From the History of the Lviv Theatre: Weksle przecięte, czyli jarmark w Czerniowcach [Cut Bills of Exchange, or the Fair in Chernivtsi]

Abstract

The article discusses the comic opera by Stanisław Doliwa Starzyński (1784–1851) titled Weksle przecięte, czyli jarmark w Czerniowcach [Cut Bills of Exchange, or the Fair in Chernivtsi] first performed in Lviv on January 17, 1840. The plot unfolds within a community of traveling actors, portraying them both in their private lives and in specific roles. Starzyński, known for promoting theatrical life in Podolia, Lviv, and providing repertoire for Jan Nepomucen Kamiński’s troupe (1777–1855), had significant ties to Galicia. The article elucidates the enigmatic title and the editorial changes in subsequent versions of the play, as well as its surprising theatrical history. The textual analysis focuses on the masquerade organized by the characters, viewed as a theatrical structure within a theater, and explores the theme of the theater of the world.