Madame Duret

Madame Duret (18**-18**) was a professional actress from London. (Possibly Mrs Marie Duret)

She apparently worked in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town between 1861 and 1871 with her husband, Mr J.H. le Roy, as one half of the Leroy and Duret or Le Roy and Duret Company. They were particularly active in the work presented by the British garrison in Cape Town.

She was generally regarded as a formidable actress and clearlty a character actress and seasoned transformationist, performing multiple roles in various plays specifically selected for her, including six characters in the protean farce The Actress of All Work (Oxberry) and eight in Winning a Husband (Buckstone).

For more performances by the company and Madame Duret, see Le Roy and Duret Company

[JH]

Sources

Bosman, F.C.L., Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. 1980: pp.

P.J. du Toit, 1988

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