Duel of Angels
| Duel of Angels | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Jean Giraudoux |
| Characters | Joseph, Marcellus, Paola, Armand, Lucile, Eugenie, Mr Justice Blanchard, Barbette |
| Date premiered | 4 November 1953 |
| Place premiered | Marigny TheatreinParis |
| Original language | French |
| Subject | A faithful wife is betrayed and driven to suicide. |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | Aix-en-Provence,France Summer, 1868 |
Duel of Angels(1963) is an English-language adaptation byChristopher Fryof the playPour Lucrèce(1944) by French dramatistJean Giraudoux.The play is based on the story ofLucretia,the virtuousRomanhousewife who was raped and, finding no support from her husband and his friends, is driven to suicide. This is the same legend that was used byShakespeareinThe Rape of Lucrece.[1]Giraudoux gives the Roman legend a new locale, setting his drama in nineteenth-centuryAix-en-Provencein southern France.
Original productions
[edit]Pour Lucrècewas translated into English asDuel of AngelsbyChristopher Fry,inThe Drama of Jean Giraudoux,vol. 1 (1963).[2]
Pour Lucrècewas not performed until nine years after the author's death on 4 November 1953[3]in Paris at theMarigny Theatrein a production byJean-Louis Barrault.[4]
Duel of Angelsopened on 24 April 1958 at theApollo Theatrein a production directed byJean-Louis Barrault,and starringVivien Leigh,Claire Bloom(later replaced byAnn ToddandMary Ure),Derek NimmoandPeter Wyngarde.[5]Leigh again played the role of Paola in a production opening on 19 April 1960 at theHelen Hayes Theatrein New York City, directed byRobert Helpmann,and also featuringPeter Wyngarde,Jack MerivaleandMary Ure.[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of world drama, by Stanley Hochman, volume 1, p. 324
- ^Cohen, Robert (1968),Jean Giraudoux; Three Faces of Destiny,p. 159, University of Chicago Press, Chicago
- ^Grossvogel, David I. (1958),20th Century French Drama,p. 342, Columbia University Press, New York.
- ^Inskip, Donald, (1958),Jean Giraudoux, The Making of a Dramatist,p. 182, Oxford University Press, New York.
- ^"Vivien Leigh: The Later Years – Theatre, 1950s & 1960s".Dycks.com/vivienleigh.The Vivien Leigh Pages. 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2012.Retrieved2 May2012.
- ^Vivien Leigh chronology of stage and film performances
- ^The Broadway League(2012)."Duel of Angels".Ibdb.com.Internet Broadway Database(IBDB).Retrieved2 May2012.