![Boston, 1831: "The publie [sic] is respectfully informed that in compliance with the request of several families and others Mr. & Mrs. Anderson are re-engaged for three nights, and will appear this evening. Tuesday even. Nov. 15 1831, will be presented the popular opera in 3 acts called Inkle & Yarico." 1831 Inkle FederalStTheatre Boston.png](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/1831_Inkle_FederalStTheatre_Boston.png/220px-1831_Inkle_FederalStTheatre_Boston.png)
Inkle and Yarico is a comic opera first staged in London, England, in August 1787, with music by Samuel Arnold and a libretto by George Colman the Younger.
Inkle and Yarico is a comic opera first staged in London, England, in August 1787, with music by Samuel Arnold and a libretto by George Colman the Younger.
Inkle, an English trader, is shipwrecked in the West Indies, and survives with the help of Yarico, an Indian maiden. They fall in love, but when Inkle returns to his civilization, he plans to sell Yarico into slavery to recover his financial losses while he marries a woman, Narcissa, who will give him the social standing he wants. In the end, Narcissa marries another, and Inkle remains with Yarico. [1]
The supposedly true story first appeared in Richard Ligon's book A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes (1657).
Richard Steele's The Spectator (the 1711–12 periodical by Addison and Steele, not the modern magazine The Spectator, founded in 1828, that is named after it) printed another version in March 1711, in which Yarico is a Native American, sold into slavery while bearing Inkle's child.
The opera was highly successful, performed 98 times at the Haymarket Theatre, and a total of 164 performances on London stages by 1800. One of the most famous actresses to play the part of Yarico was Elizabeth Satchell, while Arabella Menage played Patty in an early production. There were also performances in Dublin (1787), Jamaica (1788), New York (1789), Philadelphia (1790), Calcutta (1791), Boston (1794), and Charleston (1794). [2]
In 1996, composer Roxanna Panufnik was commissioned by the Holders Opera Festival, Barbados, to recompose the opera for steelpan [3] and modern symphony orchestra. The production premiered at the festival on 15 March 1997, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with British soloist Rachel Hayward performing the solo pan part.
In 1997 Straydog Theatre, under the direction of Simon Godwin and the music direction of Peter Tregear, performed the work in the historic Cambridge Festival Theatre. Tregear reconstructed the score for the vocal and instrumental forces that Samuel Arnold had at his disposal at the Haymarket Theatre. The production was remounted for a season at the Battersea Arts Centre in 1998.
Composer James McConnel was commissioned to compose a score for Inkle'n Yarico in 1997, [4] and this was performed at the 1999 Edinburgh Festival, starring Michael McCarthy (Inkle) and Natalie Tinn (Yarico). [5] [6]
In 2006, another reconstruction of Arnold's original opera was performed by Opera East at Magdalene College, Cambridge, conducted by Oliver Gooch and directed by Alistair Boag. The libretto was prepared by Richard Luckett and the score was orchestrated by Benjamin Chewter, again for the forces that Samuel Arnold had at his disposal at the Haymarket Theatre.
In 2015, John and Jodie Kidd produced a new musical based on the story at the London Theatre Workshop. General managed by Crow and Elk. It ran from 17 February to 28 March. Composed by James McConnel and lyrics by Carl Miller. Directed by Emily Grey, Musical Director Zara Nunn, Lighting Design Matt Haskins, Set, and costume design Sarah Beaton.[ citation needed ] A teaser video was released on YouTube.
George Colman, known as "the Younger", was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer. He was the son of George Colman the Elder.
George Colman was an English dramatist and essayist, usually called "the Elder", and sometimes "George the First", to distinguish him from his son, George Colman the Younger. He also owned a theatre.
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1787.
The music of Barbados includes distinctive national styles of folk and popular music, including elements of Western classical and religious music. The culture of Barbados is a syncretic mix of African and British elements, and the island's music reflects this mix through song types and styles, instrumentation, dances, and aesthetic principles.
The Spectator was a daily publication founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England, lasting from 1711 to 1712. Each "paper", or "number", was approximately 2,500 words long, and the original run consisted of 555 numbers, beginning on 1 March 1711. These were collected into seven volumes. The paper was revived without the involvement of Steele in 1714, appearing thrice weekly for six months, and these papers when collected formed the eighth volume. Eustace Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, and the poet John Hughes also contributed to the publication.
Roxanna Panufnik is a British composer of Polish descent. She is the daughter of the Polish composer and conductor Sir Andrzej Panufnik and his second wife Camilla, née Jessel.
The Baron Kinkvervankotsdorsprakingatchdern is an 18th-century comic opera written by English composer Samuel Arnold and English playwright Miles Peter Andrews.
Samuel Arnold was an English composer and organist.
Maria Theresa Bland (1769–1838) was a British singer who enjoyed high popularity in the London theatre during the last decade of the 18th century and the first two decades of the 19th century.
The Haymarket Theatre (1796-1803) or Hay-Market Theatre was a theatre in late-18th century Boston, Massachusetts. Organized by Charles Stuart Powell, it occupied a large, wooden building "opposite the Mall on Common Street, near Hatch's Tavern." In addition to dramatic plays, the theatre presented some 62 musical entertainments during its first 5 years. The Haymarket "was seldom used after 1800, and on March 3, 1803, it was offered for sale at auction on the condition that it be removed in 60 days."
Samuel James Arnold (1774–1852) was an English dramatist and theatrical manager. Under his management the Lyceum Theatre, London became the English Opera House, and staged the first English productions of many operas, including in 1824 Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz.
John Henry Johnstone (1749–1828), also known as 'Jack' Johnstone or 'Irish' Johnstone, was an Irish actor, comedian and singer. He was a notable performer of Stage Irishman roles.
Michael McCarthy, is an Irish musical theatre performer who is best known for his many appearances as Javert in the musical Les Misérables.
This article includes the professional credits of Michael McCarthy. Listed are all the professional credits, for each category, in chronological order.
Yarico is a musical based on a 17th-century story of the Amerindian woman – Yarico, who saved the life of, and subsequently fell in love with a British merchant Thomas Inkle, who then sold her into slavery on the island of Barbados – Inkle and Yarico. It was first recorded by Richard Ligon, in his book entitled “The True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes” (1657). Ever since its first staging by George Colman the Younger in 1787, the story became hugely popular inspiring writers across Europe as well as in America., to produce a number of different treatments of it The music is by James McConnel, the book and lyrics are by Carl Miller with additional lyrics by Paul Leigh. The musical played at the London Theatre Workshop from February 17, to March 28, 2015
William Parsons was a British actor and painter in the mid to late eighteenth century. He appeared mostly at Drury Lane and Haymarket in minor to supporting roles, but also had prominent roles in plays like Volpone and Hamlet.
Arabella Menage, also known as Mrs. Sharp, was a British actress and ballet dancer. She was the wife of the artist Michael William Sharp.
Peter John Tregear OAM is an Australian musicologist, author and performer.
Ralph Wewitzer (1748–1825) was an English actor. He won critical acclaim in supporting parts, but was never given leading roles. He had a 44-year acting career, and is thought to have learned over 400 speaking parts.
As Marianne Gunn reported for the Edinburgh Festival Revue in 1999, Inkle & Yarico still proves extremely popular today because the anti-slavery themes chime with campaigns against People-Trafficking today. Barbados Theatre Company, Holders, won a 1999 Fringe First for their "spectacularly... compelling and entertaining" performance with Michael McCarthy and Natalie Tinn playing Inkle & Yarico, respectively.