La Tosca
Written by	Victorien Sardou
Date premiered	1887 (1887)
Place premiered	Paris
Original language	French
Genre	Drama
Setting	Rome in mid-June 1800

La Tosca is a five-act drama by the 19th-century French playwright Victorien Sardou that was first produced in 1887 in Paris, with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role.^[1] Bernhardt's revival in New York in 1900 was also well received. The play is set in Rome in mid-June 1800, against the background of the historical events then occurring (see ref 1 & 2, and Battle of Marengo (1800)).

Contents 1 Characters 2 Adaptations 3 References 4 Sources 5 External links

[edit] Characters

The principal characters are:

• Floria Tosca, a famous singer
• Mario Cavaradossi, her lover, an artist
• Baron Scarpia, the head of the Secret Police

[edit] Adaptations

Sardou's text was the basis of the opera Tosca (1900) by Giacomo Puccini. Verdi had earlier expressed a desire to set the text, but only if the ending were changed. Puccini initially also attempted to get Sardou to amend the 'abrupt' final scene, but without success.

This article on a play from the 19th century is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• McCormick, John. 1998. "Sardou, Victorien." In The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Ed. Martin Banham. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. 964. ISBN 0521434378.

[edit] External links

• The plot of play at Operapaedia.org.
• Background to Puccini's operatic adaptation.