Difference between revisions of "Pygmalion"
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| − | + | [[Pygmalion]] is Greek mythical character, about whom a number of dramatic works have been written. | |
| + | |||
| + | Also written '''''[[Pigmalion]]''''' in some cases, notably from the French and Italian. | ||
= The character = | = The character = | ||
| − | Pygmalion is the Greek version of the Phoenician royal name '''Pumayyaton''', and is most familiar from Ovid's narrative poem ''Metamorphoses, X'', in which Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved. | + | '''Pygmalion''' is the Greek version of the Phoenician royal name '''Pumayyaton''', and is most familiar from Ovid's narrative poem ''Metamorphoses, X'', in which [[Pygmalion]] was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved. |
| − | |||
= Plays written about the character = | = Plays written about the character = | ||
| Line 11: | Line 12: | ||
There have been a number of theatrical works over the centuries based on the story of the Greek mythological figure Pygmalion. Many works used this title or use the name in the title of the work. | There have been a number of theatrical works over the centuries based on the story of the Greek mythological figure Pygmalion. Many works used this title or use the name in the title of the work. | ||
| − | Among them are Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera ''Pigmalion'' (1748); Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ''Pygmalion'' (1762, staged 1770); Donizetti's first opera, ''Il Pigmalione'' (1816); William Brough's ''Pygmalion | + | Among them are Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera ''[[Pigmalion]]'' (1748); Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ''[[Pygmalion]]'' (1762, staged 1770); Donizetti's first opera, ''[[Il Pigmalione]]'' (1816); William Brough's ''[[Pygmalion, or The Statue Fair]]'' (1867); W. S. Gilbert's ''[[Pygmalion and Galatea]]'' (1871), Marius Petipa and Nikita Trubetskoi's four act ballet ''[[Pygmalion, ou La Statue de Chypre]]''(1883); George Bernard Shaw's ''[[Pygmalion]]'' (1912, staged 1914) and ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' (based on Shaw's play). |
| − | = Plays performed in South Africa = | + | = Plays by this name performed in South Africa = |
A number of the above works have been performed in South Africa, and they are discussed below. | A number of the above works have been performed in South Africa, and they are discussed below. | ||
| − | == '''''Pygmalion'' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762) | + | == '''''[[Pygmalion]]'' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762)'''== |
=== The play === | === The play === | ||
| − | A one- | + | A one-act ''[[scène lyrique]]'' (lyrical drama) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, with music by Horace Coignet. Can be considered one of the first ever melodramas, in the original sense – i.e. a play consisting of pantomime gestures and the spoken word, both with a musical accompaniment. Written in 1762, It was first performed by amateurs at the Hôtel de Ville, Lyon in 1770, became part of the repertory of the Comédie-Française for about five years. |
| + | |||
| + | === South African Performances === | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1803: Performed in French in the [[African Theatre]] by the [[Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap]], led by [[Charles Mathurin Villet]], on 29 October 1803, with ''[[Le Directeur de la Comédie]]'' as afterpiece. In both pieces the lead role was taken by [[Mr Delémery]], possibly a visiting [[Professional|professional]] actor. | ||
| + | 1806: Performed in French in the [[African Theatre]] by the [[Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap]], led by [[Charles Mathurin Villet]], on 31 May 1806, starring [[Mr Delémery]] again and ''[[Men Doet Wat Men Kan, Niet Wat Men Wil]]'' (Dorvigny, tr. Ogelwight). (Bosman appears to also mention an unnamed ''[[Lyrische Scene]]'' done by [[Mr Delémery|Delémery]], but the problem is clearly his sentence structure - he is actually referring to Rousseau's work.) | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1834: Performed in [[C.E. Boniface]]'s [[Dutch]] translation in the [[African Theatre]] by [[Vlyt en Kunst]] December 1834, as afterpiece to ''[[De Burger Edelman]]'' (Molière). | ||
| + | 18**: Some sources mention a play called ''[[Pygmalion]]'' produced in South Africa by [[Disney Roebuck]]. Though it may possibly have been a version of this play, it is far more likely to have been a reference to his performances of ''[[Pygmalion & Galatea]]'' (see below). | ||
| + | =='''''Pygmalion and Galatea'' by W.S. Gilbert (1871)'''== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Also found as '''''[[Pygmalion & Galatea]]''''' and '''''[[Pygmalion & Galathea]]''''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | === The play === | ||
| + | |||
| + | Called "an Original Mythological Comedy", it is a blank verse play in three acts, based on the Pygmalion story. It opened at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 9 December 1871 and ran for a very successful 184 performances | ||
=== South African Performances === | === South African Performances === | ||
| − | + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Mutual Hall]], Cape Town, on 9 and 10 December, with ''[[To Oblige Benson]]'' (Lemoine-Moreau and Delacour/Taylor). | |
| − | |||
| − | + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Mutual Hall]], Cape Town, on 11 December, with ''[[Perfection]]'' (Bayly) | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Mutual Hall]], Cape Town, on 12 December, with ''[[The Spitalfields Weaver]]'' (Bayly) | |
| + | |||
| + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Mutual Hall]], Cape Town, on 13 December, with ''[[The Spitalfields Weaver]]'' plus ''[[The Lady of Lyons]]'' (Bulwer-Lytton). | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Mutual Hall]], Cape Town, on 15-17 December, with ''[[Sarah's Young Man]]'' (Suter). | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Mutual Hall]], Cape Town, on 19 December, with ''[[Whitebait at Greenwich]]'' (Morton). | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in Simonstown, on 20 December. | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Mutual Hall]], Cape Town, on 23 December, with ''[[The Spitalfields Weaver]]'' (Suter). | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Mutual Hall]], Cape Town, on 26 December, with ''[[Creatures of Impulse]]'' (Gilbert). | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1873: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Mutual Hall]], Cape Town, on 31 December, "for the last time". | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1875: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, on 13 May, with ''[[A Quiet Family]]'' (Suter). | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1875: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Bijou Theatre]], Cape Town, on 27 May, with ''[[La Somnambula]]'' (Moncrieff). | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1876: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Athenaeum Hall]], Cape Town, on 25 April, with ''[[Cool as a Cucumber]]'' (B. Jerrold). | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1876: Performed by [[Disney Roebuck]] and his company in the [[Athenaeum Hall]], Cape Town, on 9 June, with ''[[Brown and the Brahmins]]'' (Reece). | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1877: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Theatre Royal]], Cape Town, on 7 August with ''[[The Happy Ashantees]]'' (Anon.) and ''[[Mr & Mrs White]]'' (Raymond). On one occasion wrongly listed by [[F.C.L. Bosman]] (1980:p. 359) as ''[[Pygmalion & Galathea]]''. | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1878: Performed by the [[Disney Roebuck]] company in the [[Theatre Royal]], Cape Town, on "Regatta Night", 22 May, with "scenes from ''[[Scenes from Robinson Crusoe|Robinson Crusoe]]''" (Defoe/ Byron) as a benefit for Miss [[Frances Delaval]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1888-9: The play was part of the repertoire of [[Lillian Beddard]] and her Shakesperian company that toured South Africa in this period, visiting Cape Town in 1888, and Johannesburg and Kimberley in 1889. Specifically mentioned is a performance of the first act of ''[[Pygmalion and Galatea]]'' (Gilbert) in Cape Town (as part of an event called ''[[Grand Classical Performance]]'' in the [[Exhibition Theatre]], Cape Town, on 3 May 1888. | ||
| − | == '''''Pygmalion'' by G.B. Shaw (1912).''' == | + | == '''''Pygmalion'' by [[George Bernard Shaw|G.B. Shaw]] (1912).''' == |
| Line 43: | Line 86: | ||
| − | The story of the poor flower seller who | + | The play by [[George Bernard Shaw]] tells the story of the poor flower seller who wants to be a lady, and is taught to "speak proper" by the professor Higgins. Written in 1912, it was first staged in 1914. |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| + | The play has had many spin-offs, including a fine film by Gabriel Pascal and, perhaps most famously, the stage and film musical ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' (Lerner and Loewe). '''(For South African stage performances see ''[[My Fair Lady]]'')''' | ||
=== South African Performances === | === South African Performances === | ||
| − | + | 1925: Shaw's play was first staged by the [[Macdona Players]] at [[His Majesty's Theatre]] on 25 May 1925. The cast included [[George Wray]] (Professor Henry Higgins), [[Joan Hopegood]] (Eliza Doolittle), [[Stanley Drewitt]] (Colonel Pickering), [[A.S. Humewood]] (Alfred Doolittle), [[Mary Wray]] (Mrs. Pearce), [[Joan Blair]] (Mrs. Higgins), [[Naomi Rutherford]] (Mrs. Eynsford Hill). The producer was [[Stanley Drewitt]]. | |
1940: Shaw's text translated into [[Afrikaans]] by [[G. Uys]] with the title ''[[Koop my Blomme]]'' ("Buy my flowers"), it was done by [[Anton Ackermann]] with [[Pikkie Uys]] in the lead in 1940. | 1940: Shaw's text translated into [[Afrikaans]] by [[G. Uys]] with the title ''[[Koop my Blomme]]'' ("Buy my flowers"), it was done by [[Anton Ackermann]] with [[Pikkie Uys]] in the lead in 1940. | ||
| Line 58: | Line 100: | ||
1946: Presented at Cape Town's [[Alhambra Theatre]] by the [[Munro-Inglis Company]] in collaboration with [[African Consolidated Theatres]] in October 1946, starring [[Nan Munro]], [[Rayne Kruger]], [[Henry Gilbert]], [[Will Jamieson]], [[Doreen Hamshaw]], [[Jeannie Targowsky]]. Sets by [[Len Grossett]]. | 1946: Presented at Cape Town's [[Alhambra Theatre]] by the [[Munro-Inglis Company]] in collaboration with [[African Consolidated Theatres]] in October 1946, starring [[Nan Munro]], [[Rayne Kruger]], [[Henry Gilbert]], [[Will Jamieson]], [[Doreen Hamshaw]], [[Jeannie Targowsky]]. Sets by [[Len Grossett]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1956: Presented by the [[University of Cape Town]]'s Speech and Drama Department in April at the [[Little Theatre]], directed by [[Gretel Mills]]. | ||
1975: Directed by [[Peter Curtis]] for [[CAPAB]] opening 22 November with [[Lois Butlin]] as Eliza Doolittle and other cast members including [[Nicholas Ellenbogen]], [[Mary Dreyer]], [[Marion Achber]], [[Dugald Thomson]], [[Colin Duell]], [[John Whiteley]], [[Arthur Hall]], [[Michael Atkinson]], [[Joyce Bradley]], [[Simon Swindell]], [[Ann Courtneidge]], [[Joanne Elkon]]. Set design by [[Ken Robinson]], costume design by [[Jennifer Craig]], lighting design by [[John T. Baker]]. | 1975: Directed by [[Peter Curtis]] for [[CAPAB]] opening 22 November with [[Lois Butlin]] as Eliza Doolittle and other cast members including [[Nicholas Ellenbogen]], [[Mary Dreyer]], [[Marion Achber]], [[Dugald Thomson]], [[Colin Duell]], [[John Whiteley]], [[Arthur Hall]], [[Michael Atkinson]], [[Joyce Bradley]], [[Simon Swindell]], [[Ann Courtneidge]], [[Joanne Elkon]]. Set design by [[Ken Robinson]], costume design by [[Jennifer Craig]], lighting design by [[John T. Baker]]. | ||
= Sources = | = Sources = | ||
| + | |||
| + | Rand Daily Mail, 26 May, 1925 | ||
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(mythology)#Stage_plays | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(mythology)#Stage_plays | ||
| Line 67: | Line 113: | ||
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(Rousseau) | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(Rousseau) | ||
| − | [[F.C.L. | + | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_and_Galatea_(play) |
| + | |||
| + | Michael O'Dea. , 2016. ''Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Music, Illusion and Desire'', Springer: p. 234.[https://books.google.co.za/books?id=nAu_DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA234&lpg=PA234&dq=scene+lyrique+definition&source=bl&ots=E8ULkeLpje&sig=o4JDqrNYifVDwK2N2q15VGbdv54&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiI4pHY6L7TAhXrIMAKHbGgBKMQ6AEIQjAF#v=onepage&q=scene%20lyrique%20definition&f=false] | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[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. 88, 92, 330-331; 373 | ||
''[[Trek]]'', 8(7):20, 1943; 11(7):18, 1946. | ''[[Trek]]'', 8(7):20, 1943; 11(7):18, 1946. | ||
| + | ''[[Pygmalion]]'' theatre programme notes ([[CAPAB]] 1975). | ||
| + | |||
| + | Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]] | ||
= Return to = | = Return to = | ||
| − | Return to [[ | + | Return to [[PLAYS I: Original SA plays]] |
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS II: Foreign plays]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS III: Collections]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances]] | ||
| − | Return to [[ | + | Return to [[South_African_Festivals|South African Festivals and Competitions]] |
Return to [[The ESAT Entries]] | Return to [[The ESAT Entries]] | ||
Return to [[Main Page]] | Return to [[Main Page]] | ||
Latest revision as of 07:00, 20 December 2023
Pygmalion is Greek mythical character, about whom a number of dramatic works have been written.
Also written Pigmalion in some cases, notably from the French and Italian.
Contents
The character
Pygmalion is the Greek version of the Phoenician royal name Pumayyaton, and is most familiar from Ovid's narrative poem Metamorphoses, X, in which Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved.
Plays written about the character
There have been a number of theatrical works over the centuries based on the story of the Greek mythological figure Pygmalion. Many works used this title or use the name in the title of the work.
Among them are Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera Pigmalion (1748); Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Pygmalion (1762, staged 1770); Donizetti's first opera, Il Pigmalione (1816); William Brough's Pygmalion, or The Statue Fair (1867); W. S. Gilbert's Pygmalion and Galatea (1871), Marius Petipa and Nikita Trubetskoi's four act ballet Pygmalion, ou La Statue de Chypre(1883); George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (1912, staged 1914) and My Fair Lady (based on Shaw's play).
Plays by this name performed in South Africa
A number of the above works have been performed in South Africa, and they are discussed below.
Pygmalion by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762)
The play
A one-act scène lyrique (lyrical drama) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, with music by Horace Coignet. Can be considered one of the first ever melodramas, in the original sense – i.e. a play consisting of pantomime gestures and the spoken word, both with a musical accompaniment. Written in 1762, It was first performed by amateurs at the Hôtel de Ville, Lyon in 1770, became part of the repertory of the Comédie-Française for about five years.
South African Performances
1803: Performed in French in the African Theatre by the Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap, led by Charles Mathurin Villet, on 29 October 1803, with Le Directeur de la Comédie as afterpiece. In both pieces the lead role was taken by Mr Delémery, possibly a visiting professional actor.
1806: Performed in French in the African Theatre by the Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap, led by Charles Mathurin Villet, on 31 May 1806, starring Mr Delémery again and Men Doet Wat Men Kan, Niet Wat Men Wil (Dorvigny, tr. Ogelwight). (Bosman appears to also mention an unnamed Lyrische Scene done by Delémery, but the problem is clearly his sentence structure - he is actually referring to Rousseau's work.)
1834: Performed in C.E. Boniface's Dutch translation in the African Theatre by Vlyt en Kunst December 1834, as afterpiece to De Burger Edelman (Molière).
18**: Some sources mention a play called Pygmalion produced in South Africa by Disney Roebuck. Though it may possibly have been a version of this play, it is far more likely to have been a reference to his performances of Pygmalion & Galatea (see below).
Pygmalion and Galatea by W.S. Gilbert (1871)
Also found as Pygmalion & Galatea and Pygmalion & Galathea
The play
Called "an Original Mythological Comedy", it is a blank verse play in three acts, based on the Pygmalion story. It opened at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 9 December 1871 and ran for a very successful 184 performances
South African Performances
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 9 and 10 December, with To Oblige Benson (Lemoine-Moreau and Delacour/Taylor).
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 11 December, with Perfection (Bayly)
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 12 December, with The Spitalfields Weaver (Bayly)
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 13 December, with The Spitalfields Weaver plus The Lady of Lyons (Bulwer-Lytton).
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 15-17 December, with Sarah's Young Man (Suter).
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 19 December, with Whitebait at Greenwich (Morton).
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in Simonstown, on 20 December.
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 23 December, with The Spitalfields Weaver (Suter).
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 26 December, with Creatures of Impulse (Gilbert).
1873: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on 31 December, "for the last time".
1875: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 13 May, with A Quiet Family (Suter).
1875: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town, on 27 May, with La Somnambula (Moncrieff).
1876: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Athenaeum Hall, Cape Town, on 25 April, with Cool as a Cucumber (B. Jerrold).
1876: Performed by Disney Roebuck and his company in the Athenaeum Hall, Cape Town, on 9 June, with Brown and the Brahmins (Reece).
1877: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town, on 7 August with The Happy Ashantees (Anon.) and Mr & Mrs White (Raymond). On one occasion wrongly listed by F.C.L. Bosman (1980:p. 359) as Pygmalion & Galathea.
1878: Performed by the Disney Roebuck company in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town, on "Regatta Night", 22 May, with "scenes from Robinson Crusoe" (Defoe/ Byron) as a benefit for Miss Frances Delaval.
1888-9: The play was part of the repertoire of Lillian Beddard and her Shakesperian company that toured South Africa in this period, visiting Cape Town in 1888, and Johannesburg and Kimberley in 1889. Specifically mentioned is a performance of the first act of Pygmalion and Galatea (Gilbert) in Cape Town (as part of an event called Grand Classical Performance in the Exhibition Theatre, Cape Town, on 3 May 1888.
Pygmalion by G.B. Shaw (1912).
The play
The play by George Bernard Shaw tells the story of the poor flower seller who wants to be a lady, and is taught to "speak proper" by the professor Higgins. Written in 1912, it was first staged in 1914.
The play has had many spin-offs, including a fine film by Gabriel Pascal and, perhaps most famously, the stage and film musical My Fair Lady (Lerner and Loewe). (For South African stage performances see My Fair Lady)
South African Performances
1925: Shaw's play was first staged by the Macdona Players at His Majesty's Theatre on 25 May 1925. The cast included George Wray (Professor Henry Higgins), Joan Hopegood (Eliza Doolittle), Stanley Drewitt (Colonel Pickering), A.S. Humewood (Alfred Doolittle), Mary Wray (Mrs. Pearce), Joan Blair (Mrs. Higgins), Naomi Rutherford (Mrs. Eynsford Hill). The producer was Stanley Drewitt.
1940: Shaw's text translated into Afrikaans by G. Uys with the title Koop my Blomme ("Buy my flowers"), it was done by Anton Ackermann with Pikkie Uys in the lead in 1940.
1943: The play was the entry of the University Players for the 1943 F.A.T.S.A. Play Festival.
1946: Presented at Cape Town's Alhambra Theatre by the Munro-Inglis Company in collaboration with African Consolidated Theatres in October 1946, starring Nan Munro, Rayne Kruger, Henry Gilbert, Will Jamieson, Doreen Hamshaw, Jeannie Targowsky. Sets by Len Grossett.
1956: Presented by the University of Cape Town's Speech and Drama Department in April at the Little Theatre, directed by Gretel Mills.
1975: Directed by Peter Curtis for CAPAB opening 22 November with Lois Butlin as Eliza Doolittle and other cast members including Nicholas Ellenbogen, Mary Dreyer, Marion Achber, Dugald Thomson, Colin Duell, John Whiteley, Arthur Hall, Michael Atkinson, Joyce Bradley, Simon Swindell, Ann Courtneidge, Joanne Elkon. Set design by Ken Robinson, costume design by Jennifer Craig, lighting design by John T. Baker.
Sources
Rand Daily Mail, 26 May, 1925
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(mythology)#Stage_plays
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(Rousseau)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_and_Galatea_(play)
Michael O'Dea. , 2016. Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Music, Illusion and Desire, Springer: p. 234.[1]
F.C.L. Bosman. 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [2]: pp. 88, 92, 330-331; 373
Trek, 8(7):20, 1943; 11(7):18, 1946.
Pygmalion theatre programme notes (CAPAB 1975).
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays
Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays
Return to PLAYS III: Collections
Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances
Return to South African Festivals and Competitions
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
