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''[[Le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard]]'' ("The Game of Love and Chance") is a three-act romantic comedy by Marivaux (Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux, 1688–1763)[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marivaux]. 

==The original text ==

Using  stock characters from the [[Commedia dell'arte]], the comedy tells of a young woman is visited by her betrothed, whom she does not know. To get a better idea of the type of person he is, she trades places with her servant and disguises herself. However, unbeknownst to her, her fiancé has the same idea and trades places with his valet. The "game" pits the two false servants against the two false masters, and in the end, the couples fall in love with their appropriate counterpart..

First performed 23 January 1730 by the Comédie Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne. Published by Briasson in 1730.

== Translations and adaptations==


The French play was possibly the source for the 1869 English farcical comedy ''[[Checkmate]]'' by Andrew Halliday. '''See ''[[Checkmate]]'''''.

In 1882, ''[[Le Truc d' Arthur]]'' ("Arthur's trick"), an updated version in three acts of Marivaux's play, was written by Alfred Duru (1829-1889)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Duru] and Henri Chivot (1830-1897)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Chivot]. '''See ''[[Le Truc d' Arthur]]'''''

It has been translated in to English a number of times by various authors, usually as ''[[The Game of Love and Chance]]''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_of_Love_and_Chance] (e.g. by  Robert Bethune, Stephen Mulrine, ) Also found as ''[[Love in Livery]]'' ().

The stage text translated into [[Afrikaans]] as ''[[Die Spel van Liefde en Toeval]]'', by [[Johann Joubert]] 1967. Published by [[DALRO]] in 1968.

Filmed for French TV in 1954 and again in 1967.

== South African performances ==

1809 Produced in the original French by the local [[French Amateur Company]] on 25 March, with ''[[Les deux Avares]]'' (Fenouillot de Falbaire) as afterpiece.   

1967: Produced in [[Afrikaans]] as ''[[Die Spel van Liefde en Toeval]]'' by [[PACT]] , directed by [[Fred Engelen]]  shortly before his death in 1967, with [[Louis van Niekerk]] as Mario, [[Patrick Mynhardt]] as Pasqual and [[Marius Weyers]] as Dorante. The play was presented in a triple bill with ''[[Die Burgemeester]]'' by Gert Hofmann and ''[[Dodedans]]'' by August Strindberg.

==Sources==

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_of_Love_and_Chance

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Jeu_de_l'amour_et_du_hasard

''[[Tydskrif vir Letterkunde]]'', New Series 6(1), 1968.

''[[Siener in die Suburbs]]'' theatre programme containing a list of actors and their roles for [[TRUK]] 1965-1971.

[[F.C.L. Bosman]], 1928. ''Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika'', Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: [[J.H. de Bussy]]. [http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/bosm012dram01_01/]: pp.125, 171 

Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]]

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