



Produced by Chuck Greif








PLAYS OF TO-DAY AND TO-MORROW

TURANDOT PRINCESS OF CHINA

A CHINOISERIE IN THREE ACTS

BY

KARL VOLLMOELLER

AUTHORIZED ENGLISH VERSION,

BY

JETHRO BITHELL

LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN

ADELPHI TERRACE

First Edition, January, 1913

(All rights reserved.)

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

TURANDOT--Princess of China

ALTOUM--Emperor of China, her father

ADELMA--Princess of Tartary, favourite slave of Turandot

ZELIMA--Another slave of Turandot

SKIRINA--Zelima's mother

BARAK--(Under the name of Hassan), Skirina's husband;
        formerly Major-domo of

CALAF--Prince of Astrakhan

ISHMAEL--Major-domo of the beheaded Prince of Samarkand

PANTALONE--Prime Minister of the Emperor Altoum

TARTAGLIA--Lord High Chancellor of China

BRIGELLA Captain of the Imperial pages

TRUFFALDINO Chief Eunuch of Turandot's harem

PRINCE OF SAMARKAND... (Silent)

Eight Doctors. Female Slaves and Eunuchs of the harem.
A Headsman. Soldiers of the Palace Guard.

SCENE: Pekin.--All the acting characters wear Chinese costume,
except Adelma and Calaf, who are in Tartar dress.

Cast of the play as produced at the St. James's
Theatre, London, on January 18, 1913, under the
management of Sir George Alexander.

Turandot--EVELYN D'Alroy

Altoum--J. H. BARNES

Adelma--HILDA MOORE

Zelima--MAIRE O'NEILL

Skirina--MARGARET YARDE

Barak--ALFRED HARRIS

Calaf--GODFREY TEARLE

Ishmael JAMES BERRY

Pantalone--EDWARD SASS

Tartaglia--E. VIVIAN REYNOLDS

Brigella--FRED LEWIS

Truffadino--NORMAN FORBES

Prince of Samarkand--AUSTIN FEHRMAN

The action takes place outside the gates of Pekin, and
inside the Emperor's Palace.


TO

MY FRIEND THAT GREAT ARTIST

FERRUCCIO BUSONI



NOTE


The very affecting history of the cruel Princess
Turandot and the handsome Prince Calaf may be
read in those Persian tales which are known by the
name of _The Thousand and One Nights._

Twice already has the story gone over the boards:
in 1762 in Venice as "Turandotte," one of the _fiabe_ of
Count Carlo Gozzi; in 1804 in Weimar, as Friedrich
Schiller's "Turandot." Both versions lived their
passing hour, and died to the stage.

The present dramatisation of the ancient fable--a
modest attempt to cast good metal anew--closely
follows the Italian of the sardonic nobleman whose
bones have been mouldering by the blue lagoons for
over a hundred years.

KARL VOLLMOELLER.




