The Wizard Skiff is a British play written by J.T. Haines in the 1830s.
| The Wizard Skiff | |
|---|---|
 The actress and dancer Céline Céleste as "The Pirate Boy" in The Wizard Skiff | |
| Original title | The Wizard Skiff; or, The Tongueless Pirate Boy |
| Written by | J.T. Haines |
| Date premiered | 1830s |
Background
editHaines created the nautical melodramatic romance titled The Wizard Skiff; or, The Tongueless Pirate Boy in the early 1830s. A travesti role created for Céline Céleste, she took on the roles of Alexa Mavrona, a Greek lady; Alexis, the leader of the Wizard Skiff; and Agata, a Zingari boy.[1] It was performed by her in Paris and London.[2]
Madame Céleste had once performed The Wizard Skiff 150 times in one year.[3]
Plot
editThe play was set along a coastal Russian military village and featured a villain who posed as a Muslim Russian count, with a backstory of exterminating a Greek Archon and his family, sparing only a baby girl named Alexa whose tongue was cut out.[3]
Characters
editBased on a performace at the Bristol Old Vic on September 26, 1834, the cast was the following:[2] Greek characters included:
- Alexa Mavrona, a Greek lady (Madame Céleste)
- Alexis, Chief of the Wizard Skiff (Madame Céleste)
- Agata, A Zingaro boy (Madame Céleste)
- Constantine, an aged priest (Mr. Mude) and Agnosti, his son, disguised as Paul, mate of the Skiff (Mr. Rénaud)
- Anastasius (Mr. Trewren)
- Michael (Mr. Millar)
Russian Characters included:
- Count Beregenoff, Russian Noble, formerly in Turkish Service (Mr. Grainger) and Wolfo, his serf and confidant (Mr. Carroll)
- Vern Waddledorf, Mayor of the District (Mr. Gardner)
- Fritz, an old peasant (Mr. Bedford)
- Paulina, niece to the mayor (Miss Jarman)
Adaptations
editVariations of the play were titled The Wizard Skiff; or, The Tongueless Pirate Boy and The Wizard Skiff; or, The Massacre of Scio.
Marietta Ravel's production of The Wizard Skiff occurred in 1866.[2]
References
edit- ^ The Gentleman's Magazine. (1888). United Kingdom: F. Jefferies.
- ^ a b c The New York Public Library. (n.d.). NYPL, Vaudeville Nation. http://web-static.nypl.org/exhibitions/vaudeville/full/TW008_5.html
- ^ a b Bratton, J. (2011). The Making of the West End Stage: Marriage, Management and the Mapping of Gender in London, 1830–1870. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.