Our American Cousin

Our American Cousin is an 1858 three-act play by English playwright Tom Taylor. The play is a farce whose plot is based on the introduction of an awkward, boorish, but honest American, Asa Trenchard, to his aristocratic English relatives when he goes to England to claim the family estate. . . . Although the play achieved great renown during its first few years and remained very popular throughout the second half of the 19th century, it is best remembered as the play U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was attending in Ford's Theatre when he was assassinated by actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865. - Summary by Wikipedia

, and if you be, you needn't be alarmed, I ain't going to kiss you. Here's your young man's letter. [Gives letter and attempts to kiss her.]

Flo In the old country, Mr. Trenchard, cousins content themselves with hands, but our hearts are with them. You are welcome, there is mine. [Gives her hand, which he shakes heartily.]

Asa That'll do about as well. I won't kiss you if you don't want me to; but if you did, I wouldn't stop on account of that sailor man. [Business of Vernon threatening Asa.] Oh! now you needn't get your back up. What an all-fired chap you are. Now if you'll have me shown to my room, I should like to fix up a bit and put on a clean buzzom. [All start.] Why, what on earth is the matter with you all? I only spoke because you're so all-fired go-to-meeting like.

Flo Show Mr. Trenchard to the red room, Mr. Binny, that is if you are done with it, Mr. Dundreary.

Dun Yeth, Miss Florence. The room and I have got through with each other, yeth.

[Asa and Dundreary see each other for the first time. Business of recognition, ad. lib.]

Asa Concentrated essence of baboons, what on earth is that?

Dun He's mad. Yes, Miss Florence, I've done with that room. The rooks crowed so that they racked my brain.

Asa You don't mean to say that you've got any brains.

Dun No, sir, such a thing never entered my head. The wed indians want to scalp me. [Holding hands to his head.]

Flo The red room, then, Mr. Binny.

Asa [To Binny.] Hold on! [Examines him.] Wal, darn me, but you keep your help in all-fired good order here. [Feels of him.] This old shoat is fat enough to kill. [Hits Binny in stomach. Binny runs off, L. 2 E.] Mind how you go up stairs, old hoss,

I saw a stage read of the play tonight that featured a concurrent historical timeline of the conspiracy and assassination. The play itself is pretty corny, but the timeline made it interesting. Because of it, I bumped my rating up a star.

2.5, rounded up.

Although I'm fairly sure I had to read this 30 years ago for my doctoral comprehensives, I had no memory of it - and only returned to it after reading Booker candidate Booth, as its primary claim to fame is that it was the play Lincoln was viewing when he was assassinated. It's a fai

This play would probably have disappeared from common knowledge if not for its notoriety of being performed in Washington D.C. on April 14, 1865.

Written in 1852, it premiered in New York City in 1858 and is surprisingly still quite funny. There is a lot of clever wordplay and banter written in a sty

Rather unintentionally funny by modern standards. It is effectively funny where it was intended to be funny, but it was overblown and snickeringly funny in places that were supposed to be a bit more serious. It definitely has some hallmarks of the "well-made play" of the era.

Yes, this was the play

This play is memorable only because it was the one President Lincoln was watching when he was shot. The line which served as Booth's cue to fire the fatal shot, "You sockdologizing old man-trap", occurs three fourths of the way through, and now that I have read the play, I can't help but think it wo

Some of us knew that when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on the evening of April 14, 1865, at Washington, D.C. 19s Ford 19s Theater, he was in the middle of watching a play called 1COur American Cousin. 1D Until this past week, I had not read that play, and knew only a few tidbits about

Abraham Lincoln spent his final hours watching a phenomenally silly play.

Tom Taylor

Our American Cousin

Tom Taylor

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