Flodoardo van Overschie, of Aballino, Junior

Flodoardo van Overschie, of Aballino, Junior is a "musical tragi-comedy" by Johannes Hendricus Gravé (??-1841)[1].

Also found as Flodoardo van Overschie, of De Kleine Bandiet ("Flodoardo van Overschie, or the small bandit") in South Africa

The original text

Written as a parody the 5-act German tragedy Abällino der Grosse Bandit ("Abällino the Great Bandit") by Heinrich Zschokke[2] (1771 - 1848).

Gravé's parody version was first published in Den Haag by H.S. de Groot, 1811.

Adaptations and translations

According to Bosman, 1928, a play called Aballino Junior, of De Kleine Bandiet was written by Joseph Suasso de Lima. Called a "farcical tragedy" it was based on the 5-act tragedy Aballino, De Groote Bandiet by Heinrich Zschokke, and was written in response to Clasius by his arch-rival C.E. Boniface, which had been an outright attack on him. It was never published.

However, it is also likely that this was simply a localized version of Gravé's Flodoardo van Overschie, of Aballino, Junior, though the anti-Boniface element is certainly apparent.

The title Flodoardo van Overschie, of De Kleine Bandiet is also found in South Africa.

Performance history in South Africa

1835: A performance of Aballino Junior, of De Kleine Bandiet "door eenen Amateur", announced on 16 October and performed in the Stads Schouwburg ("Civic Theatre") Cape Town by the children's theatre company Kunst en Smaak on 21 November 1835, alongside Monsieur Tonson (Moncrieff); repeated on 31 November 1835 by the same company. The cast included J. Stegman as "Tom King" and F. Langerman as "Aballino".

1837: A performance of a Dutch work called Flodoardo van Overschie, of De Kleine Bandiet was announced for the "South African Theatre" by the "South African Amateur Company", F.C.L. Bosman (1928: p. 338) suggests this company may have been Vlyt en Kunst. They also did De Oude Rot (Anon.).