Puccini's opera is based on Victorien Sardou's play "La Tosca, " which was written for the actress Sarah Bernhardt in the late 19th century.

WSJ: Maria Callas | Puccini's Tosca | The Measure of a Diva | Masterpiece by David Mermelstein

This role which has been in the possession of middle-aged or elderly actresses in France from Sarah Bernhardt to Marie Bell (in England Glenda Jackson and Diana Rigg), is here transformed by the delicate and young Ms Blanc.

ECONOMIST: A radical must for anyone interested in the art of theatre