Hunted Down

“Hunted Down” (also known as “The Two Lives of Mary Leigh”) premiered in Manchester, England on 30 July 1866, and after enjoying positive reviews moved to London. The opening of “Hunted Down” on 5 November 1866 was a star-studded affair, with the likes of Charles Dickens, George Eliot, George Henry Lewes, and the founder of the National Gallery, Lord Stanhope, in attendance.

The production ran until February 1867, proving to be a great success not just for Boucicault, who verified that he still had his finger on the pulse of London, but also for the actor Henry Irving. Irving, who had languished in obscurity prior to “Hunted Down,” received great praise and adoration for his portrayal of the villain Rawdon Scudamore. He would never be obscure again, and the friendship forged between Boucicault and Irving would continue until Boucicault’s death in 1890.

The prompt book of “Hunted Down” digitized here is unique, for it includes an alternate ending to the play in which the villain Scudamore is shot dead off stage by his estranged wife.