History

Rafael Caravetti was a premier danseur with William Thompson‘s troupe at Her Majesty’s Theatre, later at Covent Garden.

Trained at La Scala, Caravetti first danced in Milan before moving to Paris. He was unable to gain employment at the prestigious Paris Opéra at the Salle Le Peletier, and so instead danced at the Théâtre-Italien and the Théâtre Lyrique. In 1882 during a visit to England, he auditioned for and was invited to join Thompson’s troupe at Her Majesty’s, and due to his technical skill and experience (and comparative lack of male dancers) he was invited to join as a sujet. 

Caravetti’s first rôle with the troupe was as Alain in the 1882 revival of The Fairies’ Goddaughter. He also debuted the rôle of Pepinelli in Marco Spada the same year, opposite Emma Ashfield as the Marchesa. He was promoted to premier danseur in 1886, debuting as Colin in The Wayward Daughter and Orion in Sylvia the same year. He created the rôles of Philip in The Amphitrite in 1887 and Arnaud in The Fairy of the Forest in 1888. 

In 1889 Caravetti debuted his most celebrated rôle, Faust in the grand revival of Faust opposite Ashfield as Marguerite. Faust was well received and was praised for its scale and luxurious mise-en-scène, and Caravetti also received praise for his dramatic portrayal of the rôle. One critic complimented him thus:

“Of Mr Caravetti’s performance in the rôle of the Doctor himself, one cannot speak in terms too high. The spectator perceives with the utmost clarity Faust’s melancholy, his infatuation, his consuming desire and his inward torment, as he is torn betwixt the demonic and the divine. Mr Caravetti, by the eloquence of his mime alone, conveys every thought and every passion of Faust as distinctly and as movingly as though he had delivered a great oration, rather than relying only upon looks and gestures.” 

1890 seems to mark a shift where the thirty-six year old Caravetti appears to have taken a step back from technical dancing and into more mimed rôles, as evidenced by his rôles in the 1890 season of Colin in The Wayward Daughter and The King of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The latter was a completely mimed rôle (though he partnered Sarah Nicholson as the Queen of Hearts) while the former did include more dancing. By 1891, Caravetti was portraying only mimed rôles, reprising his rôle of The King of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and portraying the rôle of San Lucar in The Beauty of Ghent. In 1892, Caravetti decided it was time for him to retire, despite Thompson’s reluctance. The Peri was selected to be his benefit performance, with Nicholson portraying the rôle of the Peri/Léïla. In his final season, Caravetti also danced the rôle of Orion in the revival of Sylvia.

The Peri marked the end of the partnership between Nicholson and Caravetti, then aged 38, which had begun in 1885 when they first danced together in the Pas des Paysans in Giselle. Eleven years her senior and with more stage experience, Caravetti greatly coached Nicholson through the rôle and was instrumental in easing her nerves. She performed well and in addition to her successful debut as Dawn in Coppelia she was promoted to coryphée the same year. Caravetti was always supportive of her career and she was fond of him, making good use of his experience in how to handle rôles, pas and dramatic scenes. He assisted her again in 1887 when she was cast in the rôle of Hydrola in Ondine. She was pleased when he was finally (and undeservedly late in Nicholson’s opinion) promoted to premier danseur in 1888, and he in turn always spoke highly of her to Thompson, which may have contributed to her promotion to première danseuse in 1890. They would dance The Wayward Daughter together in 1890, a ballet which would become one of Nicholson’s favourites. After The Peri in 1892, Caravetti and Nicholson would meet for the final time in 1893, when Caravetti attended a performance of The Fairies’ Goddaughter, where Nicholson had been cast as Ysaure. Caravetti would return to Italy in December of 1893 and the pair continued to write to each other until Caravetti’s death.

Though their closeness (then as now) sparked rumours of romantic involvement, there is little evidence to definitively support the conclusion of a physical relationship. Most of the evidence exists as rumour and anecdote, so it would be difficult to claim the evidence is definitive. Additionally, due to the Nicholson-Draeger rivalry that seems to have been capitalised on by the press, such romantic accusations could potentially be rumours circulated by Draeger’s supporters to discredit her rival. 

Rôles

• Alain in The Fairies’ Goddaughter (1882*)
• Pepinelli in Marco Spada (1882*)
• Jacob in The Vivandiere (1882)
• The Ambassador in The Devil to Pay (1883*)
• Yvan in The Devil to Pay (1884)
• Pas des Paysans in Giselle (1885)
• Colin in The Wayward Daughter (1886*)
• Orion in Sylvia (1886*)
• Thomas in The Harvest Festival (1887)
• Philip in The Amphitrite (1887)
• Arnaud in The Fairy of the Forest (1888)
• Conrad in The Corsair (1889)
• Faust in Faust (1889*)
• The King of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1890)
• San Lucar in The Beauty of Ghent (1891*)
• Achmet in The Peri (1892*)

Created rôle in new ballet

First London revival, new production*