European touring stars and the Shakespearean distinction of the Spanish actor-manager in Madrid and Latin America (1898–1936)

Abstract

Although performed in Italian to a homogeneous Spanish-speaking crowd, Ermete Zacconi's premiere of Othello at the Comedia theatre in Madrid, in 1901, was the single most profitable box-office success of a Shakespearean performance in Spain during much of the twentieth century. This and other Shakespearean performances by European touring stars, including Sarah Bernhardt, constituted a theatrical model of prestige for a few Spanish actor-managers who took their Shakespearean performances around the nation and even as far as the former Spanish colonies in Latin America. This paper examines the influence of these European stars and the functions Shakespearean drama was made to fulfil.