[Karl Gustav Vollmöller, German symbolist playwright.] Typescript of English text of 'The Version that was banned' of 'A Venetian Night. | A Pantomime in 13 Tableux, by Carl Vollmoeller', with variants required by the Lord Chamberlain's office.

A nice artefact of the censorship of pre-First World War British theatre. The London production of Vollmoeller's wordless drama 'Eine Venezianische Nacht' was censored by the Lord Chamberlain's office, and the production at the Palace Theatre, London, in November 1912 was panned by the critics. 15pp, folio, on fifteen leaves gathered together with green ribbon, interleaved with six typed slips of variant text, and with one leaf a composite made up of several sections glued together. Mimeographed typescript. In fair condition, on aged, worn and creased paper, with final leaf detached. A few emendations in pencil, and list of scene locations on reverse of last leaf. Also note in pencil, presumably by the director: 'The Events which are supposed to take place subsequent to 2. 12 occur merely in the Dream of the Stranger'. From the papers of the theatre critic W. J. MacQueen-Pope, for whom see the Oxford DNB. He writes, at top right of first page: 'The Version that was Banned at the Palace Theatre, 1912, a modified version being afterwards performed.' One of the six passages present in both uncensored and censored versions contains an uncensored reference to 'The Bride [...] at the door of her room into which her Lover has been seen to enter.' A deleted passage reads: 'All at once he rushes at her, carries her on the side and closes the door from inside. Pulls out the key, puts it in his pocket and tries to drag the bride towards the bed. She resists.' Another deleted passage refers to an embrace 'passionately and quickly - pulls her with wild insistency toward the bed'. Another: 'It can be seen he is very intoxicated now. [...] and pulls her towards the bed.' Also: 'He is hardly able to stand erect from excitement. [...] She makes a step towards the bed and beckons him. He understands her, and hesitates in his surprise.'