Montjoye

Montjoye is a French play in five acts by Octave Feuillet (1821-1890)[1].

The original text

The play was first performed in the Théâtre du Gymnase, Paris, in 1863 and published as a "comédie en cinq actes, en six tableaux" by Michel Lévy frères, , Paris, in 1864

Translations and adaptations

Translated into German by Marie Saphir, and published as a "Schauspiel in vier Acten und einem Nachspiel" (a "play in four acts and an epilogue").

The play was adapted into English for W.H. Vernon under the title of Mammon by Sydney Grundy (1848-1914)[2], and first performed at the Strand Theatre, London, on 7 April, 1877. It became a standard item in Vernon's repertoire over the years, including his tours to the colonies and the USA.

Grundy's English play is not to be confused with Mammon and Gammon by Francis Talfourd, or Mammon, Robot Born of Woman, a "comedic play" by Robert Llewellyn.

In 1894 Grundy extensively rewrote Mammon for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, calling it A Bunch of Violets. This version premiered at the Haymarket Theatre, London with Tree in the leading role. The new version went on to become one of Grundy's greatest successes. In 1916 this version was made into a silent British film called A Bunch of Violets, directed by Frank Wilson.

Performance history in South Africa

1891-2: Performed in English as Mammon by the Geneviève Ward Company during a nine months' tour of South Africa, under the auspices of Luscombe Searelle, featuring Geneviève Ward as "Lady Heriott", W.H. Vernon as "Sir Geoffrey Heriott" and E. Story Gofton as "Mark Chinnery".

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave_Feuillet

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave_Feuillet

"Online Books by Octave Feuillet", The Online Books Page[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Grundy

"Grundy, Sidney" in Jean Chothia. 1996. English Drama of the Early Modern Period 1890-1940. Routledge: p. 305, Google E-book [4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Bunch_of_Violets_(play)

Allardyce Nicoll. 1975. A History of English Drama 1660-1900 (Volume 5, Late Nineteenth Century) Cambridge University Press:p.396 [5]

J.P. Wearing. 2013. The London Stage 1890-1899: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. (Second, revised edition, p. 206). Scarecrow Press, Google E-book[6]

D.C. Boonzaier, 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1932. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.392-3

Go to ESAT Bibliography