Theatre under Louis XIV
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Theatre under Louis XIV Cross-Casting and the Performance of Gender in Drama, Ballet and Opera Julia Prest
THEATRE UNDER LOUIS XIV Julia Prest, 2006. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2006 978-1-349-53577-4 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2006 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-53578-1 ISBN 978-0-230-60092-8 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/9780230600928 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Prest, Julia. Theatre under Louis XIV : cross-casting and the performance of gender in drama, ballet and opera / Julia Prest. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-349-53578-1 1. Performing arts France History 17th century. 2. Performing arts France History 18th century. 3. Female impersonators France History 17th century. 4. Female impersonators France History 18th century. 5. Male impersonators France History 17th century. 6. Male impersonators France History 18th century. 7. French drama 17th century History and criticism. 8. French drama 18th century History and criticism. I. Title: Theatre under Louis 14. II. Title: Theatre under Louis the fourteenth. III. Title. PN2632.P74 2006 791.0944 09032 dc22 2005057634 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: September 2006 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To those who were there when it mattered
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Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments ix xi Introduction: Cross-Dressing and Cross-Casting 1 Chapter I Unattractive Women: Cross-Casting in Comedy 11 Chapter II Boys Will Be Girls: Cross-Casting in School Drama 43 Chapter III Female Roles in Court Ballet I: Men Playing Women 77 Chapter IV Female Roles in Court Ballet II: Women Playing Women 103 Chapter V Cross-Casting and Gender Ambiguity in Opera 129 Conclusion 157 Notes 163 Bibliography 179 Index 191
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List of Illustrations Figure 1.1 Engraving by Pierre Brissart of George Dandin 32 Figure 2.1 Frontispiece to the first edition of Athalie 72 Figure 3.1 Costume design for man as Fury in Les Noces de Pélée et de Thétis 82 Figure 5.1 Engraving by J. Vanderbank of Senesino, Cuzzoni, and Berenstadt performing in an opera by Handel 132 Figure C.1 Mark Rylance playing Olivia in Twelfth Night 161
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Acknowledgments I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Principal and Fellows of Jesus College Oxford, where, as a Junior Research Fellow, I undertook the bulk of my research for this book, and to the Department of French at Yale University, where the book was completed. It is published with the generous assistance of the Frederick W. Hilles Publication Fund of Yale University. I am grateful to Nick Hammond, Joe Harris, and Hannah Thompson who read and commented on an early draft of the manuscript, and to Ned Duval for his meticulous reading of a subsequent draft. Becky Harris-Warrick s comments on my opera chapter improved it beyond measure, while Colin Timms, John Powell, and Ellen Rosand were always quick to respond to my music-related queries. Thank you to Claire McMurray, who drew my attention to Roger Herzel s article on Les Femmes savantes, to Christina Elefteriades, who was an excellent checker of references and enthusiast, and to Susannah Carson for her painstaking proof-reading of the final draft. I would like to thank the staff of the Beinecke Library at Yale University who were infinitely patient and helpful during my quest for illustrations, and my helpers in Paris, Brian Reilly and Fabien Cavaillé, without whom the picture of Louis XIV s ballet costume would never have been reproduced in time. Matthew Bailey of the National Portrait Gallery and Libbi Lee of the Globe Theatre dealt with my requests for illustrations with efficiency and good humor while all the time Joe Roach cheered from the sidelines. My thanks to all of you. Finally, I would like to thank Julia Cohen at Palgrave for dealing with my many queries about the technical side of things and especially Farideh Koohi-Kamali, also of Palgrave, for her interest in the project from the outset.