''Inkle and Yarico'' is a

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

first staged in London, England, in August 1787, with music by

Samuel Arnold Samuel Arnold may refer to: *Samuel Arnold (composer) (1740–1802), English composer and organist * Samuel Arnold (Connecticut politician) (1806–1869), U.S. Representative from Connecticut * Samuel Arnold (conspirator) (1834–1906), co-conspira ...

and a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

George Colman the Younger George Colman (21 October 1762 – 17 October 1836), known as "the Younger", was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer. He was the son of George Colman the Elder. Life He passed from Westminster School to Christ Church, Oxford, and ...

Plot

Inkle, an English trader, is shipwrecked in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

, and survives with the help of Yarico, an Indian maiden. They fall in love, but when Inkle returns to his civilization, he plans to sell Yarico into

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

to recover his financial losses while he marries a woman, Narcissa, who will give him the social standing he wants. In the end, Narcissa marries another, and Inkle remains with Yarico.

Origins

The supposedly true story first appeared in Richard Ligon's book ''A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes'' (1657).

Richard Steele Sir Richard Steele (bap. 12 March 1672 – 1 September 1729) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine ''The Spectator''. Early life Steele was born in Du ...

's ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' printed another version in March 1711, in which Yarico is a Native American, sold into slavery while bearing Inkle's child.

18th-century performances

The opera was highly successful, performed 98 times at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

, and a total of 164 performances on London stages by 1800. One of the most famous actresses to play the part of Yarico was

Elizabeth Satchell Elizabeth Kemble (née Satchell; 1763 – 20 January 1841) was an English actress. Life She was born in London, and she was a talented performer when she married Stephen Kemble, of the Kemble family, in 1783. They acted together for several yea ...

, while

Arabella Menage Arabella Menage (5 July 1782 – 9 January 1817), also known as Mrs. Sharp,Miss Menag ...

played Patty in an early production. There were also performances in Dublin (1787), Jamaica (1788), New York (1789), Philadelphia (1790), Calcutta (1791), Boston (1794), and Charleston (1794).

Modern revival

In 1996, composer

Roxanna Panufnik Roxanna Panufnik (born 24 April 1968) is a British composer of Polish heritage. She is the daughter of the composer and conductor Sir Andrzej Panufnik and his second wife Camilla, née Jessel. Panufnik was born in London. She attended Bedales ...

was commissioned by the Holders Opera Festival, Barbados, to recompose the opera for

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. Descriptio ...

''Roxanna Panufnik'' (personal website), ''Works'', ''Opera''
as accessed 10 August 2013. and modern symphony orchestra. The production premiered at the festival on 15 March 1997, featuring the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

with British soloist Rachel Hayward performing the solo pan part. In 1997 Straydog Theatre, under the direction of

Simon Godwin Simon Godwin is an English theatre director based in Washington, DC, where he is currently serving as artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Previously he was based in London, serving as associate director of London's Royal National ...

and the music direction of

Peter Tregear Peter John Tregear OAM is an Australian musicologist, author and performer. Education Born in Melbourne in 1970, Tregear graduated with a Bachelor and Master's degree in music from the University of Melbourne, and subsequently obtained a PhD i ...

, performed the work in the historic

Cambridge Festival Theatre The Theatre Royal was built in the Barnwell suburb of Cambridge, England, in 1816. It closed later that century but reopened as the Cambridge Festival Theatre from 1926 until 1935. The building, in which part of the interior of the theatre surv ...

. Tregear reconstructed the score for the vocal and instrumental forces that

had at his disposal at the

. The production was remounted for a season at the Battersea Arts Centre in 1998. Composer James McConnel was commissioned to compose a score for ''Inkle'n Yarico'' in 1997, and this was performed at the 1999 Edinburgh Festival starring Michael McCarthy (Inkle) and Natalie Tinn (Yarico). In 2006, another reconstruction of Arnold's original opera was performed by Opera East at

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

, conducted by Oliver Gooch and directed by Alistair Boag. The libretto was prepared by Richard Luckett and the score was orchestrated by Benjamin Chewter, again for the forces that Samuel Arnold had at his disposal at the Haymarket Theatre. In 2015, John and Jodie Kidd produced a new musical based on the story at the London Theatre Workshop. General managed by Crow and Elk. It ran from 17 February to 28 March. Composed by James McConnel and lyrics by Carl Miller. Directed by Emily Grey, Musical Director Zara Nunn, Lighting Design Matt Haskins, Set and costume design Sarah Beaton.
teaser video
was released on YouTube.

References

External links