicle for Louis Aldrich. Edward J. Swartz, a Philadelphia newspaperman with the Philadelphia Evening Telegraph wrote the play, and David Belasco worked on revising it and assisted in getting the play staged.^[9][10]

Original Broadway cast

• "Shoulders" by Louis Aldrich
• Col. Richard Grantly by Frazer Coulter
• Robert Douglas by M.J. Jordan
• Walter Douglas by Charles Mackay
• Sergeant Tim Meehan by Charles Bowser
• "Downey Dick" by Joseph A. Wilks
• Bye-Bye by Harry Booker
• Millicent Douglas by Dora Goldthwaite
• Alice Rodney by Isabelle Evesson
• Madame Biff by Adele Palma

References

1. (8 September 1888). Advertisement, The Sun (New York) (last two shows for The Queen's Mate on September 8, with The Kaffir Diamond debuting on September 11)
2. (12 September 1888). "The Kaffir Diamond" (review), The New York Times
3. (September 1888). A New Play. The Kaffir Diamond, The Theatre, pp. 363-64
4. Dale, Alan (12 September 1888). "The Kaffir Diamond", The Evening World
5. Dale, Alan (3 October 1888). This is for you, Mr. Aldrich, The Evening World (especially harsh review, though Dale was often negative)
6. (16 September 1888). Plays and Actors, The New York Times
7. Advertisement, The Sun (New York) (last shows for The Kaffir Diamond on October 13, with Mr. Barnes of New York debuting on October 15)
8. (20 September 1888). Dramatic Notes, America, p. 10
9. Winter, William. The Life of David Belasco, Volume 1, pp. 345-47 (1918)
10. Who's who in America, p. 1449 (1903) (Who's Who entry lists Swartz's plays as including A Square Man (1882), Dad's Girl (1883), Princess Chuck (1884), The Governess (1888), Our Angel (1889), The Kaffir Diamond (1888), The Envoy (1891), Bossett's Fairy (1893), The Clipper (1894), The Syndicate (1894))