The Waterman was performed by the Hogarth Puppets in the 1960s, with Jan Bussell and Ann Hogarth supported by Violet Philpott and Ronnie Le Drew. The marionette Tom Tug was voiced by Bussell, with his songs performed by Frank Keyte.
Charles Dibdin’s The Waterman is a two‑act ballad opera first staged at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, in 1774. It follows Tom Tug, a good‑natured waterman whose jealousy is stirred by the fear that his sweetheart, Wilhelmina, has been unfaithful during his time at sea. Much of the comedy comes from his misguided attempts to test her loyalty, aided—and sometimes hindered—by a lively cast of comic characters. Combining spoken dialogue with Dibdin’s popular songs, the opera remained in the repertoire for nearly a century, sustained by the enduring appeal of Tom Tug and the accessibility of Dibdin’s melodic writing.
