Roger la Honte

Roger la Honte is a French drama in 4 acts by Jules Mary and Georges Grisier

The original text

Based on the novel by Jules Mary (printed in Le Petit Journal, 1886), the play was first performed in French at the Ambigu Theatre, Paris

Translations and adaptations

The rights to the French play were purchased for England by the actors, William Terriss, Charles Cartwright and Charles Overton, and they then commissioned Robert Buchanan (1841-1901)[1] to write an English adaptation for production in London. Buchanan's adaptation, eventually known as A Man's Shadow, was initially performed as Roger la Honte, or Jean the Disgraced at the Elephant and Castle Theatre, London, on 29 November, 1888, before opening at the Haymarket Theatre as A Man's Shadow on 12 September, 1889 and playing till 29 March, 1890. The American production, entitled Roger la Honte, or A Man’s Shadow, opened at Niblo’s Garden on 8 October, 1889, produced by Augustin Daly with William Terriss in the starring roles.

Buchanan's version was made into a 1920 British silent crime film called A Man's Shadow directed by Sidney Morgan.[2]

The novel was filmed in French as Roger la Honte in 1946, directed by André Cayatte, with was followed by a sequel called La revanche de Roger la Honte and featuring many of the original cast and released the same year.

Performance history in South Africa

1894: Performed in the Opera House, Cape Town, by the visiting Emilie Bevan Comedy Company as part of their second season.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_la_Honte_(novel)

http://www.robertbuchanan.co.uk/html/manshadow.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Williams_Buchanan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Man%27s_Shadow

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_la_Honte_(1946_film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revenge_of_Roger

D.C. Boonzaier, 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1932. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.394-5

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