Le Chalet

Le Chalet is an opéra comique[1] in one act by Eugène Scribe (1791-1861)[2], Mélesville (1787-1865)[3] and Adolphe Adam(1803-1856)[4].

The original text

The French libretto was written by Eugène Scribe (1791-1861)[5] and Mélesville (1787-1865)[6] after the singspiel Jery und Bätely by Goethe, and music by Adolphe Adam(1803-1856)[7]. First performed at the Opéra-Comique, Salle de la Bourse, Paris on 25 September 1834.

Translations and adaptations

Adapted into English by Thomas Haynes Bayly (1797-1839)[8] as The Swiss Chalet, or Why don't she Marry?, with music by Arthur Edward Shelden Seguin (1809-1852)[9].

The text also referred to simply as The Swiss Cottage or as Why Don't She Marry?, and on occasion called a musical burletta. The title Le Chalet Suisse found in some sources, where it appears the text is most probably also an English version.

The Swiss Chalet, or Why don't she Marry? was first performed at the Royal Olympic Theatre, London, followed by performances at various American theatres. The text was published as Volume 405 of Dicks' standard plays, Volume 1 of Lacy's acting edition and in Samuel French's American Drama (no LXXIX), 1860 and by Thomas Hailes Lacy, London, 1866.

Performance history in South Africa

1857: Performed as Why Don't She Marry?

1861:

1867: Performed as The Swiss Cottage by the Le Roy-Duret Company on 25 September as part of their "Grand Re-opening Night" in the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, with Good for Nothing (Buckstone) , Delicate Ground (Dance).

1871: Performed as The Swiss Cottage by the visiting Bijou Troupe in the Cape Town Institute building on 20 March, with The Rough Diamond (Buckstone).

Sources

Performance history in South Africa

Sources

http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-nr95043352/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Scribe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9lesville

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

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

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Seguin,_Arthur_Edward_Shelden_(DNB00)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 57, 59, 61, 98, 230, 236, 254, 268, 325, 331.

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