Léocadia: Difference between revisions

Léocadia
Léocadia
	Richard Burton and Susan Strasberg in the 1957 Broadway production Time Remembered
Written by	Jean Anouilh
Characters	Amanda; The Prince; The Duchess; The Butler; others;
Date premiered	2 December 1940
Place premiered	Théâtre de la Michodière, Paris
Original language	French

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Léocadia (Time Remembered) is a play by Jean Anouilh that premiered at the Théâtre de la Michodière in Paris on 2 December 1940.^[1]^[2] It is one of Anouilh's Pièces roses, together with Humulus le muet (1932), Le Bal des voleurs (1938), and Le Rendez-vous de Senlis [fr] (1941). For the occasion, Francis Poulenc composed one of his most celebrated songs, "Les Chemins de l'amour", sung by Yvonne Printemps.

Plot

Léocadia tells the story of a young prince madly in love with a Romanian opera singer, Léocadia Gardi. The young man only knew her for three days: like Isadora Duncan, she died strangled by her shawl. Inconsolable, he lives in his memory of the young woman.

His aunt—the Duchesse d'Andinet d'Andaine—reconstructs the setting and places of those three days like a theater director. Actors play the parts of the butler and servants during those days of happiness. Amanda, a poor milliner and look-alike of the singer, is called upon to seduce the prince, in the hope that life will prevail over memory.

At first, the young man clings desperately to his dream, but eventually comes to realize through Amanda that his memory of Léocadia corresponds to his fear of life being so ephemeral. His anguish at leaving an illusory memory yields soon to the call of real life. The rigid, theatrical world imagined by the duchess falls apart, becoming a false comedy. The prince leaves his illusions and discovers that Léocadia was only an ideal, devoid of substance. His love of Amanda helps him return to real life.^[3]

Premiere cast

Yvonne Printemps: Amanda
Pierre Fresnay: The Prince
Marguerite Deval: The Duchess
Victor Boucher: The Butler
in minor roles: Paul Demange, Léon Larive, Mercédès Brare, Henri-Richard, Jacques Januar and Henry Gaultier
Director: André Barsacq
Music: Francis Poulenc
Premiere: 2 December 1940^[1]
Closed after 173 performances on 27 April 1941^[2]

Translation and adaptation

Patricia Moyes translated the play to English, using the title Time Remembered. It was staged both in London and on Broadway in 1957, with Richard Burton and Helen Hayes in the leading parts.^[4] In 2000, Jeffrey Hatcher wrote an adaptation of the play in English, calling it To Fool the Eye.^[5]

Reprise

Comédie des Champs-Élysées in 1984

Sabine Haudepin: Amanda
Lambert Wilson: The Prince
Edwige Feuillère: The Duchess
Philippe Khorsand: The Butler
in minor roles: Jacques Marchand, Jacques Plee, Robert Deslandes, Jacques Castelot, Francis Rossello and Philippe Dehesdin [fr]
Director: Pierre Boutron
Stage design: Agostino Pace [fr]
Costumes: Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle [fr]
Lighting: Boutron
Music: Poulenc
First performance on 11 September 1984^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b "The performance : Leocadia / pièce en 5 actes / Paris (France) : Théâtre de la Michodière – 02-12-1940". BNF. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
^ ^a ^b Liste des créations" publiée par le théâtre dans ses programmes en 1953 (in French). théâtre de la Michodière.
^ Spencer, Charles (6 June 2002). "Routledge's doughty duchess rescues Anouilh from ennui". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
^ Morton-Sayner, Anthea (22 August 2000). "Patricia Moyes / Writer in the cosy tradition of British detective fiction – focusing on the solution, not the crime". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
^ Hatcher, Jeffrey Hatcher (2000). To Fool the Eye: An Adaptation of Jean Anouilh's Léocadia. Dramatists Play Service. ISBN 978-0-8222-1846-3.
^ "Leocadia [Spectacle] / mise en scène de Pierre Boutron ; pièce de Jean Anouilh ; décors de Augusto Pace ; costumes de Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle ;". BNF. Retrieved 8 February 2017.

External links

Léocadia : un conte de fées nostalgique on Le Figaro (12 October 2012)
Léocadia on gallica
Lectures à une voix – Léocadia de Jean Anouilh (in French) ina.fr
Programme 1940 regietheatrale.com
Léocadia, FP 106 (Poulenc, Francis) on IMSLP

[BNF-1] "The performance : Leocadia / pièce en 5 actes / Paris (France) : Théâtre de la Michodière – 02-12-1940". BNF. Retrieved 8 February 2017.

[Michodière-2] Liste des créations" publiée par le théâtre dans ses programmes en 1953 (in French). théâtre de la Michodière.

[Spencer-3] Spencer, Charles (6 June 2002). "Routledge's doughty duchess rescues Anouilh from ennui". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2017.

[Morton-Sayner-4] Morton-Sayner, Anthea (22 August 2000). "Patricia Moyes / Writer in the cosy tradition of British detective fiction – focusing on the solution, not the crime". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2017.

[Hatcher-5] Hatcher, Jeffrey Hatcher (2000). To Fool the Eye: An Adaptation of Jean Anouilh's Léocadia. Dramatists Play Service. ISBN 978-0-8222-1846-3.

[Boutron-6] "Leocadia [Spectacle] / mise en scène de Pierre Boutron ; pièce de Jean Anouilh ; décors de Augusto Pace ; costumes de Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle ;". BNF. Retrieved 8 February 2017.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1940 play by Jean Anouilh}}
 {{Infobox play
-| name = Leocadia
+| name = Léocadia
+| image = Richard Burton Susan Strasberg Time Remembered 1958.jpg
-| image =
+| caption = [[Richard Burton]] and [[Susan Strasberg]] in the 1957 Broadway production ''Time Remembered''
-| image_size =
-| caption =
 | writer = [[Jean Anouilh]]
 | characters = {{plainlist|
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 * others
 }}
 | setting =
-| date of premiere =  {{start date|1 December 1940|df=y}}
+| premiere = {{start date|1940|12|2|df=y}}
+| place = [[Théâtre de la Michodière]], Paris
-| country of Origin = France
-| original language = French
+| orig_lang = French
 | subject =
 | genre =
 | web =
 }}
-'''''Léocadia''''' (''Time Remembered'') is a play by [[Jean Anouilh]], premiered at the {{ill|théâtre de la Michodière|fr}} in Paris on 1 December 1940.<ref name="Créations Michodière">« Liste des créations » publiée par le théâtre dans ses programmes en 1953.</ref>
+'''''Léocadia''''' ('''''Time Remembered''''') is a play by [[Jean Anouilh]] that premiered at the [[Théâtre de la Michodière]] in Paris on 2 December 1940.<ref name="BNF" /><ref name="Michodière" /> It is one of Anouilh's ''Pièces roses'', together with ''[[Humulus le muet]]'' (1932), ''[[Le Bal des voleurs]]'' (1938),  and ''{{ill|Le Rendez-vous de Senlis|fr}}'' (1941). For the occasion, [[Francis Poulenc]] composed one of his most celebrated songs, "[[Les Chemins de l'amour]]", sung by [[Yvonne Printemps]].
-It is one of Anouilh's ''Pièces roses'', together with ''{{ill|Humulus le Muet|fr}}'' (1932), ''[[Le Bal des voleurs]]'' (1938),  and ''{{ill|Le Rendez-vous de Senlis|fr}}'' (1941). [[Francis Poulenc]] composed for the occasion one of his most celebrated songs, "[[Les Chemins de l'amour (Poulenc)|Les Chemins de l'amour]]", sung by [[Yvonne Printemps]].
 == Plot ==
-''Léocadia'' tells the unlikely but poetic story of a young prince madly in love with a Romanian opera singer, Léocadia Gardi. The young man only knew her for three days: like Isadora Duncan she died strangled by her shawl. Inconsolable, he lives in the memory of the young woman. His aunt, the Duchesse d'Andinet d'Andaine, reconstructs the setting and places of these three days, like a theater director. Actors have to play the parts of the butler and servants during those days of happiness. Amanda, a poor milliner and look-alike of the singer, is called upon to seduce the prince, in the hope that life will prevail over memory. At first, the young man clings desperately to his dream, but comes to realize in contact with Amanda that his memory of Léocadia corresponds to his fear of "life" which is ephemeral. His anguish of leaving an illusory memory yields soon to the call of real life. The rigid, theatrical world imagined by the duchess is soon inoperative, as it becomes disintegrating and a false comedy. The prince loses his illusions and discovers that Léocadia was only an ideal, devoid of substance. His love to Amanda is a return to real life.
+''Léocadia'' tells the story of a young prince madly in love with a Romanian opera singer, Léocadia Gardi. The young man only knew her for three days: like [[Isadora Duncan]], she died strangled by her shawl. Inconsolable, he lives in his memory of the young woman.
+His aunt—the Duchesse d'Andinet d'Andaine—reconstructs the setting and places of those three days like a theater director. Actors play the parts of the butler and servants during those days of happiness. Amanda, a poor milliner and look-alike of the singer, is called upon to seduce the prince, in the hope that life will prevail over memory.
+At first, the young man clings desperately to his dream, but eventually comes to realize through Amanda that his memory of Léocadia corresponds to his fear of life being so ephemeral. His anguish at leaving an illusory memory yields soon to the call of real life. The rigid, theatrical world imagined by the duchess falls apart, becoming a false comedy. The prince leaves his illusions and discovers that Léocadia was only an ideal, devoid of substance. His love of Amanda helps him return to real life.<ref name="Spencer" />
 == Premiere cast ==
@@ Line 32: / Line 34: @@
 * [[Marguerite Deval]]: The  Duchess
 * [[Victor Boucher]]: The Butler
-* in minor roles: [[Paul Demange]], [[Leon Larive]], [[Mercédès Brare]], Henri-Richard, Jacques Januar and Henry Gaultier
+* in minor roles: [[Paul Demange (actor)|Paul Demange]], [[Léon Larive]], [[Mercédès Brare]], Henri-Richard, Jacques Januar and Henry Gaultier
-* Director: [[Andre Barsacq]]
+* Director: [[André Barsacq]]
 * Music: [[Francis Poulenc]]
-* Premiere: 1 December 1940
+* Premiere: 2 December 1940<ref name="BNF" />
-* Closed after 173 performances on 27 April 1941
+* Closed after 173 performances on 27 April 1941<ref name="Michodière" />
+== Translation and adaptation ==
+[[Patricia Moyes]] translated the play to English, using the title ''Time Remembered''. It was staged both in London and on Broadway in 1957, with [[Richard Burton]] and [[Helen Hayes]] in the leading parts.<ref name="Morton-Sayner" /> In 2000, [[Jeffrey Hatcher]] wrote an adaptation of the play in English, calling it ''To Fool the Eye''.<ref name="Hatcher" />
 == Reprise ==
@@ Line 50: / Line 55: @@
 * Lighting: Boutron
 * Music: Poulenc
-* First performance on 11 September 1984
+* First performance on 11 September 1984<ref name="Boutron" />
 == References ==
-{{Reflist}}
+{{Reflist|30em
+| refs =
+<ref name="Hatcher">{{cite book
+| last = Hatcher
+| first = Jeffrey Hatcher
+| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HJaQyCGyFNsC
+| title = To Fool the Eye: An Adaptation of Jean Anouilh's Léocadia
+| publisher = Dramatists Play Service
+| year = 2000
+| isbn = 978-0-8222-1846-3
+}}</ref>
+<ref name="Morton-Sayner">{{cite news
+| last = Morton-Sayner
+| first = Anthea
+| url = https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/aug/22/guardianobituaries.crimebooks
+| title = Patricia Moyes / Writer in the cosy tradition of British detective fiction – focusing on the solution, not the crime
+| newspaper = The Guardian
+| date = 22 August 2000
+| accessdate = 8 February 2017
+}}</ref>
+<ref name="Spencer">{{cite news
+| last = Spencer
+| first = Charles
+| url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3578555/Routledges-doughty-duchess-rescues-Anouilh-from-ennui.html
+| title = Routledge's doughty duchess rescues Anouilh from ennui
+| newspaper = The Daily Telegraph
+| date = 6 June 2002
+| accessdate = 8 February 2017
+}}</ref>
+<ref name="BNF">{{cite web
+| url = http://data.bnf.fr/42358331/leocadia_spectacle_1940/
+| title = The performance : Leocadia / pièce en 5 actes / Paris (France) : Théâtre de la Michodière – 02-12-1940
+| publisher = BNF
+| accessdate = 8 February 2017
+}}</ref>
+<ref name="Boutron">{{cite web
+| url = http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb394933868
+| title = Leocadia [Spectacle] / mise en scène de Pierre Boutron ; pièce de Jean Anouilh ; décors de Augusto Pace ; costumes de Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle ;
+| publisher = BNF
+| accessdate = 8 February 2017
+}}</ref>
+<ref name="Michodière">{{cite book
+| title = Liste des créations" publiée par le théâtre dans ses programmes en 1953
+| publisher = théâtre de la Michodière
+| language = French
+}}</ref>
+}}
 == External links ==
 * [http://www.lefigaro.fr/theatre/2010/10/12/03003-20101012ARTFIG00744-leocadia-un-conte-de-fees-nostalgique.php ''Léocadia : un conte de fées nostalgique''] on ''Le Figaro'' (12 October 2012)
 * [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10509118h ''Léocadia''] on [[gallica]]
+* [http://www.ina.fr/audio/PHD88016605 Lectures à une voix – Léocadia de Jean Anouilh] (in French) ina.fr
+* [http://www.regietheatrale.com/index/index/programmes/programmes.php?recordID=119&L%E9ocadia-ANOUILH-1940 Programme 1940] regietheatrale.com
 * [http://imslp.org/wiki/L%C3%A9ocadia,_FP_106_(Poulenc,_Francis) Léocadia, FP 106 (Poulenc, Francis)] on IMSLP
 {{Jean Anouilh}}
+{{authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Leocadia}}
 [[Category:1940 plays]]

v t e Jean Anouilh
Plays written	Y'avait un prisonnier Le Voyageur sans bagage Thieves' Carnival Léocadia Eurydice Antigone Invitation to the Castle Ardèle ou la Marguerite Colombe The Waltz of the Toreadors The Lark Médée Humulus le muet Becket Dear Antoine: or, the Love That Failed Les Poissons rouges ou Mon père ce héros Chers zoiseaux
Films written and directed	Traveling Light (1944) Two Pennies Worth of Violets (1951)
Films written only	The Citadel of Silence (1937) Love Cavalcade (1940) La Fiancée des ténèbres (1945) Anna Karenina (1948) White Paws (1949) Darling Caroline (1951) Crimson Curtain (1952) A Caprice of Darling Caroline (1953) The Knight of the Night (1953) The Passion of Slow Fire (1961) Circle of Love (1964) Trap for Cinderella (1965) A Time for Loving (1972)
Song lyrics	"Les Chemins de l'amour"

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States