Grisettes in Opera, Musical Theatre and Song
As main characters
- Mimi Pinson 1882 – musical by Gustave Michiels, Maurice Ordonneau, Arthur Verneuil, adapted from de Musset's short story, Mademoiselle Mimi Pinson: Profil de grisette.
- Mimì and Musetta in La bohème 1896 – opera by Giacomo Puccini, adapted from Murger’s novel Scènes de la vie de Bohème.
- Mimì and Musetta in La bohème 1897 – opera by Ruggiero Leoncavallo, likewise adapted from Murger’s Scènes de la vie de Bohème. A revised version of this opera, which gave a much bigger role to Mimì premiered in 1913 with the title Mimì Pinson.
- The Gay Grisette 1898 – musical by Carl Kiefert and George Dance.
- Louise in Louise 1900 – opera by Gustave Charpentier.
- Magda in La Rondine 1917 – opera by Giacomo Puccini.
- Ninon in The Violet of Montmartre 1930 – operetta by Emmerich Kálmán.
- Fantine in Les Misérables 1980 – musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, adapted from Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables.
In minor roles
- Yvonne, Yvette and Céleste in The Spring Chicken 1897 – musical adapted by George Grossmith, Jr. from Coquin de Printemps by Jaime and Duval.
- Lolo, Dodo, Jou-Jou, Frou-Frou, Clo-Clo and Margot (can-can dancing grisettes) in The Merry Widow 1905 – operetta by Franz Lehár, and a 1975 ballet adaptation using Lehar's music.
- Georgette, Gabriella and Lolette in La rondine 1917 – opera by Giacomo Puccini.
In song
- Mimi Pinson 1846 – a musical setting by Frédéric Bérat of de Musset's poem in Mademoiselle Mimi Pinson: Profil de grisette, and a later, less well-known, setting by Gabriel Pierné.
- Madam Yvonne 1933 –tango, music by Eduardo Pereyra, lyrics by Enrique Cadicamo.
- Griseta 1924 – tango, music by Enrique Delfino, lyrics by José González Castillo.
- Mimí Pinsón 1947 – tango, music by Aquiles Roggero, lyrics by José Rotulo.
Read more about this topic: Grisette (French)
Famous quotes containing the words musical, theatre and/or song:
“Sometimes a musical phrase would perfectly sum up
The mood of a moment. One of those lovelorn sonatas
For wind instruments was riding past on a solemn white horse.
Everybody wondered who the new arrival was.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“Mankind’s common instinct for reality ... has always held the world to be essentially a theatre for heroism. In heroism, we feel, life’s supreme mystery is hidden. We tolerate no one who has no capacity whatever for it in any direction. On the other hand, no matter what a man’s frailties otherwise may be, if he be willing to risk death, and still more if he suffer it heroically, in the service he has chosen, the fact consecrates him forever.”
—William James (1842–1910)
“She sang a song that sounds like life; I mean it was sad. Délira knew no other types of songs. She didn’t sing loud, and the song had no words. It was sung with closed lips and it stayed down in one’s throat.... Life is what taught them, these Negresses, to sing as if they were choking back sobs. It is a song that always ends with a beginning anew because this song is the picture of misery, and tell me, does misery ever end?”
—Jacques Roumain (1907–1945)