Talk:Breeches role

message: The article states that stage plays don't have "breeches roles" in the sense of a male role expected to played by a woman.  But what about something such as Peter Pan, where the playwright expected that Peter would be played by a young woman, and in every major stage production since (and the first movie), it's been done that way (e.g. Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan, Cathy Rigby)?  In these cases its been less about voice than a combination of maturity to handle the job (requiring an adult or nearly so), with size/weight for the flying sequences and not looking too "manly" (requiring a female).  I suspect there have been other "boy" stage roles that have been treated similarly. Tverbeek 18:32, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Hmmm. Interesting. I was thinking more about old, classic plays when I wrote that, I guess. I did realize that my rule would probably turn out to be too simple to be literally true. You make a very good point, Tveerbeck. Maybe you could alter or add to the text? Peter Pan and panto are a bit beyond my ken. Hey, though, I have an intricate case I've been thinking about--too odd to really matter, I know, but still. In the spring of 1696, John Vanbrugh wrote The Relapse for a theatre company that was desperately short of actors (because nearly all the actors had walked out and set up a rival company). The glamourous young male hero (not boy) part was intended for Hildebrand Horden, the only young, handsome, competent male actor left. In May, Horden was killed in a duel, and at the première in November, Mrs. Kent played the part. Vanbrugh altered the script a bit between May and November, putting in some sex jokes that would work better, on a meta-level, if the handsome man was played by a pretty actress. So, it was desperate emergency casting, and the part has for 300 years since then always been played by a male. BUT the playwright did alter it to be at least a little suitable for a woman. A breeches role? Not a breeches role? The voting is now open. :-) --Bishonen | Talk 20:28, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Cool edit, Tverbeek, thanks!--Bishonen | Talk 22:38, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Rule

message: Hi, 80.168.130.100! I've invisibled your "See also: Principal boy" (it's still there, just not displayed), because the principal boy thing is already mentioned and linked in the article. Maybe it would be more logically placed and easily noticed if it was higher up, though, along with Peter Pan? The article is coming on very nicely with several editors pitching in now, but could perhaps do with a bit of re-structuring. I wrote the original version, which was all about the 17th century, but I don't feel any too competent about later stuff. Also, anybody got anything about legit drama that's not specifically UK? Anybody got any references (to go with my two about Restoration plays)?--Bishonen | Talk 12:44, 31 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Principal boy

message: I repeat myself from back in 2004, just above: anybody got any references? The references section is lopsided. The only two references that are there were added by me for my original stub about Restoration drama. It's a bit absurd to have those, and then no sources at all for the opera part. Come on, please, the people who contributed the opera stuff. If you've got an authoritative book or two that confirms what the article says, just put them into the references section. Don't worry about formatting entries right if that's not your thing, I can do it afterwards. Bishonen | ノート 10:15, 2 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: References for the operatic part?

message: The last sentence in the second paragraph is: "The most frequently performed breeches roles are Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro), Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier), Hansel (Hansel und Gretel) and Orpheus (Orpheus and Euridice), though the latter was originally written for a male singer, ... "
In this context, "latter" means the second of two (and only two) items — but here there are four (Cherubino, Octavian, Hansel and Orpheus); if "latter" is meant to refer to Orpheus, the clause should be amended to " ... though the last was originally written for a male singer, ... "
Prisoner of Zenda (talk) 06:59, 19 April 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  "latter"?