Le Médecin Malgré Lui

("The Doctor in spite of Himself") A comedy by Molière.

The original French play

Written in 1666 and first performed at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal on 6th August, 1666 by La Troupe du Roi.

In 1858 turned into an opéra comique in three acts by Charles Gounod, to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré after Molière's play.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_M%C3%A9decin_malgr%C3%A9_lui

http://www.site-moliere.com/pieces/medecin.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_m%C3%A9decin_malgr%C3%A9_lui_(opera)

Translations and adaptations

Loosely adapted into English by Henry Fielding as The Mock Doctor, or The Dumb Lady Cur'd. First performed on 23 June 1732 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Translated into Dutch as Jantje Puk, of Den Doctor tegen Wil en Dank.

Translated into Dutch as De Wonder Docter, of Le Médecin malgré Lui, possibly by C.E. Boniface.

Translated into Afrikaans as Dokter teen Wil en Dank by Uys Krige.

Sources

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

Bosman 1928: p.340

Performance history in South Africa

In the original French

1804: Performed in the original French by Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap ("The French Amateur Company"), led by Charles Mathurin Villet. Also played was Le(s) trois Africaines (possibly Les Nègres by Louis-Edme Billardon de Sauvigny). The performances took place in the African Theatre on 23 June 1804. (The play's title was apparently spelled as Le Médecin Malgré-lui "by J.B.P. de Molière" in F.C.L. Bosman's source.)

Sources

Bosman, 1928: 78, 90, 197,

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

The Mock Doctor by Henry Fielding (English)

Adapted into English by Henry Fielding The Mock Doctor, or The Dumb Lady Cur'd. First produced on 23 June 1732 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Often referred to simply as The Mock Doctor

Performance history in South Africa

1809: Performed by the Officers of the Garrison on Saturday 29 April, 1809 in the African Theatre, along with Katharine and Petruchio (Shakespeare). (The titles are given in free Dutch translation as De Bespotlyke Docter and Katharina en Petruchio in the newspaper quoted by F.C.L. Bosman)

1823: The English Theatricals company did the play in the African Theatre Cape Town on 15 November 1823 , as afterpiece to Rob Roy Macgregor, or Auld Lang Syne (Pocock).

Sources

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

Bosman, 1928: 78, 197,

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

De Wonder Docter, of Le Médecin malgré Lui (Dutch)

Possibly translated into Dutch in 1834, most probably by C.E. Boniface(?), since his company performed it.

The name is written in a number of ways in F.C.L. Bosman (1928 pp. 255, 322 and 444), and appears variously as De Wonder Doctor, De Wonderdoctor and De Wonder Docter, of Le Médecin Malgré Lui. Whether this was the way it appeared in Bosman's sources, and/or if this was sloppiness by Boniface (or the companies performing the work), or by Bosman himself, is uncertain.

Jantje Puk, of Den Doctor tegen Wil en Dank (Dutch)

A translation (by an unknown translator) into Dutch with this title was produced in Cape Town by members of the Dutch amateur company Vlyt en Kunst in the Kaapschen Schouwburg in August 1838, with De Jood en de Christen, of de Gevolge der Lichtzinnigheid (A bowdlerized Dutch version of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice).

Sources

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

Bosman, 1928: 339-340,

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

Dokter teen Wil en Dank by Uys Krige (Afrikaans)

Translated and adapted into Afrikaans as Dokter teen-wil-en-dank by Uys Krige in 1966, to mark the play's tricentenary.

Performance history in South Africa

1966: The Afrikaans translation was first produced by PACT in 1966. Krige's translation was published by J.L. van Schaik in 1971 and was awarded the Akademieprys for translated work in 1972.

1970: Directed for CAPAB in 1970 by Brian Astbury, with Jannie Gildenhuys and Pieter Joubert.

Sources

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

Return to

Return to D in Plays 2 Foreign Plays

Return to M in Plays 2 Foreign Plays

Return to South_African_Theatre/Plays

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page