W.S. Gilbert Engaged restrt'n

Engaged, by W.S. Gilbert, is easily one of his best plays, no qualifications like "without Sullivan" needed. Which is probably why it's been getting revived fairly often of late.

I don't have absolute proof, but given the 1879 copyright date on this poster, and me being unable to find evidence of any OTHER New York productions that year, this appears to be the poster used in the American première. For evidence, I present this article from the New York Times, February 18, 1879:

DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL

PARK THEATRE

Mr. W. S. Gilbert's latest play, " Engaged," which was produced for the first time in this country last evening at the Park Theatre, is certainly a very successful endeavor to present all the exaggerations of a broad farce with a pretended earnestness which is, nevertheless, excellent in its literary expression. The general character of the piece is novel, and its treatment highly ingenious and artistic. Here we behold human nature, so to speak, reversed--giving language to one series of emotions and acting another, and vice versa--somewhat in the way of the Effingham Family in "Tom Cobb."

[etc. - it goes on to great length]


Well, back to details. The scan is by the Library of Congress - [link] It was published by H.A. Thomas Lith. Studio, (Henry Atwell Thomas, 1834-1904), and drawn by Vic Arnold.

Cleanup wasn't TOO bad, though it did take about... 7 hours.