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Zara (play)
''Zara'' is a 1736 tragedy by the British writer Aaron Hill, based on the 1732 French play ''Zaïre'' by Voltaire.Nicoll p.72 The original Drury Lane cast included Susannah Maria Cibber as Zara, William Milward as Lusignan, Theophilus Cibber as Nerestan, Edward Berry as Chatillon, Richard Cross as Melidor and Hannah Pritchard as Selima. The incidental music was composed by Thomas Arne Thomas Augustine Arne (; 12 March 17105 March 1778) was an English composer. He is best known for his patriotic song " Rule, Britannia!" and the song "A-Hunting We Will Go", the latter composed for a 1777 production of '' The Beggar's Opera'', wh .... References Bibliography * Burling, William J. ''A Checklist of New Plays and Entertainments on the London Stage, 1700-1737''. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1992. * Gerrard, Christine. ''Aaron Hill: The Muses' Projector, 1685-1750''. Oxford University Press, 2003. * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of Early Eighteenth Century Drama: 1700-1750 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aaron Hill (writer)
Aaron Hill (10 February 1685 – 8 February 1750) was an English dramatist and miscellany writer. Biography The son of a country gentleman of Wiltshire, Hill was educated at Westminster School, and afterwards travelled in the East. He was the author of 17 plays, some of them, such as his versions of Voltaire's ''Zaire'' and ''Mérope'', being adaptations. He also wrote poetry, which is of variable quality. Having written some satiric lines on Alexander Pope, he received in return a mention in ''The Dunciad'', which led to a controversy between the two writers. Afterwards a reconciliation took place. He was a friend and correspondent of Samuel Richardson, whose '' Pamela'' he highly praised. In addition to his literary pursuits Hill was involved in many commercial schemes, usually unsuccessful. Hill was the manager of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane when he was 24 years old, and before being summarily fired for reasons unknown, he staged the premier of George Frideric Handel's '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drury Lane. The building is the most recent in a line of four theatres which were built at the same location, the earliest of which dated back to 1663, making it the oldest theatre site in London still in use. According to the author Peter Thomson, for its first two centuries, Drury Lane could "reasonably have claimed to be London's leading theatre". For most of that time, it was one of a handful of patent theatres, granted monopoly rights to the production of "legitimate" drama in London (meaning spoken plays, rather than opera, dance, concerts, or plays with music). The first theatre on the site was built at the behest of Thomas Killigrew in the early 1660s, when theatres were allowed to reopen during the English Restoration. Initiall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tragedy
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsis, or a "pain hatawakens pleasure", for the audience. While many cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, the term ''tragedy'' often refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of Western civilization. That tradition has been multiple and discontinuous, yet the term has often been used to invoke a powerful effect of cultural identity and historical continuity—"the Greeks and the Elizabethans, in one cultural form; Hellenes and Christians, in a common activity," as Raymond Williams puts it. From its origins in the theatre of ancient Greece 2500 years ago, from which there survives only a fra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zaïre (play)
''Zaïre'' (; ''The Tragedy of Zara'') is a five-act tragedy in Verse drama and dramatic verse, verse by Voltaire. Written in three weeks, it was given its first public performance on 13 August 1732 by the Comédie française in Paris. It was a great success with the Paris audiences and marked a turning away from tragedies caused by a fatal flaw in the protagonist's character to ones based on pathos. The tragic fate of its heroine is caused not through any fault of her own, but by the jealousy of her Muslim lover and the intolerance of her fellow Christians. ''Zaïre'' was notably revived in 1874 with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role, and it was the only one of Voltaire's plays to be performed by the ''Comédie française'' during the 20th century. The play was widely performed in Britain well into the 19th century in an Zara (play), English adaptation by Aaron Hill (writer), Aaron Hill and was the inspiration for at least thirteen operas. Plot, characters, and themes ''Zaïr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—especially of the Roman Catholic Church—and of slavery. Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. Voltaire was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, histories, and scientific expositions. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and 2,000 books and pamphlets. Voltaire was one of the first authors to become renowned and commercially successful internationally. He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties and was at constant risk from the strict censorship laws of the Catholic French monarchy. His polemics witheringly satirized intolerance, religious dogma, and the French institutions of his day. H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susannah Maria Cibber
Susannah Maria Cibber (née Arne; February 1714 – 30 January 1766) was a celebrated English singer and actress. She was the sister of the composer Thomas Arne. Although she began her career as a soprano, her voice lowered in the early part of her career to that of a true contralto. She was universally admired for her ability to move her audiences emotionally both as an actress and vocalist. Possessing a sweet, expressive, and agile singing voice with a wide vocal range, Cibber was an immensely popular singer, even if at times her voice was criticized for a lack of polished technique. Charles Burney wrote of her singing that "by a natural pathos, and perfect conception of the words, she often penetrated the heart, when others, with infinitely greater voice and skill, could only reach the ear." Cibber was particularly admired by Handel, who wrote numerous parts especially for her including the contralto arias in his 1741 oratorio ''Messiah'', the role of Micah in ''Samson'', the r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Milward
William Milward (1702-1742) was a British stage actor. He began his career with John Rich's company at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre and also appeared at the Haymarket. From 1734 he became part of the company at Drury Lane where he remained for the rest of his career.The Routledge Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama p.lix Selected roles * Wingrave in '' Money the Mistress'' by Thomas Southerne (1726) * Curtius in '' The Fall of Saguntum'' by Philip Frowde (1727) * Antigonus in ''Philip of Macedon'' by David Lewis (1727) * Eumenes in '' The Virgin Queen'' by Richard Barford (1728) * Pahnes in '' Sesostris'' by John Sturmy (1728) * Anspach in '' Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburgh'' by Eliza Haywood (1729) * Mardonius in ''Themistocles'' by Samuel Madden (1729) * Merit in ''The Wife of Bath'' by John Gay (1730) * Araxes in ''Orestes'' by Lewis Theobald (1731) * Aristedes in ''Periander'' by John Tracy (1731) * Arsaces in ''Philotas'' by Philip Frowde (1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theophilus Cibber
Theophilus Cibber (25 or 26 November 1703 – October 1758) was an English actor, playwright, author, and son of the actor-manager Colley Cibber. He began acting at an early age, and followed his father into theatrical management. In 1727, Alexander Pope satirized Theophilus Cibber in his ''Dunciad'' as a youth who "thrusts his person full into your face" (III 132). On the stage, he was famous for playing Pistol in '' Henry IV, Part 2'', and some of the comic roles his father had played when younger, but unsympathetic critics accused him of overemphasis.Barker, p. 166 His private life later led Theophilus into bad reputation and scandal. He died in a shipwreck while bound for Ireland and a season in Dublin. Early life and career Theophilus Cibber was born during the Great Storm of 1703 and began acting in the Drury Lane Theatre at the age of 16 in 1721.Barker, p. 165 As a young man, Cibber was a notorious rake, and associated with young men of a similar mind and reputation, suc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward Berry (actor)
Edward Berry (1706-1760) was a British stage actor. He was a long-standing member of the Drury Lane company, appearing frequently with David Garrick.Marshall & Kishi p.462 Selected roles * Hobinol in '' The Village Opera'' by Charles Johnson (1729) * Pantomine in '' Bayes's Opera'' by Gabriel Odingsells (1730) * Butler in '' The Devil to Pay'' by Charles Coffey (1731) * Gentleman in '' Caelia'' by Charles Johnson (1732) * Sparke in ''The Miser'' by Henry Fielding (1733) * Valeius Publicola in '' Junius Brutus'' by William Duncombe (1734) * Don Lopez in '' Trick for Trick'' by Robert Fabian (1735) * Osmyn in '' The Christian Hero'' by George Lillo (1735) * Chatillon in '' Zara'' by Aaron Hill (1736) * Byron in '' The Universal Passion'' by James Miller (1737) * Ceron in '' The Fatal Retirement'' by Anthony Brown (1739) * Manilus in '' Regulus'' by William Havard (1744) * Siftem in '' The Astrologer'' by James Ralph (1744) * Cardinal Perigot in ''Edward the Black Prince'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Cross (actor, Died 1760)
Richard Cross (died 1760) was a British stage actor. He was likely to have been the son of the actor Richard Cross who appeared in London in the early eighteenth century. The younger Cross possibly made his first recorded performance at the Haymarket Theatre in November 1729, and also appeared a some of the summer fairs in London. From 1731 he was also appearing in small roles at Drury Lane. By 1733 he was an established member of the Drury Lane company, involved in the Actor Rebellion of 1733. In early 1735 he became associated with the actress Frances Shireburn, who was thereafter billed as Mrs Cross, although a formal marriage ceremony didn't take place until 1751. Frustrated by his low pay at Drury Lane, he switched to the rival Covent Garden Theatre in 1739 but did not earn much more. He also began working as prompter there. He returned to Drury Lane in 1741 and remained there until his death nineteen years later. He continued to act as prompter, although he also playe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hannah Pritchard
Hannah Pritchard (née Vaughan, 1711–1768) was an English actress who regularly played opposite David Garrick. She performed many significant Shakespearean roles and created on stage many important female roles by contemporary playwrights. Life She was born in 1711, and married in early life a poor actor named Pritchard. As Mrs. Pritchard she acted in 1733, at Fielding and Hippisley's booth, ''Bartholomew Fair'', the part of Loveit in an opera called ''A Cure for Covetousness, or the Cheats of Scapin''. She sang with great effect "Sweet, if you love me, smiling, turn". A duet between her and an actor called Salway was very popular, and she was berhymed by a writer in the ''Daily Post'', who spoke of this as her first essay, and predicted for her "a transportation to a brighter stage". This was soon accomplished, since she appeared at the Haymarket Theatre on 26 Sept. 1733 as Nell in ''The Devil to Pay'' of Coffey. She was one of the company known as the "Comedians of his Majest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Incidental Music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the film score or soundtrack. Incidental music is often background music, and is intended to add atmosphere to the action. It may take the form of something as simple as a low, ominous tone suggesting an impending startling event or to enhance the depiction of a story-advancing sequence. It may also include pieces such as overtures, music played during scene changes, or at the end of an act, immediately preceding an interlude, as was customary with several nineteenth-century plays. It may also be required in plays that have musicians performing on-stage. History The use of incidental music dates back at least as far as Greek drama. A number of classical composers have written incidental music for various plays, with the more famous e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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