Under the Southern Cross (play)

Under the Southern Cross, also known as Arnold's Luck or Under the Southern Cross is a 1885 stage play by Alfred Dampier. It was written at a time when Australian plays were relatively rare.

The original production premiered at the Gaiety Theatre in Sydney on 9 November 1885 and starred Dampier, and his daughters Lily and Rose. The plot involved twins and an Irish new chum. Reception was generally positive.

It was accepted for production in England.

The play shares the same title as a play by Edmund Duggan about the Eureka Stockade.

Dampier reused the elements of a twin brother and Murrumbidgee whaler in his later play Marvellous Melbourne.

Premise
The adventures of two twin brothers in Australia. One brother, together with a Murrumbidgee whaler, murders a man for his money. The other twin, poor but honest, is confused for his brother.