La Puce à l'oreille

La Puce à l'oreille ("A Flea in Her Ear") [1] is a French comedy by Georges Feydeau (1862-1921) [2] written in 1907, at the height of the Belle Époque. Extremely popular farce, often done in South Africa.

Translations and adaptations

Translated into English by John Mortimer [3] as A Flea in Her Ear (1966).

Translated into Afrikaans by Nerina Ferreira as Hond se Gedagte (“Dog’s Idea/Thought”) (1971).

Performance history in South Africa

1968: A translation into English by Samuel Benin directed by Albert Ninio, opening 30 May 1968 in the Alexander Theatre. Cast: Hal Orlandini, Barbara Itzler, Don McCorkindale, Kevin Basel, Mary Harrison, Shelagh Holliday, John McKelvey, James White, Gordon Mulholland, Brenda Kerry-Osrin, Gabriel Bayman, Margaret Fry, Wilfred Cosgrove, Max Angorn.

1970s: In line with their political stance, The Space (Cape Town) did a multiracial version of it in the 1970s, directed by Brian Astbury with i.a. Charles Comyn, Bill Curry, Mzwandile Ngxangane, Thoko Ntshinga and Clare Stopford.

1971: Nerina Ferreira's Afrikaans translation Hond se Gedagte was produced at the Nico Malan Theatre to alternate with Koning Lear for the opening of the theatre in June 1971. Directed by Dieter Reible, starring Paul Slabolepszy, Trudi du Plessis, David Haynes, Pieter Geldenhuys, Liz Dick, Sandra Kotzé, Pieter Joubert, Johan Malherbe, Mees Xteen, Gay Morris, Fitz Morley, Nerina Ferreira, Willem de la Querra, Price Coetzee. Stage manager Mavis Lilenstein. The production returned to the Nico Malan Theatre for a fourth season on 18 December 1975 with some changes to the cast.

1973: Hond se Gedagte was staged by PACOFS, directed by Carel Trichardt, with Cobus Visser (Camille), Karin van Wyk (Antoinette), Henk Hugo (Etienne), Pieter Geldenhuys (Dr. Finache), Trudi du Plessis (Lucienne), Petru Wessels (Raymonde), Pieter Joubert (Victor Emmanuel & Poche), Pietro Nolte (Romain), Anton Welman (Carlos), Estelle de Waal (Eugenie), Raymond Davies (Augustine), Trudie Taljaard (Olympe), George Barnes (Baptistin) and Price Coetzee (Herr Schwarz).

1981: Hond se Gedagte was staged by PACT in the State Theatre, directed by Carel Trichardt, with Pierre van Pletzen (Camille), Amor Tredoux (Antoinette), William Egan (Etienne), Louis van Niekerk (Dr. Finache), Rika Sennett (Lucienne), Petru Wessels (Raymonde), Marius Weyers (Victor Emmanuel & Poche), Don Lamprecht (Romain), Nico Liebenberg (Carlos), Riana Wilkens (Eugenie), Tobie Cronje (Augustine), Alida Theron (Olympe), Johan Blignaut (Baptistin), Schalk Schoombie (Herr Schwarz) and Rita Ehlers (Fraülein Weissglück). Decor by Richard Cook and costumes by Tom Owen.

1981: Hond se Gedagte was staged by PACOFS, directed by Sandra Kotze, with Pieter Brand (Camille), xxxxx (Antoinette), xxxxx (Etienne), xxxxx (Dr. Finache), xxxxx (Lucienne), xxxxx (Raymonde), xxxxx (Victor Emmanuel & Poche), xxxxx (Romain), xxxxx (Carlos), xxxxx (Eugenie), xxxxx (Augustine), xxxxx (Olympe), xxxxx (Baptistin) and xxxxx (Herr Schwarz).

1988: Hond se Gedagte presented by CAPAB, directed by Sandra Kotzé, opening 19 December, with Cobus Rossouw, Jannie Gildenhuys, Antoinette Kellermann, Marthinus Basson, Neels Coetzee, Fiona Coyne, Gustav Geldenhuys, Ronel Kriel, André Roothman, Elma van Wijk, Joey de Koker, Phillip Boucher, Willie Fritz and Mark Hoeben. Costumes by Dicky Longhurst, lighting by Malcolm Hurrell. Original decor design by Roy Cooke rebuilt under the supervision of Pieter de Swardt.

Sources

Wikipedia [4]

Teater SA, 1(1), 1968.

PACOFS theatre programme, 1973.

PACT theatre programme, 1981.

PACT pamphlet June 1981.

Grütter, Wilhelm, CAPAB 25 Years, 1987. Unpublished research. P 75.

Hond se Gedagte theatre programme, 1988.

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