José Dupuis
Encyclopedia
Joseph-Lambert Dupuis (18 March 1833, Liège
– 9 May 1900, Nogent-sur-Marne
) was a Belgian singer and actor. He was principally active in opéra-bouffe in Paris, in particular at the Théâtre des Variétés
.
In 1857 he was taken on by Hervé
at his Folies-Nouvelles, and continued when the theatre became the Théâtre Déjazet (after its joint manager Virginie Déjazet
), only moving on, after fifty or so creations, to the Théâtre des Variétés
; he made his debut there on 18 May 1861 in Le Sylphe, a vaudeville by Rochefort, Varin et Desvergers.
Dupuis was chosen by Offenbach
for Paris in La Belle Hélène
, and alongside Hortense Schneider
, he went on to feature in principal roles in the premieres of some of Offenbach’s most famous works: Barbe-Bleue (title role), La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
(Fritz), La Périchole
(Piquillo), Le pont des soupirs
(1868), Les Brigands
(Falsacappa), Les braconniers (1873), La Boulangère a des écus (1875) and Le Docteur Ox (1877).
He also worked with Hervé, creating roles in Le Joueur de flûte (1864), Le Trône d'Écosse (1871), La Veuve du Malabar (1873), La Femme à Papa (1879), Lili (1882), La Cosaque (1884) and Mam'zelle Gavroche (1885). For Lecocq he premiered in Le Beau Dunois (1870) and Le grand Casimir (1879) - again at the Variétés.
He appeared as Fritz and Paris until into his fifties, but in his late career also acted in theatre works, especially those of Meilhac
and Halévy
such as Les Moulins à vent, Les Sonnettes, La Petite Marquise, L'Ingénue, Le Passage de Vénus, La Cigale, Brigitte ou la Petite mère, Décoré!. He retired in 1894 after a final revival of Les Brigands in 1893.
He was twice married, first to Mlle Dantès of the Cirque-Impérial, then to Marie Dubois of the Variétés.
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
– 9 May 1900, Nogent-sur-Marne
Nogent-sur-Marne
Nogent-sur-Marne is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Nogent-sur-Marne is a sous-préfecture of the Val-de-Marne département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Nogent-sur-Marne.-History:...
) was a Belgian singer and actor. He was principally active in opéra-bouffe in Paris, in particular at the Théâtre des Variétés
Théâtre des Variétés
The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1975.-History:...
.
Career
After making his stage debut in Liège, he moved to Paris in 1851 and made his debut at the Théâtre du Luxembourg-Bobino in 1854.In 1857 he was taken on by Hervé
Hervé (composer)
Hervé , real name Louis Auguste Florimond Ronger, was a French singer, composer, librettist, conductor and scene painter, whom Ernest Newman, following Reynaldo Hahn, credited with inventing the genre of operetta in Paris.-Life:Hervé was born in Houdain near Arras...
at his Folies-Nouvelles, and continued when the theatre became the Théâtre Déjazet (after its joint manager Virginie Déjazet
Virginie Déjazet
Pauline Virginie Déjazet was a French actress.She was born in Paris, and made her first appearance on the stage at the age of five...
), only moving on, after fifty or so creations, to the Théâtre des Variétés
Théâtre des Variétés
The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1975.-History:...
; he made his debut there on 18 May 1861 in Le Sylphe, a vaudeville by Rochefort, Varin et Desvergers.
Dupuis was chosen by Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
for Paris in La Belle Hélène
La belle Hélène
La belle Hélène , opéra bouffe in three acts, is an operetta by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy...
, and alongside Hortense Schneider
Hortense Schneider
Hortense Catherine Schneider, La Snédèr, was a French soprano, one of the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, particularly associated with the works of composer Jacques Offenbach.-Biography:...
, he went on to feature in principal roles in the premieres of some of Offenbach’s most famous works: Barbe-Bleue (title role), La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein is an opéra bouffe , in three acts and four tableaux by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy...
(Fritz), La Périchole
La Périchole
La Périchole is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the French-language libretto based on the 1829 one act play Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement by Prosper Mérimée, which was revived on 13 March 1850 at the Théâtre-Français...
(Piquillo), Le pont des soupirs
Le pont des soupirs
Le pont des soupirs is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Hector-Jonathan Cremieux and Ludovic Halévy.-Performance history:...
(1868), Les Brigands
Les brigands
Les brigands is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy....
(Falsacappa), Les braconniers (1873), La Boulangère a des écus (1875) and Le Docteur Ox (1877).
He also worked with Hervé, creating roles in Le Joueur de flûte (1864), Le Trône d'Écosse (1871), La Veuve du Malabar (1873), La Femme à Papa (1879), Lili (1882), La Cosaque (1884) and Mam'zelle Gavroche (1885). For Lecocq he premiered in Le Beau Dunois (1870) and Le grand Casimir (1879) - again at the Variétés.
He appeared as Fritz and Paris until into his fifties, but in his late career also acted in theatre works, especially those of Meilhac
Henri Meilhac
Henri Meilhac , was a French dramatist and opera librettist.-Biography:Meilhac was born in Paris in 1831. As a young man, he began writing fanciful articles for Parisian newspapers and vaudevilles, in a vivacious boulevardier spirit which brought him to the forefront...
and Halévy
Ludovic Halévy
Ludovic Halévy was a French author and playwright. He was half Jewish : his Jewish father had converted to Christianity prior to his birth, to marry his mother, née Alexandrine Lebas.-Biography:Ludovic Halévy was born in Paris...
such as Les Moulins à vent, Les Sonnettes, La Petite Marquise, L'Ingénue, Le Passage de Vénus, La Cigale, Brigitte ou la Petite mère, Décoré!. He retired in 1894 after a final revival of Les Brigands in 1893.
He was twice married, first to Mlle Dantès of the Cirque-Impérial, then to Marie Dubois of the Variétés.