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Monsieur Francisque’s Touring Troupe and Anglo-French Theatrical Culture, 1690-1770
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2025
About this book
This deeply accomplished and lively monograph charts the career of a travelling French actor-manager whose impact and significance have been overlooked.
The "inimitable Monsieur Francisque" (François Moylin, c. 1690-1770), was an extraordinary actor-manager and key figure in the early eighteenth-century theatre world of both England and France. Leader of a family of gifted performers, including his niece, the famous dancer-choreographer Marie Sallé, he took them to every corner of France and beyond, playing before Louis XV as well as George I and II of England.
However, despite his fame among his contemporaries, Francisque's career has been largely overlooked. Robert V. Kenny resurrects Moylin from the footnotes of theatre history with this detailed case-study of an entrepreneurial actor-manager, his troupe and their repertory. Following them from the Paris fairs to the courts of Europe, via one of the worst riots in English theatre history, the book showcases the giddying range of activities and performances undertaken by this family and their associates.
Through the careful piecing together of diverse and fragmentary historical records, Kenny reveals the crucial role played by Francisque and his troupe in the conflict between Parisian fairground players and the established theatres, stressing Francisque's major contribution to the development of opéra-comique. This book not only revives Moylin's legacy but enriches our understanding of cross-cultural theatrical exchanges in eighteenth-century Europe.
The "inimitable Monsieur Francisque" (François Moylin, c. 1690-1770), was an extraordinary actor-manager and key figure in the early eighteenth-century theatre world of both England and France. Leader of a family of gifted performers, including his niece, the famous dancer-choreographer Marie Sallé, he took them to every corner of France and beyond, playing before Louis XV as well as George I and II of England.
However, despite his fame among his contemporaries, Francisque's career has been largely overlooked. Robert V. Kenny resurrects Moylin from the footnotes of theatre history with this detailed case-study of an entrepreneurial actor-manager, his troupe and their repertory. Following them from the Paris fairs to the courts of Europe, via one of the worst riots in English theatre history, the book showcases the giddying range of activities and performances undertaken by this family and their associates.
Through the careful piecing together of diverse and fragmentary historical records, Kenny reveals the crucial role played by Francisque and his troupe in the conflict between Parisian fairground players and the established theatres, stressing Francisque's major contribution to the development of opéra-comique. This book not only revives Moylin's legacy but enriches our understanding of cross-cultural theatrical exchanges in eighteenth-century Europe.
Author / Editor information
Contributor: Robert V. Kenny
ROBERT V. KENNY is a former lecturer in French Language and Literature at the University of Leicester, England. He has published widely on French poetry and theatre, and British film comedy.
Topics
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Frontmatter
i -
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CONTENTS
v -
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ILLUSTRATIONS
vi -
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PREFACE
viii -
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NOTES
x -
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ABBREVIATIONS
xi -
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Introduction
1 -
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1 Moylin, Sallé, Cochois, the gathering of the clan: 1690–1714
5 -
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2 Francisque at the Fairs: 1715–1718
22 -
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3 The first London season: 1718–1719
41 -
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4 The open road between London and the Paris Fairs: 1720–1721
66 -
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5 Success and failure in London and Paris: 1721
86 -
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6 The fight goes on: Francisque and the
107 -
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7 A provincial interlude and a Paris triumph: 1724–1726
130 -
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8 Farewell to the Fairs and return to the provinces: 1726–1734
146 -
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9 Monsieur Francisque in Brussels and London: 1733–1734
170 -
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10 The London season, 1734–1735: Part One
188 -
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11 The London season, 1734–1735: Part Two
215 -
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12 Brief scenes from the French provinces: 1736–1737
240 -
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13 ‘A sharp and bloody battle’: the Haymarket riot: October 1738
250 -
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14 ‘Comédiens du Roi’: last years and final curtain: 1739–1770
272 -
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15 Francisque’s legacy and family fortunes
297 - Appendices
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Appendix I Contract for the Théâtre de la Monnaie: Brussels 1733
316 -
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Appendix II The repertoire of the London season 1734 to 1735
321 -
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Appendix III Micault’s manuscript list of performances in Dijon, 1739–40 and 1750–1
328 -
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
331 -
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INDEX
352
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
March 7, 2025
eBook ISBN:
9781805435969
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9781805435969
Keywords for this book
Monsieur Francisque; François Moylin; Marie Sallé; Eighteenth-Century Theatre; Anglo-French Theatrical Culture; Paris Fairs; Louis XV; George I; George II; Opéra-Comique; Cross-Cultural Exchanges; Theatre History
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
