Our American Cousin

About the book

"Our American Cousin" by Tom Taylor is a three-act play that premiered in 1858. When boorish American Asa Trenchard travels to England to claim his family's estate, he clashes hilariously with his aristocratic English relatives. The farce became a theatrical sensation, particularly due to the eccentric Lord Dundreary character who captivated audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite its critical and popular success throughout the 19th century, the play gained tragic notoriety as the performance Abraham Lincoln attended when he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre.