Maison à Vendre

Maison à Vendre ("House for Sale" -) is a comic opera ("opéra-comique" or "comédie en un acte et en prose, mêlée de chants") in one act by Alexandre Duval (also known as Alexandre Vincent Pineux-Duval, 1767-1842), with music by Nicolas Dalayrac (1753-1809).

The original text
First produced at the Théâtre de l’Opéra-Comique (in the salle Favart) on 23 October, 1800.

Translations and adaptations
Translated into English as A House to be Sold, and expanded into a musical piece in two acts, by James Cobb (1756-1818), with music by Michael Kelly (1762-1826). This version was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1802, published the same year in London by G. & J. Robinson.

A prose version in English, also called A House to be Sold was done by J.Bayliss and published in 1804, but apparently never acted at the time.

Translated into Dutch as Een Huis te Koop by "Leonard", for use by the Rederijkers.

Performance history in South Africa
1818: Performed in English in the African Theatre, Cape Town on 8 August, by the Gentlemen Amateurs (Garrison Players) with the help of Mr Cooke and his company of ladies. Billed as A House to be Sold, a "musical farce", it served as afterpiece to The Tale of Mystery (Holcroft).

1876: Performed in Dutch as Een Huis te Koop in the Oddfellows Hall, Cape Town on 6 April by the Rederijkerskamer Aurora II, with Geschiedkundig Dramatisch Episode uit Leven van Johan de Witt, Raadpensionaris van Holland, "1672" (Loosjes).

Return to
Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays

Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays

Return to PLAYS III: Collections

Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances

Return to South African Festivals and Competitions

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page