John O'Keeffe (Irish writer)

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John O'Keeffe (June 24, 1747 – February 4, 1833), dramatist, wrote a number of farces and amusing dramatic pieces, many of which had great success. Among these are Tony Lumpkin in Town (1778), Wild Oats (1791), Love in a Camp, and Omai – A Voyage ‘round the World (1785), an account of the voyages of the Tahitian explorer Omai. O'Keeffe was the most produced playwright in London in the last quarter of the 18th century. Some of his songs set to music by Arnold and Shield, such as I am a Friar of Orders Grey, and The Thorn, are still popular. He was blind in his later years.

Wild Oats was revived successfully by the Royal Shakespeare Company in London in the fall of 1976, with Alan Howard as the leading character, strolling actor Jack Rover. Ben Cross and Jeremy Irons were also in the cast. This production led to many revivals at regional theatres across the UK, the US, and Canada. The Royal National revived it again in the 1990s.

This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London, J.M. Dent & sons; New York, E.P. Dutton.