Sem Benelli (August 10, 1877 – December 18, 1949) was an Italian playwright, essayist and

librettist 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. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

. He provided the texts for several noted Italian operas, including

Italo Montemezzi Italo Montemezzi (August 4, 1875 – May 15, 1952) was an Italian composer. He is best known for his opera ''L'amore dei tre re'' (''The Love of the Three Kings''), once part of the standard repertoire. It is now seldom performed. Biography M ...

's ''

L'amore dei tre re (''The Love of the Three Kings'') is an opera in three acts by Italo Montemezzi. Its Italian-language libretto was written by playwright Sem Benelli who based it on his play of the same title. Performance history ''L'amore de tre re'' premiere ...

'' and ''

L'incantesimo is a short opera in one act by Italian composer Italo Montemezzi. Its libretto was written by playwright Sem Benelli who had previously collaborated with the composer on his most famous opera, ''L'amore dei tre re''. Benelli finished the text in ...

'', and

Umberto Giordano Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano (28 August 186712 November 1948) was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. He was born in Foggia in Apulia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Serrao at the Conservatoire of Naples. His first opera, ''Marina ...

's ''

La cena delle beffe ''La cena delle beffe'' (''The Jesters' Supper'') is an opera in four acts composed by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Sem Benelli adapted from his 1909 play of the same name. The opera premiered on 20 December 1924 at La Scala. Mil ...

'', based on Benelli's own play of the same title. He was a native of

Prato Prato ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city lies in the north east of Tuscany, at the foot of Monte Retaia, elevation , the last peak in the Calvana chain. With more than 200,000 i ...

. His dramatic play of ''La Gorgona'' was first staged in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

in 1913.Rivista enciclopedica contemporanea
Editore Francesco Vallardi, Milan, (1913), entry by E D'Angelo, pages 98-99. The play '' The Jester's Supper'' was a great New York theatre success in 1919 under the title ''The Jest'', starring Lionel and

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

. In Italy

Paola Pezzaglia Paolina Pezzaglia Greco (13 September 1886 – 17 December 1925) was an Italian theatre and film actress. Early life Pezzaglia was the only daughter of the VIP hair-stylist Gerolamo Pezzaglia (1854–1899) and Adelinda Monti (1854– ...

was considered the best male protagonist of ''La cena delle beffe'', after an incident in 1913 when the leading man collapsed before playing the character of Giannetto; she took his place achieving resounding success. Ever since Pezzaglia carried on doing the same role again and again. He wrote the screenplay for the 1942 film '' The Jester's Supper'' based on his own famous play.

References

1877 births 1949 deaths People from Prato Italian dramatists and playwrights Italian opera librettists Italian male dramatists and playwrights Manifesto of the Anti-Fascist Intellectuals {{Opera-bio-stub