''Surcouf'' is a French

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

in three acts and a

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Ancient Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier st ...

, music by

Robert Planquette Jean Robert Planquette (; 31 July 1848 – 28 January 1903) was a French composer of songs and operettas. Several of Planquette's operettas were extraordinarily successful in Britain, especially ''Les cloches de Corneville'' (1878), the length o ...

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) 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 th ...

by Henri Chivot and Alfred Duru, premiered on 6 October 1887 at the

Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques The Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques () was a theatre in Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries. Opened first in 1832 in the site of the old Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique on the Boulevard du Temple, under Frédérick Lemaître it became a noted ...

in Paris. It ran for a modestly successful 96 performances. An English version was given in London at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

in January 1889, under the title ''Paul Jones'', in an adaptation by H. B. Farnie. This version did better at the box-office than the original Paris production, running in the West End for most of 1889, and being staged subsequently around the British Isles and in Australia and the US.

Background and first performance

Planquette had come to national and international notice ten years earlier, with his

'' Les cloches de Corneville'' (1877), which broke box-office records in Paris and London. Over the succeeding decade he had some further successes but nothing to match that of the 1877 work. Chivot and Duru were an experienced team of librettists who had written the words for successes by

Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (; 3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéra comique, opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable su ...

and

Edmond Audran Achille Edmond Audran (12 April 184017 August 1901) was a French composer best known for several internationally successful comic operas and operettas. After beginning his career in Marseille as an organist, Audran composed religious music and b ...

. This was the only work on which the three collaborated. The librettists took as their central character a real historical figure,

Robert Surcouf Robert Surcouf (; 12 December 1773 – 8 July 1827) was a French privateer, businessman and slave trader who operated in the Indian Ocean from 1789 to 1808 during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Capturing over 40 prizes, he ...

, a French

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

of the period during and after the French Revolution. The first performance of the opera was at the

on 6 October 1887, where it ran until 27 December, a total of 96 performances, a reasonable run for the period, but not a spectacular success."Edmond Audran"
Opérette – Théâtre Musical, Académie Nationale de l'Opérette (in French). Retrieved 29 December 2018

Original cast

*Robert Surcouf – Louis-Auguste Morlet *Kerbiniou – M. Montrouge *Gargousse – Charles Constant Gobin *Flageolet – A. Guiton ''fils'' *MacFarlane – M. Duhamel *Thompson – M. Marcelin *Marcof – M. Riga *Paimboeuf – M. Speck *William – M. Gelly *Harry – M. Milot *Arabelle – J. Darcourt *Yvonne – Mdlle. Darcelle *Madame Paimboeuf – Mdlle. Barthe *Agathe – Mdlle. Sarah ::Source: '' The Era''.

Synopsis

Prologue

The prologue is set in 1798 in the

Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...

port of

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...

, where the historical Surcouf was born. He is first portrayed as a young man, employed by a rich shipowner called Kerbiniou. Surcouf loves his employer's niece, Yvonne, but Kerbiniou forbids the marriage because Surcouf has no money. Resolving to earn enough to marry Yvonne, Surcouf volunteers for service in a

ship commanded by Maroof. Yvonne promises to wait for his return if he comes back within four years.

Act I

Four years have elapsed and an uneasy peace prevails between Britain and France. Surcouf has not returned; he is rumoured to be dead. Yvonne has remained faithful to her vow. Kerbiniou has married a young English widow, Arabelle, who has encouraged Yvonne to marry another Briton, Captain Thompson of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. Surcouf returns, vastly enriched by booty captured from British ships. But Yvonne is away, on a pilgrimage. Being a native of perfidious Albion Madame Kerbiniou, determined that her niece by marriage will marry Thompson, spins Surcouf a false story, telling him that Yvonne has already married the Englishman. Infuriated, Surcouf challenges Thompson to a duel. Before the duel can take place, Yvonne returns and the truth is discovered. Thompson, learning that France and Britain are now once again at war has his men ambush and overpower Surcouf. The British government has put a price on Surcouf's head, and he is carried on board Thompson's ship, which sets sail for England. Two of Surcouf's crew, Gargousse and Flageolet, having witnessed the kidnapping alert their shipmates and the pirate corvette sets off in hot pursuit of the British ship. Yvonne, anxious to join her lover, is on board.

Act II

The action takes place in a British Channel port, commanded by the preposterous and dim-witted Major MacFarlane. He is Arabelle Kebiniou's uncle, and she is in the town. Surcouf breaks free of his captors but in his flight he meets Arabelle. She is about to call the troops when he tells her that they are older acquaintances than she realises. It was he who rescued her from a crocodile while she was bathing in Sumatra. Arabelle ceases to be his enemy and becomes his firm friend. To protect him she introduces him to Major MacFarlane as her husband. When Kerbiniou appears on the scene MacFarlane takes him for the missing pirate and has him arrested. Captain Thompson's arrival clears up the error and Surcouf is arrested in Kerbiniou's place. Before he can be led to prison his men arrive, overcome the incompetent and cowardly English, and march off in triumph with their chief to their ship.

Act III

The final act is set at sea. Thompson's frigate pursues the privateers' corvette, but the plucky Frenchmen win the ensuing battle, capture the frigate and sail it into Saint-Malo. Surcouf's marriage to Yvonne concludes the opera. :Source: ''The Era''."The Drama in Paris", ''The Era'', 15 October 1887, p. 15

Numbers

*Prologue **Introduction and chorus – Holà, Matelots **Duet – Moi je suis Gargousse et moi Flageolet **Chorus – Allons Robert **Couplets de Surcouf – Chacun Ia voit à ma mine **Couplets d'Yvonne – Ayez foi dans l'avenir **Finale – On va mettre à la voile *Act I **Entr'acte **Rondeau-valse (Arabelle) – J'avais emmené ma négresse **Prayer (Yvonne and chorus) – Sainte-Anne en qui j'espère **Chorus – Oui, c'est lui notre fameux corsaire **Air de Surcouf – Oui, c'est mol mes amis **Trio (Arabelle, Kerbiniou and Thompson) – Bravo, j'ai tout entendu **Duet (Yvonne and Surcouf) – Vous avez douté de moi **Finale – Entendez-vous *Act II **Entr'acte **Chorus of servants – Pour que chacun puisse faire **Couplets d'Arabelle – Mon premier était d'un blond fade **Duet (Arabelle, Surcouf) – C'est lui, le corsaire **Buffo duet (Gargousse and Flageolet) – Belle Italie **Chorus of guests – Puisque l'on nous invite **Ensemble – O surprise étonnante **Waltz – Tournoyons les valsons **Chorus – Nous sommes pleins d'impatience **Finale – Un lâche, ah c'est assez ***Air de Surcouf – Bonsoir Angleterre *Act III **Entr'acte **Duet (Yvonne, Surcouf) – Vogue, vogue, léger navire **Couplets (Gargousse) – Dedans l'Inde ou règne Angleterre **Air de Surcouf – Mon navire c'est beau **Finale – Amis que dans St-Malo

English version: ''Paul Jones''

A Parisian critic observed after the premiere at the Folies-Dramatiques that the "patriotic bunkum" of the plot of the opera was calculated to appeal to French audiences but was unlikely to go down well in London. The critic speculated that the exaggerated anti-English sentiments might be the authors' revenge for the supposed slight to French naval courage in the "Poor parley-voo" song in

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...

's ''

Ruddigore ''Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse'', originally called ''Ruddygore'', is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written tog ...

'' premiered in London earlier that year. For the English version of ''Surcouf'', to which Planquette contributed some new numbers, the plot was completely overhauled. The adapter, H. B. Farnie, cut the prologue entirely and eliminated the Anglo-French hostilities. He also reverted to an old tradition that Gilbert and Sullivan had striven to get away from:

cross-dress Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...

casting – the hero in this version was sung by the American

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

Agnes Huntington. In the London version, entitled ''Paul Jones'', the hero (a fictionalised version of the Scottish-American sailor

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

) is an apprentice to Bicoquet, a ship's chandler in Saint-Malo. He loves his employer's niece, Yvonne, but she is already being wooed by Don Rufino, a rich and well-connected Spanish naval officer. Paul is told that if he can earn a million francs he will be considered as an alternative suitor. Kestrel, the American captain of a privateer ship comes to Saint-Malo to recruit crew members. Paul, together with two locals, Bouillabaisse and Piere, joins him. Three years pass. Bicoquet has married Rufino's sister, and Yvonne is on the point of being married to Rufino. Paul returns in time, having gained the necessary money by piracy, but Rufino has him taken prisoner. The last act shifts the scene to the island of Estella where the governor, Don Trocadero, is expecting his nephew Rufino. Bricocquet arrives, and as Paul is rumoured to have escaped Bricoquet is taken for him and arrested. Paul and his crew arrive and overpower the Spaniards, and he is then able to marry Yvonne."The London Theatres", ''The Era'', 20 January 1889, p. 16 The piece opened at the

on 13 January 1889. The principal members of the London cast were: *Paul Jones – Agnes Huntington *Rufino – George Preston *Bicoquet – Henry Ashley *Don Trocadero – Frank Wyatt *Kestrel – Templar Saxe *Bouillabaisse – Harry Monkhouse *Petit Pierre – Albert James *Yvonne – Miss Wadman *Madame Bouillabaisse –

Phyllis Broughton Phyllis Broughton born Phyllis Harriet Wright became Phyllis Harriet Thomson (1862 – 21 July 1926) was a British dancer and actress who was known as a Gaiety Girl. She was awarded £2,500 in a breach of promise case and she then left another at ...

*Malaguera –

Kate Cutler Kate Ellen Louisa Cutler (14 August 1864 – 14 May 1955) was an English singer and actress, known in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as an ''ingenue (stock character), ingénue'' in Edwardian musical comedy, musical comedies, ...

::Source: ''The Era''. The piece ran, with some cast changes, until mid-December. Carl Rosa, who presented the piece in London, assembled a second company that toured the work in the British Isles. At various stages in the tour the leading role was sung by a baritone rather than a female singer. This version was played in Australia from March 1890. Agnes Huntington starred in a production of the work in New York in April 1891."Amusements", ''The New York Times'', 21 April 1891, p. 4

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Surcouf (opera comique) Compositions by Robert Planquette Opéras comiques Operas 1887 operas