description La Mascotte Overview
La Mascotte is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer Edmond Audran, with a libretto by Henri Chivot and Alfred Duru, first performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris in December 1880. The plot centers on a farm girl named Bettina believed to bring good fortune as a living mascot to her owners, a concept drawn from the medieval Occitan term for a talisman. The work circulated widely across European and North American stages, achieving extended runs in multiple languages during the 1880s.
help La Mascotte FAQ
Who composed La Mascotte?
La Mascotte is an opéra comique in three acts by French composer Edmond Audran, with a libretto by Alfred Duru and Henri Chivot. It premiered in Paris in 1880 and rapidly became one of the most internationally successful operettas of its era.
Did the word 'mascot' come from the operetta La Mascotte?
Yes, the modern word 'mascot' derives from the French slang term 'mascotte,' meaning a lucky charm, which was popularized internationally by the enormous success of Audran's operetta. The word entered English and many other languages following the operetta's spread across Europe and North America in the 1880s.
What is the plot of La Mascotte?
The story centers on Bettina, a farm girl believed to be a living good-luck charm whose presence guarantees prosperity, and the comic chaos that ensues as various characters scheme to possess her. The action unfolds in a pastoral Italian setting with mistaken identities and romantic entanglements typical of opéra comique.
How successful was La Mascotte in its original run?
La Mascotte was an extraordinary international sensation, reportedly running for hundreds of consecutive performances in Paris and quickly spreading to London, Vienna, and New York. It was one of the most performed stage works of the 1880s across Europe and North America.
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