A Peculiar Family
A Peculiar Family is a light comedy, sometimes called a chamber operetta, written by William Brough with music by Thomas German Reed. It stars German Reed, his wife Priscilla German Reed, and John Parry, and is part of the German Reed Entertainments.
The story follows Barnaby Bounce and his eccentric family as they arrive at a hotel on the coast of France. Barnaby wears an unusual white hat with a black rim, which looks like the hat of a crime suspect. He becomes involved in a case about a crime committed by the hat’s previous owner.
The play opened in London on 15 March 1865 at the Royal Gallery of Illustration and was revived several times in 1865 because audiences enjoyed it.
Background: The German Reeds offered family-friendly musical entertainments at their Gallery of Illustration starting in 1855, at a time when theatres had a poor reputation. The 500-seat venue had a small stage and simple musical accompaniment.
The cast includes Barnaby, his sister Cherry Bounce, nephews Felix Flitter and Phoeble Bounce, and their grandfather. A German detective named Herr Von Doppelslich works with the local police to investigate a crime involving a family of political refugees, with the hat playing a key role. The landlady of the hotel interacts with the detective as the Bounce family arrives.
As the plot unfolds, Barnaby’s hat draws attention. The hat is seen by a mysterious countess, who removes a sheet of paper from it and replaces it with money. The hat passes around the family, and one nephew finds the money and keeps it. Later, the hat’s real owner reclaims it and returns to England without being caught by Von Doppelslich.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:47 (CET).