''George Dandin ou le mari confondu'' (''George Dandin or The Thwarted Husband'') is a French Comédie-ballet in three acts by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

, with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully, choreography by

Pierre Beauchamp Pierre Beauchamp or Beauchamps (; 30 October 1631 – February 1705) was a French choreographer, dancer and composer, and the probable inventor of Beauchamp–Feuillet notation. His grand-father was called Christophe (a musician) and his fa ...

, and architecture/staging by

Carlo Vigarani Carlo Vigarani ( – 17 February 1713)Sheren and La Gorce 2001. was an Italian scenic designer who worked as ("royal engineer") and then ("intendant to the King's pleasures") at the court of the French king Louis XIV until 1690. He was born in R ...

and

Henri de Gissey Henri (de) Gissey (ca 1621 – 1673) was a French draughtsman and designer who held the post of ''dessinateur de la Chambre et du cabinet de Roi'' in the Menus Plaisirs du Roi in the early years of Louis XIV of France. Jean Bérain the Elder, who ...

. It premiered at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

, seen by Louis XIV and guests, numbering possibly to 3000 total people, on 18 July 1668, during the ''Le Grand divertissement royal'' (Grand Royal Entertainment), produced by court financier

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...

, celebrating the peace from the Treaty of Aachen. Without the ballet and music, the comedy appeared to the Paris public at the theatre of the Palais-Royal beginning on 9 November 1668. Court historian André Félibien summarized the play in the official brochure (1668) this way: "The subject is that a wealthy peasant, who has married the daughter of a country gentleman, receives nothing but contempt from his wife as well as his handsome father- and mother-in-law, who only accepted him as their son-in-law because of his possessions and wealth". Contemporary scholar Roland Racevskis summarized it this way: "The action centers on the woes of eorge Dandin a wealthy peasant who has entered into a misalliance by marrying Angélique, the daughter of a pair of caricatural provincial nobles, Monsieur and Madame de Sotenville he latter played in female cross-dress... Dandin must repeatedly endure the humiliation of recognizing the social superiority of the Sotenvilles and of apologizing to the wife who is cuckolding him all the while." Concerning Dandin's pretensions as a

nouveau-riche ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...

gentleman, specifically his costume (as played by the playwright, Molière), described in the company's inventory by M.E. Soulie: "Breeches and cloak of light brown taffeta, with collar of the same; the whole adorned with lace and silver buttons, a belt of the same; a little doublet of crimson silk; another doublet of brocade of different colors and silver lace, to wear over it; and a large ruff and shoes." About it, Roger Chartier wrote, "Such a costume, which has nothing peasant about it, could immediately be recognized as an outrageous, forced, old-fashioned imitation of the aristocratic outfit." (Chartier 1994, p. 302)

Characters and Original Cast

* ''Georges Dandin'' (''George Dandin''), husband of Angelica:

* ''Angelica'' (''Angélique''), Georges Dandin's wife: Mlle Armande Béjart Molière * ''Sir Sotenville'' (''Monsieur de Sotenville''), Angelica's father: Du Croisy * ''Mrs Sotenville'' (''Madame de Sotenville''), Sir Sotenville's wife: Louis

Béjart Béjart is the name of several French actors of the 17th century. Family The four actors listed here were children, and grandchildren, of Marie Hérve and Joseph Béjart (died 1643), the holder of a small government post. There were 10 children ...

, later André Hubert (both cross-dress males)Julia Prest, ''Theatre under Louis XIV: Cross-Casting and the Performance of Gender in Drama, Ballet, and Opera'' (NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), 31-32. * ''Clitandre'' (''Clitandre''), charming gallant, in love with Angelica: La Grange * ''Claudine'', Angelica's servant: Mlle de Brie * ''Lubin'', Clitander's servant:

La Thorillière François Le Noir, sieur de La Thorillière (c. 1626 – 27 July 1680) was a French comic actor, who was born and died in Paris.Mongrédien 1972, p. 107. Life La Thorillière was the son of Charles Le Noir, founder of the Théâtre du Marais (17t ...

* ''Colin'', Dandin's servant

References

Notes

External links

* 1668 plays Plays by Molière Plays about marriage Compositions by Jean-Baptiste Lully {{17thC-play-stub