La Tarentule was a pantomime ballet in two acts with music by Casimir Gide, a libretto by Eugène Scribe, and choreography by Jean Coralli. It had its premiere on 24 June 1839 and enjoyed 16 performances during its first run between 1839 and 1841. It was revived for four additional presentations in 1844 and 1845, but even Franziska Elssler’s talents could not save it, and it had to be dropped from the repertory after its 20th billing on 9 December 1845.The ballet opens with Luigi and his friends about...