The pantomime repertoire of the Théâtre des Funambules

Many aspects of the Théâtre des Funambules and its star performer, Deburau, suggest that they deserve significant critical attention by modern scholars: not only their contemporary notoriety, but also Deburau’s subsequent influence on the history of mime. Yet the subject suffers from two difficultie...

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Main Author: Nye, E
Format: Journal article
Published: SAGE Publications 2016
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author Nye, E
author_facet Nye, E
author_sort Nye, E
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description Many aspects of the Théâtre des Funambules and its star performer, Deburau, suggest that they deserve significant critical attention by modern scholars: not only their contemporary notoriety, but also Deburau’s subsequent influence on the history of mime. Yet the subject suffers from two difficulties: the lack of documentary evidence and the excessive attention Deburau has received at the expense of the theatre in general. This article seeks to tackle both these matters, first by considering manuscript sources scarcely used by scholars, and second by making a theatrical study rather than a biographical one revolving around Deburau. The article considers a short period of four years spanning the July 1830 Revolution, because the rapidly changing political landscape made more obvious the theatrical practices and aspirations of the Théâtre des Funambules. The article centres on three synopses of pantomimes which are representative of three distinct eras in the theatre’s existence: a ‘pantomime-arlequinade’ from the mute era before March 1828, a partly spoken pantomime from the subsequent hybrid era and a spoken and sung production from the era of freedom after the July Revolution in which only Deburau mimed.
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spelling oxford-uuid:60932ab8-b8fd-4d70-9480-71f66a1c9ccc2022-03-26T17:54:10ZThe pantomime repertoire of the Théâtre des FunambulesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:60932ab8-b8fd-4d70-9480-71f66a1c9cccSymplectic Elements at OxfordSAGE Publications2016Nye, EMany aspects of the Théâtre des Funambules and its star performer, Deburau, suggest that they deserve significant critical attention by modern scholars: not only their contemporary notoriety, but also Deburau’s subsequent influence on the history of mime. Yet the subject suffers from two difficulties: the lack of documentary evidence and the excessive attention Deburau has received at the expense of the theatre in general. This article seeks to tackle both these matters, first by considering manuscript sources scarcely used by scholars, and second by making a theatrical study rather than a biographical one revolving around Deburau. The article considers a short period of four years spanning the July 1830 Revolution, because the rapidly changing political landscape made more obvious the theatrical practices and aspirations of the Théâtre des Funambules. The article centres on three synopses of pantomimes which are representative of three distinct eras in the theatre’s existence: a ‘pantomime-arlequinade’ from the mute era before March 1828, a partly spoken pantomime from the subsequent hybrid era and a spoken and sung production from the era of freedom after the July Revolution in which only Deburau mimed.
spellingShingle Nye, E
The pantomime repertoire of the Théâtre des Funambules
title The pantomime repertoire of the Théâtre des Funambules
title_full The pantomime repertoire of the Théâtre des Funambules
title_fullStr The pantomime repertoire of the Théâtre des Funambules
title_full_unstemmed The pantomime repertoire of the Théâtre des Funambules
title_short The pantomime repertoire of the Théâtre des Funambules
title_sort pantomime repertoire of the theatre des funambules
work_keys_str_mv AT nyee thepantomimerepertoireofthetheatredesfunambules
AT nyee pantomimerepertoireofthetheatredesfunambules