Robbery Under Arms (play)
Robbery Under Arms is a 1890 play by Alfred Dampier and Garnet Walch based on the novel of the same name by Rolf Boldrewood. History. In 1889 Dampier secured the exclusive rights to prepare a dramatization of the Boldrewood novel. This was not an easy task, as the novel is mostly first person descriptive, with very little dialogue, and great sections had to be omitted, notably the opening chapter, in which "Captain Starlight" takes 2000 head of stolen cattle overland from country New South Wales to Adelaide. The play premiered on March 1, 1890, following Walch 's dramatization of Victor Hugo's "Count of Monte Cristo". Opening night. The play was staged on 1 March 1890 at the Alexandra Theatre, Melbourne, which Dampier had on a long lease. T. A. Browne and family were guests of honour in a stage box. The following were principal players that evening: Six years later the play had evolved somewhat with a couple of new characters but very few cast changes: