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Sem Benelli (August 10, 1877 – December 18, 1949) was an Italian playwright, essayist and librettist. He provided the texts for several noted Italian operas, including Italo Montemezzi's '' L'amore dei tre re'' and '' L'incantesimo'', and Umberto Giordano's '' La cena delle beffe'', based on Benelli's own play of the same title. He was a native of Prato. His dramatic play of ''La Gorgona'' was first staged in Rivista enciclopedica contemporanea
Editore Francesco Vallardi, Milan, (1913), entry by E D'Angelo, pages 98-99. The play ''
Sem Benelli (August 10, 1877 – December 18, 1949) was an Italian playwright, essayist and librettist. He provided the texts for several noted Italian operas, including Italo Montemezzi's '' L'amore dei tre re'' and '' L'incantesimo'', and Umberto Giordano's '' La cena delle beffe'', based on Benelli's own play of the same title. He was a native of Prato. His dramatic play of ''La Gorgona'' was first staged in Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into pr ...
in 1913.Editore Francesco Vallardi, Milan, (1913), entry by E D'Angelo, pages 98-99. The play ''
The Jester's Supper
''La cena delle beffe'' (''The Jesters' Supper'') is an opera in four acts composed by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Sem Benelli adapted from his 1909 The Jester's Supper (play), play of the same name. The opera premiered on 20 Decem ...
'' was a great New York theatre success in 1919 under the title ''The Jest'', starring Lionel and John Barrymore
John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Barrymore family, Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage ...
. In Italy Paola Pezzaglia was considered the best male protagonist of ''La cena delle beffe'', after an incident in 1913 when the leading man collapsed before playing the character of Giannetto; she took his place achieving resounding success. Ever since Pezzaglia carried on doing the same role again and again.
He wrote the screenplay for the 1942 film ''The Jester's Supper
''La cena delle beffe'' (''The Jesters' Supper'') is an opera in four acts composed by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Sem Benelli adapted from his 1909 The Jester's Supper (play), play of the same name. The opera premiered on 20 Decem ...
'' based on his own famous play.
References
1877 births 1949 deaths People from Prato Italian dramatists and playwrights Italian opera librettists Italian male dramatists and playwrights Manifesto of the Anti-Fascist Intellectuals {{Opera-bio-stub