La Tosca is a five-
act drama by the
19th-century French playwright
Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the
Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, with
Sarah Bernhardt in the title role. Despite negative reviews from the Paris critics at the opening night, it became one of Sardou's most successful plays and was toured by Bernhardt throughout the world in the years following its premiere. The play itself is no longer performed, but its operatic adaptation,
Giacomo Puccini's
Tosca, has achieved enduring popularity. There have been several other adaptations of the play including two for the
Japanese theatre and an English
burlesque,
Tra-La-La Tosca (all of which premiered in the 1890s) as well as several film versions.