Il Trovatore
Il Trovatore ("The Troubadour") is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)[1].
Contents
The original text
The Italian libretto was largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador (1836), , a flamboyant and incident filled melodrama by Antonio García Gutiérrez ()[].
Translations and adaptations
Burlesque versions of Italian, French - and, later, German - operas became popular with London audiences during the second half of the 19th century. For example Verdi's Il Trovatore had its British premiere in 1855. (Possibly created by H.J. Byron).
A burlesque version of the opera was apparently done by the Christy Minstrels in the 1860s, also performed during their South African visit in 1862.
Another burlesque version called Il Trovatore Up To Date ("a burlesque in one scene") was written and published by Alexander H. Laidlaw, Jr. in 1897.
South African performances of the opera
See **
Perfomances of dramatic adaptations and burlesque versions in South Africa
1862: A burlesque called Il Trovatore was performed by the Christy Minstrels, as part of their repertoire while touring the Cape Province between September and November.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_trovatore
https://www.loc.gov/item/varsep.s17651/
F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 139-141.
