Volpone
Volpone ("sly fox") is a play by Ben Jonson (1572-1637)[1]
Contents
The original text
A satire of greed and lust written 1606, the play was first performed at the Globe Theatre by the King's Men in 1606. First published in quarto in early 1607 printed by Thomas Thorpe and in an amended version in folio in 1616.
Translations
Translated into Afrikaans by ** as **??
Translated into Dutch by Hugo Claus, titled De Vossejacht. Published by Bezige Bij, 1972.
Adaptations
Adapted by Barney Simon to place Ben Jonson's play in a township setting, Phiri is an African jazz musical, created in 1972 with contributions by Oswald Mthsali, Stanley Motjuadi and Wally Serote, and music by Mackay Davashe, Cyril Magubane and Sophie Mcgina. (See Phiri)
Sly Fox by Larry Gelbart (1976) is an updated American version of Volpone, set in San Francisco. (See Sly Fox)
Performance history in South Africa
First performed in South Africa in 18/19*.
1952: Performed in English by National Theatre Organisation in 1952 (in an adaptation by Stefan Zweig), as part of the Van Riebeeck Festival and directed by Leonard Schach with Pieter Geldenhuys, Gerrit Wessels, Vivienne Drummond as Canina, Edna Jacobson, Frank Wise, Michael Perry, Alan Chadwick, Vivienne Drummond, Glyn Jones, Ted Darroll and Siegfried Mynhardt. Costumes designed by Frank Graves. The production visited Rhodesia in 1953 in tandem with Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, produced by Leonard Schach with the same company.
1966/1967(?): Performed in English by the UCT Dramatic Society, directed by Roy Sargeant.
1972: Phiri first improvised and performed by Phoenix Players at Union Artists (Dorkay House), directed by Barney Simon, with designs by Axel Peterson, with Sophie Mcgina.
1979: Sly Fox First performed by The Company at the Market Theatre in 1979. It was directed by Pieter-Dirk Uys and starred Patrick Mynhardt, Graham Armitage and Peter J. Elliott.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volpone
Grütter, Wilhelm, CAPAB 25 Years, 1987. Unpublished research. p 59.
Lantern, 9:294-298. 1952.
Performing Arts. HSRC, 1972.
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