L'Africaine, Or The Queen Of The Cannibal Islands

L'Africaine, Or The Queen Of The Cannibal Islands was an "Original Opera Burlesque" by Francis Cowley Burnand (1836-1917)[1] and Montagu Williams (1835-1892)[2].

Also referred to simply as L'Africaine by a number of sources.

However, the title L'Africaine must not be confused with the similarly titled grand opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer (1865).'

The original text

Burnand and Williams's burlesque opened had been written as a parody of L'Africaine ("The African Woman")[3], a grand opera in five acts composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer, with a French libretto by Eugène Scribe. First performed by the Paris Opéra at the Salle Le Peletier on 28 April 1865, and in London at Covent Garden Theatre on 22 July 1865, New York on 1 December 1865.

The burlesque, entitled L'Africaine, Or The Queen Of The Cannibal Islands opened at the Strand Theatre in London on 18 November 1865 and had 88 performances. Published, with the subtitle "An Original Opera Burlesque", in the same year apparently.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1869: Performed under the (rather odd) title La Africain, or High Tall Yawn Uproar (sic), as part of what they termed a Grand Christy Entertainment by the 86th Royal Downshire Minstrels in the Oddfellows Hall on 19 April 1869.

1872: Planned for performance (under the same title) by the resurrected 86th Royal Downshire Minstrels in the Mutual Hall, Cape Town, on November, though no record of the actual performance can be found.

Sources

William Davenport Adams. 1891. A book of burlesque, sketches of English stage travestie and parody:p. 184. Online facsimile version: Online library eBooksRead.com[4] Accessed: 2017/08/07 - 05h40.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Africaine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._C._Burnand

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 264, 267

Go to ESAT Bibliography