The 1887 drama is La Tosca by Victorien Sardou, and the Puccini opera based on it is Tosca.

Quick Scoop

  • The 1887 French play is titled La Tosca , written by Victorien Sardou and premiered in Paris in 1887.
  • Giacomo Puccini later adapted this drama into his opera Tosca , which premiered in Rome in 1900.
  • The story is a dark, intensely dramatic tale of love, political intrigue, torture, and murder set in Rome during the Napoleonic era.

Mini facts

  1. Sardou wrote La Tosca for the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt, whose performances helped make the play a big success despite mixed critical reviews.
  1. Puccini became interested in the play a couple of years after its premiere and worked for years to secure the rights and shape the libretto.
  1. When Tosca opened in 1900, critics were divided, but audiences quickly embraced it, and it remains one of Puccini’s most performed operas today.

In short: the “1887 drama on which a Puccini opera is based” = La Tosca → Tosca.

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