The Lady of the Camellias facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Lady of the Camellias |
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Alphonse Mucha's poster for a performance of the theatrical version, with Sarah Bernhardt (1896)
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| Written by | Alexandre Dumas fils |
| Date of premiere | 2 February 1852 |
| Place of premiere | Théâtre du Vaudeville, Paris, France |
| Original language | French |
| Genre | Tragedy |
The Lady of the Camellias (French: La Dame aux Camélias) is a famous novel written by Alexandre Dumas fils. It was first published in 1848. The story was so popular that Dumas fils later turned it into a play.
The play first opened in Paris, France, on February 2, 1852, at the Théâtre du Vaudeville. It was an instant hit! The story then inspired Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi to create a famous opera called La traviata in 1853. In the opera, the main character, Marguerite Gautier, is renamed Violetta Valéry.
In some English-speaking countries, The Lady of the Camellias is known as Camille. Many versions of the play have been performed, including sixteen different shows on Broadway theatres in New York City. The main character, Marguerite Gautier, was inspired by a real person named Marie Duplessis, who knew the author.
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Stage Performances of The Lady of the Camellias
Alexandre Dumas fils wrote the play version of his novel. It premiered on February 2, 1852. The actress Eugénie Doche played the role of Marguerite Gautier. Charles Fechter played Armand Duval. Eugénie Doche remembered playing the role 617 times. Dumas fils himself praised her performance greatly.
In 1853, Jean Davenport starred in the first American production. This version was changed slightly and called Camille. Most American actresses playing the role used this new name.
Playing Marguerite Gautier became a very popular role for actresses. Many famous stars performed it. These included Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, Tallulah Bankhead, and Lillian Gish. Sarah Bernhardt became especially famous for her performances. She played Marguerite in Paris, London, and on Broadway. She even starred in a 1911 film version.
La Dame aux Camélias is the most famous play by Dumas fils around the world. It has been enjoyed by audiences for many years.
Adaptations of The Lady of the Camellias
The popular story of The Lady of the Camellias has been adapted into many different forms of art.
Opera Adaptations
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The success of the play inspired Giuseppe Verdi to create an opera. His opera is called La traviata. It uses an Italian libretto, which is the text of an opera, written by Francesco Maria Piave. La traviata first opened in Venice, Italy, on March 6, 1853. In the opera, Marguerite Gautier is called Violetta Valéry. Armand Duval is renamed Alfredo Germont.
Film Adaptations
La Dame aux Camélias has been made into about 20 different motion pictures. These films have been made in many countries and languages. Famous actresses who have played Marguerite Gautier on screen include Sarah Bernhardt, Greta Garbo, and Isabelle Huppert.
Ballet Adaptations
The story has also been turned into several beautiful ballets:
- Lady of the Camellias is a ballet by John Neumeier. It uses music by Frédéric Chopin. It was created for Marcia Haydée and first performed in 1978.
- Another ballet called Lady of the Camellias was created by Val Caniparoli. It also uses music by Frédéric Chopin. This ballet premiered in 1994.
- Marguerite and Armand is a ballet from 1963. It was created by Sir Frederick Ashton for the famous dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Dame Margot Fonteyn.
- Veronica Paeper created a ballet called Camille. It is based on The Lady of the Camellias. It has been performed many times since 1990.
Other Stage Adaptations
There have been many other plays and shows based on The Lady of the Camellias.
- One notable adaptation was Camille by Charles Ludlam in 1973. It was a humorous version of the original story.
- In 1999, Alexia Vassiliou worked with composer Aristides Mytaras. They created a modern dance performance called La Dame aux Camélias. It was shown in Athens, Greece.
- The story also inspired the 2008 musical Marguerite. This musical sets the story in 1944. This was during the German occupation of France.
See also
In Spanish: La dama de las camelias para niños
