La Folle Journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro

La Folle Journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro ("The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro") is a comedy in five acts by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (usually referred to simply as "Beaumarchais", 1732-1799)[1]. (The texts of the Beaumarchais play and the popular Mozart opera based on it, are both often both referred to simply as Le Mariage de Figaro or The Marriage of Figaro)

The original text

Most probably written in 1778 as the second of a trilogy of plays entitled Le Roman de la Famille Almaviva, with the others being Le Barbier de Séville, ou La Précaution Inutile[2] (1778) and L'Autre Tartuffe ou La Mère coupable ("The other Tartuffe, or The Guilty Mother", 1792)[3].

Translations and adaptations

First performed in Paris on 23 and 25 February, 1775 at the Comédie-Française and was published by Ruault, Paris, in the same year.

written in 1778 by Pierre Beaumarchais. This play is the second in the Figaro trilogy, preceded by The Barber of Seville and followed by The Guilty Mother.[1]

The original text

Written in 1772 as the first of a trilogy of plays entitled Le Roman de la Famille Almaviva, with the others being La Folle Journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro[4] (1778) and L'Autre Tartuffe ou La Mère coupable (1792)[5].

Translations and adaptations

The play formed the basis of the famous opera The Marriage of Figaro[6] by Mozart, with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, another opera, La pazza giornata, ovvero Il matrimonio di Figaro, with libretto by Gaetano Rossi and music by Marcos Portugal.[]

Performance history in South Africa

1783?: From internal evidence in Le Vaillant's journals, it seems probable that a version of De Beaumarchais's new play, banned in Paris till 1784, may have been seen in Cape Town's Barracks Theatre prior to that (between 1780 and 1784). Fletcher (1994: p. 18), for example, notes his reference to the "Duchess of Almaviva", who only appears in the second play, while F.C.L. Bosman actually suggests 1783 as a probable date.