''The Two Orphans'' (French:''Les Deux orphelines'') is a historical play by the French writers

Adolphe d'Ennery Adolphe d'Ennery (; or Dennery; Adolphe Philippe; 17 June 181125 January 1899) was a French playwright and novelist. Life Born in Paris, his real surname was Philippe. He obtained his first success in collaboration with Charles Desnoyer in ' ...

and

Eugène Cormon Pierre-Étienne Piestre, known as Eugène Cormon (5 May 1810 – March 1903), was a French dramatist and librettist. He used his mother's name, Cormon, during his career. Cormon wrote dramas, comedies and, from the 1840s, libretti; around 1 ...

. It premiered on 20 January 1874 at the

Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin The Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin () is a venerable theatre and opera house at 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. History It was first built very rapidly in 1781 under the direction of (1726–1810) to hou ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. A

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

set during the French Revolution, it takes place in five acts.

In the United States

The play as translated by Hart Jackson into English was expressly adapted for Sheldon Shook's

Union Square Theatre Union Square Theatre was the name of two different theatres near Union Square, Manhattan, New York City. The first was a Broadway theatre that opened in 1870, was converted into a cinema in 1921 and closed in 1936.(8 October 1921)Two landmarks ...

then under the management of A.M. Palmer. Its American premiere came on December 21, 1874, played for 180 performances, and eventually proved to be one of the most performed melodramas in the country for the next few decades. Odell's ''Annals of the New York Stage'' called it "one of the greatest theatrical successes of all time in America."

Kate Claxton Kate Claxton (August 24, 1848 – May 5, 1924) was an American actress. Biography Kate Elizabeth Cone was born at Somerville, New Jersey, to Spencer Wallace Cone and Josephine Martinez.James, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson; Boyer, Paul S"No ...

made her career in the role of Louise, and she later purchased the performance rights to the play and played it widely for years.Fisher, James
Historical Dictionary of American Theater: Beginnings
p. 436 (2015)Daly, Nichola
The Demographic Imagination and the Nineteenth-Century City
pp. 73-74 (2015)Beasley, David R
McKee Rankin and the Heyday of the American Theater
pp. 129-39 (2002) It was also the play being performed during the December 1876 Brooklyn Theatre fire that killed at least 278 people. The play was revived on Broadway in 1904 (56 performances) and 1926 (32 performances). It was also adapted to film at least four times during the silent film era starting in 1908.Notes to Journey Through the Impossible (Jules Verne)
pp. 163-64 (Prometheus Books 2003)

Original Broadway production

Synopsis of Scenes

Hart Jackson adapted the original French five-act melodrama into four acts and seven tableaux (scenes) for the Union Square Theatre. The tableaux were: * Tableau 1: Place Pont Neuf * Tableau 2: Illuminated Terrace and Garden at Bel Air near Paris * Tableau 3: Private Office of the Minister of Police * Tableau 4: Place St. Sulpice * Tableau 5: Henriette's Lodgings * Tableau 6: Courtyard of the Prison of La Salpetriere * Tableau 7: Boat House on the Bank of the River Seine

Original 1874 Broadway cast

as Louise *

Kitty Blanchard Elizabeth "Kitty" Blanchard ( – December 14, 1911) was an American stage actress from Pennsylvania. A popular actress in 1870s and 1880s, she married actor McKee Rankin (1841–1914). Their children married into several other famous stage fa ...

as Henriette *

Rose Eytinge Rose Eytinge (November 21, 1835 – December 20, 1911) was a Jewish American actress and author. She is thought to be the first American actress to earn a three figure salary. Biography Eytinge was born November 21, 1835 in Philadelphia ...

as Marianne, an outcast * Charles R. Thorne Jr. as Chevalier DeVaudry * Ida Vernon as Sister Genevieve * Marie Wilkins as La Frochard * John Parselle as Count de Linieres, Minister of Police *

Stuart Robson Stuart Robson may refer to: * Stuart Robson (actor) * Stuart Robson (speedway rider) See also

* Stewart Robson, former professional footballer {{disambiguation ...

as Picard, valet to DeVaudry *

McKee Rankin Arthur McKee Rankin (1841–1914) was a Canadian born American stage actor and manager. He was the son of a member of the Canadian Parliament. After a dispute with his father he left home to become an actor. He made his stage debut in Rochester, N ...

as Jaques Frochard, an outlaw * F. F. Mackay as Pierre Frochard, a cripple * Ella Burns as Victorine * Roberta Norwood as Julie * Kate Holland as Florette * Hattie Thorpe as Sister Therese

Original 1874 Broadway production credits

* Director - John Parselle * Set Design - R. Marston * Music - H. Tissington * Costumes - T. W. Lanouette * Lighting - Charles Murray * Properties - W. Henry

Adaptations

The play has been turned into many other works including an 1877 novel written by the same authors, an 1878 Portuguese opera, D.W. Griffith's 1921 film ''

Orphans of the Storm ''Orphans of the Storm'' is a 1921 American silent melodrama film by D. W. Griffith set in late-18th-century France, before and during the French Revolution. The last Griffith film to feature both Lillian and Dorothy Gish, it was a commercial ...

'', and numerous other films.Klossner p.119

References

* Klossner, Michael. ''The Europe of 1500-1815 on Film and Television''. McFarland, 2002.

External links

* 1874 plays French plays adapted into films Plays set in France Plays set in the French Revolution Fiction about orphans {{1910s-play-stub