Leonora Braham

Miss Leonora Braham (18**-19**) was a British singer and actress.

Not to be confused with L. Braham, a British Christy's style singer and performer, who visited the country in 1862.

Biography

The Prima Donna of London's Savoy Theatre, inter alia playing "Yum-Yum" in the original production of the The Mikado.

Contribution to South African theatre and performance

She was the leading actress for the Lyric Company in Stephenson and Cellier’s musical Dorothy, when it opened Cape Town’s Opera House on 31 August 1893.

In 1893-4 she performed for the Lyric Opera Company under the management of Edgar Perkins and Arturo Bonamici, while on tour in South Africa, including performances in the Opera House, Cape Town.

She had the distinction of playing the leading role in the opening production at the Cape Town Opera House on 31 August 1893, a performance of Stephenson and Cellier’s musical Dorothy. Besides Dorothy, their repertoire of also included La Cigale ( Meilhac and Halevy), The Old Guard (Boucicault), La Mascotte (Audran, Duru and Chivot), Maritana (Wallace and Fitzball), Haddon Hall (Grundy and Sullivan), Rip van Winkle (Planquette and Farnie), Iolanthe (Gilbert and Sullivan), The Mikado (Gilbert and Sullivan) and Princess Ida (Gilbert and Sullivan).Other performances by the company included Faust (Gounod), La Traviata (Verdi), I Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) and Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) .

Sources

Fletcher, 1994

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. 382, 390, 397-8, 400.

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