View source for Tiridate, ou Comédie et Tragédie

''[[Tiridate, ou Comédie et Tragédie]]'' is a French "comédie-[[vaudeville]]" in one act by Narcisse Fournier (1803-1880)[https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcisse_Fournier] 

''Also found simply as '''[[Tiridate]]'''''
 
==The original text==

A one act piece about the  actress Mademoiselle Dumesnil (Marie-Françoise Marchand, 1713-1803)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Dumesnil], who joined the Comédie-Française in  1737 and became famous for her roles in the plays of Voltaire and Jean Racine. It also features her god-child Louise, the bailiff of the province and his son. Set in Paris in the time of Louis XV. 

First performed in Paris at the Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique, on 15 April, 1841 and published by Dondey-Dupre, Paris, in the same year.

==Translations and adaptations==

In 1853 the English author Charles Reade (1814-1884)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Reade] adapted Narcisse's play as a short story called "Art: a dramatic tale" and published it in ''Bentley's Miscellany'' (December 1853). In 1855 he then  adapted his own story as a one act play, originally called called '''''[[Art]]''''', later known by the more familiar name of '''''[[Nance Oldfield]]'''''. In his version Reade replaces Mlle Dumesnil with the 18th century British actress Anne Oldfield (1783-1830)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Oldfield] and relates a fictional incident her life and that of a young poet who falls in love with her.

Reade later revived his play. now known as ''[[An Actress of Daylight]]'', for the actress Mrs John Wood, and in 1883 did a similar rewrite for the actress [[Geneviève Ward]] - now calling the play ''[[Nance Oldfield]]'' once more. The first production by Ward was a failure at the time, but the play would become a standard work in her repertoire over the years. 

In 1891 Ellen Terry also purchased the rights to Reade's play, performing the leading role numerous times, also under the title ''[[Nance Oldfield]]''.   

In 1894 W. H. Baker & co., Boston, published an American version of the play, a one-act play likewise called ''[[Nance Oldfield]]'' but now credited to "M.A." (Mildred Aldrich, 1853-1928)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_Aldrich], in the series ''Baker's edition of plays''.  The text clearly credits "M.A." as the author, but states that it had been "arranged from Charles Reade's story".

== Performance history in South Africa ==

1891-2: '''''[[Nance Oldfield]]''''' performed by the [[Geneviève Ward Company]] during a nine months' tour of South Africa, under the auspices of [[Luscombe Searelle]], featuring  [[Geneviève Ward]] and [[W.H. Vernon]] in the leading roles.

== Sources ==


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

Facsimile version of the original French text of 1841, Google E-book[https://books.google.co.za/books?id=UU5cAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP16&lpg=PP16&dq=Tiridate,+ou+Com%C3%A9die+et+Trag%C3%A9die&source=bl&ots=MJzT3_Op2c&sig=ACfU3U3Zqykik7n1tkQN-I7HA46JbMwryQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibt_q40uDpAhVmWxUIHS_uC2QQ6AEwAHoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=Tiridate%2C%20ou%20Com%C3%A9die%20et%20Trag%C3%A9die&f=false]

"Mademoiselle Dumesnil" in [[Wikipedia]][https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mademoiselle_Dumesnil]

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

"Anne Oldfield" in [[Wikipedia]][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Oldfield]

Facsimile version of the 1894 edition of the text by Baker, [[Hathi Trust Digital Library]][https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hxdikb&view=1up&seq=7]

Jeffrey Richards. 2007. ''Sir Henry Irving: A Victorian Actor and His World'' A&C Black:p.53[https://books.google.co.za/books?id=22Xp03gBd-MC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=Nance+Oldfield+is+a+one-act+play+by+Charles+Reade&source=bl&ots=90nKF_ne9N&sig=ACfU3U0zXMqHOD0QfJoSk2jHGS4IFsBOrw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjRgJKW69_pAhVYUhUIHRzcC4gQ6AEwA3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=Nance%20Oldfield%20is%20a%20one-act%20play%20by%20Charles%20Reade&f=false]

Allardyce Nicoll. 1975. ''A History of English Drama 1660-1900'' (Volume 5, Late Nineteenth Century) Cambridge University Press:p.396  [https://books.google.co.za/books?id=u9s8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA396&lpg=PA396&dq=Mammon+a+play+by+Grundy&source=bl&ots=j0f4wiN9ox&sig=ACfU3U0NMzmTpAhxRdd8J6Z43QY6-XQ2GA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL1_f3yN3pAhXTShUIHVCdDmgQ6AEwDXoECAQQAQ#v=onepage&q=Mammon%20a%20play%20by%20Grundy&f=false]

J.P. Wearing. 2013. ''The London Stage 1890-1899: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. (Second, revised edition, p.215[https://books.google.co.za/books?id=nF8pAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA215&lpg=PA215&dq=A+play+about+Anne+Oldfield+by+Narcisse+Fournier&source=bl&ots=hfnSR5Ph8E&sig=ACfU3U13p0J3jC1nQM3cTLJ0ESKf9-kh2g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3w4bqqODpAhXNXRUIHY25COIQ6AEwBXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=A%20play%20about%20Anne%20Oldfield%20by%20Narcisse%20Fournier&f=false]

[[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 [[F.C.L. Bosman|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]]

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