A Note on a Seventeenth Century Comedia Performance

Vêlez de Guevara Vêlez de Guevara, Luis. El embuste acreditado. Ed. Arnold G. Reichenberger, Granada, 1956. Note brève by C. V. Aubrun, Bulletin Hispanique, LIX, No. 2 (Apr.June , 1957), 243-44. Gil Vicente Pestana, Sebastiáo. ''Estudos gilvicentinos. XX." Revista de Portugal, XXII, No. 158 (Oct., 1957), 289-94. Rossi, Gieuseppe Carlo. "Text- und Sprachprobleme Gil Vicente's im Lichte der neuesten Forschung." Neuphilologische Mitteilungen, LVII (1957), 196-206. Vicente, Gil. Auto de Ines Pereira (Recherches sur les oeuvres de Gil Vicente, II, by I. S. Révah, Lisbon, 1955; offprint of Vols. Ill, IV, V of Bulletin d'Histoire du Théâtre Portugais). Briefer Notice by A. E. Sloman, Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, XXXIV, No. 4 (Oct., 1957), 236-37. Comedia—Performances Don Juan Theme, Zorrilla, Don Juan Tenorio. At Havana, directed by Armando Calvo; Doña Inés played by Amparo Rivelles. Don Juan Theme. Zorrilla, Don Juan Tenorio. At Teatro Español, Madrid, directed by José Tamayo.—ABC, Oct. 24 and Nov. 7, 1957. Don Juan Theme. Zorrilla, Don Juan Tenorio. In Paris, by students of the Paris Conservatory, at the Biblioteca Española, produced by Josita Hernán. Also gave El mágico prodigioso, Las mocedades del Cid and La dama boba.—Spanish Cultural Index, No. 139 (Aug. 1, 1957), 794-95. Calderón de la Barca. El màgico prodigioso. See Don Juan Theme, Paris. Guillen de Castro. Las mocedades del Cid. See Don Juan Theme, Paris. Cervantes. Manuel de Falla, Master Peter's Puppet Show. At the Drottningholm (Sweden ) Palace Theater.—Spanish Cultural Index , No. 139 (Aug. 1, 1957), 799. Moreto. Donna Diana. Akademietheater Wien. Vorstellung des Burgtheaters. Version by Joseph Sch'reyvogel ; music by Alexander Steinbrecher. Friday, Sept. 6, 1957. Vega, Lope de. Aventura en Ñapóles. German version by Dr. Hans Schlegel. Cobourg, Germany.—Spanish Cultural Index, No. 136 (May 1, 1957), 498. Vega, Lope de. La dama boba. See Don Juan Theme, Paris. A Note on a Seventeenth Century Comedia Performance By Gerald E. Wade Univ. of Tennessee A book that is no longer easy to come by is An Account of Spain: Being a New Description of that Country and People; And of the Sea Ports along the Mediterranean : of Ceuta, Tangier, &c. Written by a French Gentleman, who was in disguise Aboard the English Fleet: With an Account of the most Remarkable Transactions of that Fleet. To which is added, A Large Preface concerning the Establishment of the Spanish Crown, on the Duke of Anjou. London, Printed for Joseph Wilde, at the Elephant, at Charing Cross, 1700. The book is made up mostly of letters, signed by R. (or R.R.), the French author who is otherwise not identified . It offers a number of curious matters, among them a page or two of comment on the comedia. The letter that contains the account was written in Cadiz and was dated January 12, 1694. It is reproduced here with its original typography and with suspensive points lacking for a number of omissions that were made for the sake of brevity. We oS.tr no comment on the passage except to say that the opinions R. expresses are what one would usually expect from a Frenchman of his time. "Once there was a solemn Invitation, from his Excellency a Shore, to his Excellency a Board, to an Entertainment at his House; the chief Diversion was to be a Comedy, and to this Invitation, the General [i.e. the English chief in command] went with the best appearance he could make. At his [the Spanish Governor's] House he was 10 regal'd after a handsom manner, and the Comedy Acted to the best advantage they could, which yet was very miserable. Without question, their Comedies (as they call 'em, for they have hardly any distinction between Comedy and Tragedy) are the vilest things on Earth, and can be out done by nothing but the scandalous manner they Act 'em in, and the pitiful decoration of their Stage: You [the recipient of R.'s letter ] who are a Critick in these Studies, may judge what they are, when I have told you, that in three Days time they can...