Feu Toupinel

Feu Toupinel (lit. "Toupinel fire") is a French comedy in three acts by Alexandre Bisson (1848-1912)[1].

The original text

A play about two ladies, both widowed seven years earlier, now remarried and living under the same roof, unaware that their late husbands were in fact the same man.

First performed on 27 February, 1890, at the Thêatre Vaudeville, Paris and published in Paris by Tresse in 1890 (a new edition by Callmann-Lévy, Paris, appearing in 1907).

Translations and adaptations

Adapted into English as a three act comedy called Mr. Wilkinson's Widows by William Gillette (William Hooker Gillette, 1853-1937)[2]. First performed in this version on 23 March 23, 1891, at the National Theatre, Washington, D.C. and on 30 March 1891 at Proctor's Theatre, New York.

Another English adaptation, titled The Late Lamented, was done by Frederick William "Fred" Horner (1854-?)[3] and was first performed at Court Theatre, London, 6 May, 1891 and transferred to The Strand Theatre, London, on 1 August 1891.

Filmed in French by Roger Capellani (1934)[4].

Performance history in South Africa

1892: Performed in the Vaudeville Theatre, Cape Town, by the visiting Emilie Bevan Comedy Company as part of a three-and-a-half month season of 20 plays which began on 8 August. It is uncertain which text was used in this case.

Sources

Facsimile version of the 1907 edition by Callmann-Lévy, The Internet Archive [5] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feu_Toupinel

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

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

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

Howard, Cecil. 1891. The Theatre: a monthly review of the drama, music and the fine arts, Jan. 1880-June 1894; London Vol. 18, (Sep 1891): pp. 137-138.[6]

J.P. Wearing. 2013. The London Stage 1890-1899: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel, Scarecrow Press: pp.65-6.

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.394-5

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