Franz Danzi: Cleopatra – Staging the Heroine, Leiden
Wednesday, 3 June 2026 · 20:00 · Waalse Kerk, Leiden
An experimental revival of Franz Danzi’s (1763–1826) melodrama Cleopatra (Mannheim, 1780), to a text by Johann Leopold Neumann (1745–1813), with the Dutch Historical Acting Collective and Anders Muskens at the fortepiano. Marking the bicentenary of Danzi’s death, the performance was part of the international conference Staging the Heroine: The Construction and Performance of Female Heroism in Literature, the Visual Arts and Theatre (c. 1350–1800) at Leiden University (3–5 June 2026).
The drama shows the final hours of Cleopatra’s life in pathos-laden Sturm und Drang monologues: Alexandria is under siege, Antony has gone to face the Roman army, and Cleopatra confronts the collapse of her reign. The performance drew on historical acting and declamation sources, in a reduced version with fortepiano adapted from Danzi’s orchestral score. The title role was first played by Sophie Seyler (née Hensel) of the Seyler Theatre Company.
Performers
Laila Cathleen Neuman, João Luís Paixão, Jed Wentz, Annelies Andries – spoken actors
Anders Muskens – fortepiano
Jed Wentz – moderator
Venue
Waalse Kerk, Breestraat 62–64, Leiden. Admission free, open to all.
