L'homme au Masque de Fer
L'homme au Masque de Fer ("The man in the iron mask"), a drama in 5 acts and in prose, by Narcisse Fournier (1803–1880) [1] and Auguste Arnouldt (1803–1854)[2]
Contents
The original text
Based on the novel Le Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847) by Alexander Dumas, the play was first performed in the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, Paris, on 3 August 1831 and the text published in Paris by Barba in the same year.
Translations and adaptations
Adapted from the French by W.J. Lucas, it was first performed in English at the Royal Pavilion Theatre, London, on 30 January, 1832, with the title The Man with the Iron Mask, or The Royal Twins (no author named). Published by T.H. Lacy as The Man with the Iron Mask: in Four Epochs in 1850 (and Samuel French, 1864), now now ascribed to Lucas and containing the description "Each epoch containing a distinct and thrilling phase in this most extraordinary man's life, until his murder in the Bastile, sternly corroborated by facts and documents seized during its demolition by the infuriated people."
A German version, Die Eiserne Larve ("The iron mask") was produced by Heinrich Szchokke (1771-1848)[3].
Another English translation, by Frank J Morlock, was published in 2001 by Natick, MA: Rogue Publishers.
Performance history in South Africa
Sources
Facsimile version of the French text of 1831, Google E-book[4]
Facsimile version of the French text by Barba of 1831, Google E-book[5]
http://data.bnf.fr/39499252/l_homme_au_masque_de_fer_spectacle_1831/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Arnould
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcisse_Fournier
http://www.elta-project.org/browse.html?recordId=1204
Transcript version of the Thomas Hailes Lacy text, The Victorian Plays Project[6]
F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.
William Groom. 1899-1900. Drama in Cape Town. Cape Illustrated Magazine, 10(4): 478-481, 517-520, 547-552, 580-584, 640-643, 670-672, 706-708.
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