The Cardinals' Collation
| The Cardinals' Collation | |
|---|---|
Photograph of the original production of The Cardinals' Collation, 1902, Teatro Dona Amélia; sets by Luigi Manini; actors João Rosa (Cardinal Gonzaga), Augusto Rosa (Cardinal Montmorency) and Eduardo Brasão (Cardinal Rufo) | |
| Written by | Júlio Dantas |
| Characters | Cardinal Gonzaga de Castro Cardinal Rufo Cardinal Montmorency Butler Cook Footmen |
| Date premiered | 24 March 1902 |
| Place premiered | Teatro Dona Amélia, Lisbon, Portugal |
| Original language | Portuguese |
| Setting | Vatican, during the papacy of Benedict XIV |
The Cardinals' Collation (Portuguese: A Ceia dos Cardeais) is one-act play by Portuguese playwright Júlio Dantas, premiered on 24 March 1902. Originally written in Alexandrine couplets, it mostly comprises three monologues by three cardinals — one Portuguese, one French, and one Spanish — who are reminiscing about their first loves over a supper of pheasant with truffles in a richly-appointed Vatican room.
The first adaptation of the work into the English language was made by H. A. Saintsbury; it was first performed at the Globe Theatre in London on 7 February 1926. A BBC Television studio production was made in 1938.