Monday, 9th July, 1838

Grand news for the Reverend C. B. Howard today as the title of "Dullest Thing in the Colony" is now indisputably his.

Most thought he had it in the bag after his two hour prophetic effusion farewelling me yesterday, but now, with the news that the Adelaide Theatre is to close, his only rival for the title is dispatched.

It was only a month or two ago that the Theatre held its glittering opening night and Bill Shephard spoke ecstatically to the audience, saying, "I find that the Theatre gives me something to live for!"

It seems that what he did not find was that the Theatre gave him something to live on.

When one is aware that the glittering throng on opening night were largely there, glittering, because of a deluge of complimentary tickets sent crashing onto the great and the good of the Province by the organisers and that on subsequent evenings, when people had to stump up hard cash, the crowd was decidedly unthrongful, one can begin to see where the thing capsized.

The costs of the land and building, fitting out the Theatre - in the French Fashion! - added to the costs of producing the theatrical performance could hardly be met by the meagre ticket sales that were forthcoming from the people of Adelaide. I have heard that even the profits over the bar selling beer and spirits to Old Soaks have themselves been soaked up by the Theatre, the biggest Old Soak of them all.

Such was the drain on Shepherd's finances that a second production was promised and advertised, but did not appear, due, I surmise, to a lack of the ready cash.

There are two schools of thought here (1) That the people of Adelaide are uncultured Philistines and hence would not part with the money to support a new theatrical venture. (2) That the people of Adelaide are cultured theatre lovers who valued good theatre too much to part with money to support a theatrical venture of the sort being offered by Shepherd. 

Either way, Bill Shepherd has discovered that the best way to deal with his innumerable creditors is to cut his losses and sell up.

I am by no means one to take pleasure in the misfortunes of others, but after the evening I spent in that Theatre I cannot help but feel a twinge of satisfaction.