Les Deux Forçats, ou La Meunière du Puy de Dôme

Les Deux Forçats, ou La Meunière du Puy de Dôme ("The two convicts, or the wife of the miller at Puy de Dôme") is a French melodrama in 3 acts by  Jean Bernard Eugène Cantiran de Boirie (1785-1837),  Pierre-Frédéric-Adolphe Carmouche  (1797-1868) and  Adolphe Poujol (1811-1898), with music composed by Louis Alexandre Piccinni (1779-1850).

The original text
The first performance was at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin, Paris on 3 October, 1822. The text was published in 1822 by Bollet (Paris) and Gambier (Bruxelles)

Translations and adaptations
Translated into Dutch as Het Schandmerk, of De Twee Galeiboeven ("The mark of shame, or the two galley convicts") by Jan de Quack (1769-1852), who was at one time the mayor of Beverwijk, and a translator and author of novels and plays. His translation was published in 1823.

The Dutch version performed in South Africa as Het Brandmerk, of De Twee Galeiboeven (similarly meaning "the mark of shame, or the two galley convicts") on occasion in the late 18th century.

Performance history in South Africa
1826: Performed in Dutch as Het Schandmerk, of De Twee Galeiboeven by Door Yver Vruchtbaar on 22 August in the African Theatre, with Getrouw tot in den Dood (Westerman) as afterpiece.

1834: Performed on 12 April 1834 as Het Schandmerk, of De Twee Galeiboeven by Vlyt en Kunst, followed by the musical comedy Het Dorp aan de Grenzen, of De Hollanders en de Brabanders (J. van Lennep)

1886: Performed as Het Brandmerk, of De Twee Galeiboeven (no author given) in the Oddfellows Hall,  Cape Town, by  Aurora II  on 19 October, with De Hoed van den Horlogemaker (Girardin/Leonard).

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