26 Jan 2023
On This Day
26 January 2023 Susannah

26 January 1891: Oscar Wilde’s The Duchess of Padua premieres

The Duchess of Padua by Oscar Wilde

When Oscar Wilde collaborated with actor Lawrence Barrett to have The Duchess of Padua staged for the first time at the Broadway Theatre in New York City the decision was taken to change the pay’s name and that the author would be anonymous. The season of Guido Ferranti (the new name) was ended after three successful weeks owing only to Barrett’s other commitments. Sadly, Barrett was not able to fulfill those commitments, nor return to Wilde’s play, as, already seriously ill, he died less than a month later. [1]

The Duchess of Padua is a five-act tragedy by Oscar Wilde, set in Padua and written in blank verse. It premiered on 26 January 1891, at the Broadway Theatre in New York City.

Wilde first considered the possibility of writing a five-act blank verse tragedy in 1880, and originally wanted actress Mary Anderson for the role. He had difficulty, however, negotiating with her business manager and stepfather, Hamilton Griffin, and the planned opening in January 1883 was abandoned.

The play was unexpectedly rediscovered by American actor Lawrence Barrett in 1889 and Wilde rewrote parts before it opened under the title Guido Ferranti on Broadway on 26 January 1891 where it ran for three weeks before being stopped by Barrett despite being well received.

In an early description of the work Wilde wrote, “I have no hesitation in saying that it is the masterpiece of all my literary work, the chef d’oeuvre of my youth.” But later in 1898, he noted that “The Duchess is unfit for publication—the only one of my works that comes under that category. But there are some good lines in it.”

Despite featuring Wilde’s characteristic wit and dramatic flair, The Duchess of Padua is not regarded as one of Wilde’s major works.