Ghosts
Ghosts (original Danish title: Gengangere) [1] is a 1881 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) [2]. It was first staged in 1882 in Chicago, USA in a production by a Danish company on tour and at the time it was very controversial because of its subject matter, which includes religion, venereal disease, incest and euthanasia.
Translations and adaptations
First produced in South Africa as Spoken in Dutch and performed by Mignon Sorel and Louis de Vriendt, who toured the country in 1927.
Translated into Afrikaans as Spoke by M.P.O. Burgers and first produced in 1947 in the His Majesty's Theatre, Johannesburg, with André Huguenet , Anna Neethling-Pohl, Hendrik Hanekom, James Norval and Anna Cloete. *Like the 1947 Afrikaans Hamlet, this production played a significant role in persuading the government to support a national theatre.
A new Afrikaans version by Nerina Ferreira was presented in the Nico Arena in August 1990. Direction was by Marthinus Basson and the cast were Antoinette Kellermann, Paul Malherbe, Gustav Geldenhuys, Louw Verwey and Isabelle Mostert. Designs by Birrie le Roux, lighting by Malcolm Hurrell, stage manager Hannelie de Beer.
Performance history in South Africa
1928: Produced in English by the Cape Town Repertory Theatre Society, starring Cecile de Banke as Mrs Alving and W. Arthur Sewell as Oswald Alving.
1945: Produced by Joyce Burch for the Friends of Eoan, Little Theatre, Cape Town, with Helen Southern-Holt, Charles Johnman, Walter Patterson, Jacomina de Bruyn and Bernard Blumenthal.
1968: Directed by Frank Shelley for NAPAC, the play opened in St John's Theatre on 24 October. The role of Mrs Alving was played by Valerie Miller. Others in the cast were: David Horner, Reinet Maasdorp, Reg Richards. Set design: Bill Smuts; costumes: Lucille Cross.
In 197*/8* perfomed by PACT.**Performed in English as
Sources
The Mime, 1(3), 1928.
South African Opinion, 2(6):18-19; Trek, 10(1):18, 1945.
Teater SA, 1(1) and (2), 1968.
PACT theatre programme, 1982.
Nico Malan Theatre pamphlet June-August 1990.
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