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In POT BOUILLE, the well-known French novelist Emile Zola and
dramatist William Busnach combine their talents to unmask the
hypocrisy that hides behind the facade of a respectable and
fashionable Parisian apartment house. The Josserands are struggling
to make ends meet, and at the same time to marry off their two
daughters to prosperous businessmen. At the heart of this broken
family is a weak husband and domineering, spendthrift wife, who
between them create two willful children who are doomed to unhappy
lives. The sly and adulterous Berthe seduces a shop owner into
marriage, and Hortense eventually runs off with the man she
loves--knowing he'll never marry her. The result is an unflattering
portrayal of a corrupt, immoral society at the heart of French life
in the late nineteenth century. Based on one of the great novels of
modern literature
Four short French plays that resurrect tales by authors better
known for their fiction. MADEMOISELLE FIFI, adapted by Oscar
Metenier from a story by Guy de Maupassant, describes an incident
during the German occupation of France after the Franco-Prussian
War of 1870. The officers of an isolated German regiment send to
Rouen for prostitutes, but Lt. Wilhelm, better known as
Mademoiselle Fifi, mistreats one of the girls, leading to a fatal
confrontation. MEETING, adapted by Lucien Mayrargue from a story by
Guy de Maupassant, tells of a sailor who returns home after ten
years, only to have his savings stolen by the pimp of the girl he
sleeps with. In JACQUES DAMOUR, by Emile Zola and Leon Hennique, a
man believed dead returns home, only to find that his wife has
remarried a prosperous butcher. Finally, in Emile Zola's opera
libretto, LAZARUS is raised from the dead by Jesus, only to object
to being brought back to life. Four great dramas dealing with
life--and death
Emile Zola (1840-1902) was one of France's greatest novelists of
the nineteenth century, being most famous as a writer for Nana (the
story of a courtesan), and in the political world for his role in
exposing the frame-up of Captain Dreyfus. However, he had limited
success as a dramatist until he partnered with William Busnach, an
Algerian Jew. This adaptation of the Zola novel of the same name is
a powerful expose of life among the working poor, and the ravaging
effects of alcholism on average, decent folk. If fact, what's most
striking in this play is how human the workers are, certainly not
the "animals" described by opponents of Zola's works. The
destruction of a family is portrayed with clinical realism, but
also with sympathy and understanding, as each of the characters
gradually emerges as a sympathetic (or at least understandable)
person in his or her own right. First-rate drama by a master writer
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Joseph Conrad
(1857-1924), Lord Jim tells the story of the Third Mate aboard the
ship Patna. When the vessel is holed, Jim freezes and abandons his
post, leaving the 800 passengers to their fate. But the ship does
not sink, and although the ensuing inquest only strips Jim of his
license, the imputation of cowardice is more than the man can bear.
He settles in an Asian backwater state and eventually comes to
grips with his past, being driven to acts of apparent heroism to
prove his worth to others--and especially to himself. But to
Conrad, Jim's sacrifice merely proves that he really was a coward
after all. First-rate drama
Based on Zola's 1867 novel, and dramatized by the author in 1873,
this play is almost a French version of the Russian novel, Crime
and Punishment. Therese and her lover, Laurent, decide to kill her
likable but sickly husband, Camille (also her husband), and succeed
in doing so without arousing any suspicion. The boating accident
that ends Camille's life also makes Laurent a hero for rescuing
Therese. The lovers remain apart for a year, until friends of the
family suggest they marry. But both are remorseful and
guilt-ridden. Finally, Therese's mother discovers the truth, but
suffers a stroke and cannot speak. She just stares at them, and her
presence drives the lovers down the path to destruction. A powerful
and believable story that plays well even today.
Adapted from Alexandre Dumas Pere's novel, "La San Felice," this
play is set in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies during Napoleonic
times, and features tyrants, traitors, and great acts of heroism.
First translation into English.
A rare 1826 French play by master fantasist Charles Nodier revisits
the legend of Frankenstein, recasting the legendary scientist as a
sorcerer and his Monster as a mute killer from Hell. The Hunchback
of Notre-Dame was adapted and rewritten by Victor Hugo himself into
a stage play that throws new light on the classic tragedy. These
two never-before-translated masterpieces are supplemented by an
all-new story by translator Frank J. Morlock (Lord Ruthven), in
which the Frankenstein Monster travels back in time to save
Quasimodo, but does not count on the intervention of - Dracula!
Three tales featuring the two most tragic monsters in the history
of Gothic literature.
Paul de Kock and Adolphe Guenee present a humorous dramatic prequel
to the well-known Alexandre Dumas tale of The Three Musketeers. The
four would-be adventurers--D'Artagnan, Aramis, Porthos, and
Athos--serendipitously encounter each other at an inn outside of
Paris, the city where they're heading to escape their present
situations and find their fortunes. They also meet there a
beautiful noblewoman fleeing an unwanted marriage imposed on her by
Cardinal Richelieu--and the girl's elderly husband, the lecherous
Marquis. Back and forth across France they chase each other,
seeking to rescue the woman's good name. While the drama can be
intense at times, it's all in good fun, and ultimately, of course,
everything works out for the best--with the four gentlemen earning
their commissions as King's Musketeers
Four French comedies on marriage, love, and manners. In THE WIDOW A
LA MODE, by Jean Donneau de Vise, the death of an aged husband
forces his young widow and other members of his family to scramble
quickly to save their fortunes while pretending to be overcome with
grief. WAYWARD WENCHES, by Jean-Francois Regnard, is a collection
of skits about bad girls who've gone wrong. Michel Baron's THE
ABDUCTIONS is a one-act farce about the vagaries of love in a
country setting, including cross-dressing and knock-about slapstick
shenanigans. Alain-Rene Lesage's THE SCHOOL FOR LOVERS is a comic
fantasy opera about what makes romance last--and what kills it. A
magician whisks young men and women to an enchanted isle--where
they become bored to death with love The characters in these plays
are still recognizable, even in modern settings; and this quartet
of comedies still makes us laugh. Great entertainment
Three French comedies of love and marriage. Charles Favart
contributes two comic operas of considerable verve and humor. In
THE DISGUISED LOVER, Julie pretends to be a man, and Clitandre
pretends to be a peasant. But it's all in good fun, and while the
play doesn't take itself seriously, all's well that ends well.
RUSTIC AMOURS is a strange but effective blend of classical opera
themes (shepherds and shepherdesses in love), combined with satire
about Parisian fops and uncouth peasants--all of whom love the same
beautiful shepherdess. Philippe Destouches' TRIPLE MARRIAGE is a
beautifully-constructed one-act comedy about marriages that
are--from the eighteenth-century high society's
point-of-view--inappropriate. Old Matthews wants to marry again,
but conceals his desire from his son and daughter, both of whom
wish to marry as well--but not the rich old spouses their father
has selected for them. Ultimately, the children take matters into
their own hands. All three plays could easily be adapted to the
modern stage, since their themes are universal.
THE LUCKY MAN is the story of a handsome, conceited young man who's
the devil with the ladies. Cadwell flits from one woman to another,
always in search of more adventures, always deceitful, never
getting caught, always promising his love--and never giving anyone
what he doesn't possess himself. This ultimate womanizer goes about
blithely wrecking the lives of women (and their beaus) alike,
until--until a cadre of his rejected lovers get together to trap
him through his own ego. And even then...even then there are those
who are willing to forgive him Cadwell and his loves are perfectly
recognizable, even in the guise of 1683 characters--and this play
is eminently enjoyable and presentable to modern audiences. A
thoroughly entertaining comedic drama
In 1828 a young man in rags appeared in the German city of
Nurnberg, saying that he'd been kept isolated in a dungeon all of
his life. Was he the bastard offshoot of some noble or royal
family, secreted away to preserve the honor of the house? Within a
few months he was dead under mysterious circumstances, his mystery
still unsolved. CASPER HAUSER uses the uproar caused by Hauser's
emergence to focus the white heat of the authors' indignation on
the systematic maltreatment of individuals solely to spare the
feelings of the rich and powerful elements of society. The anger of
the playwrights permeates this straightforward, exceptionally
powerful tale of a young man who never had a chance of living a
normal life. The drama still plays well to a modern audience
Dumas wrote and staged Henri III (1829) before Hugo weighed in with
the more famous Hernani (1831). It was the opening salvo in the war
between The Romantics and the Classicists. Dumas' play was less
controversial and more successful than Hugo's play. Dumas' hero,
Saint Megrin, a fiery opponent of the Duke of Guise and a favorite
of Henry III is also in love with the Duke's wife. Saint Megrin's
partiality for the King also has brought him into conflict with
Henry's unscrupulous mother Catherine de Medici, who decides to rid
herself of both Guise and Saint Megrin by fostering the thus-far
Platonic relationship between the Duchess de Guise and her would be
lover. This she manages with the aid of the Astrologer Ruggieri,
and brings about the ruin of Saint Megrin. All set against the
background of magic, superstition, and religious fanatacism
preceding The Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre. It also makes
interesting reading when read against Dumas' later dramatization of
his novel La Reine Margot (Queen Margot), also published by
Borgo/Wildside.
Two plays attacking the principles of Denis Diderot, Jean-Jacques
Rousseau, and other French philosophers of the eighteenth century.
In THE PHILOSOPHERS, the treacherous, self-centered charlatans (as
Palissot viewed them) persuade Cydalise that she's a genius, in
order to entice her to marry her well-endowed daughter to one of
their number. Actually, they despise the woman and her opinions--a
fact which is soon revealed to her THE STUMBLING BLOCK OF MORALS
also revolves around the attempts of "The Philosophers" to unite a
young woman--in this case Rosalie--with an unsuitable (and
insufferable) member of their own group, rather than to the more
pedestrian Honore, who she's come to love. In the end, of course,
everything works out for the best, with the machinations of the
pedants revealed for what they are. Two quasi-comedies of life,
philosophy, and love.
Four French comedies by Jean-Francois Regnard (with Charles
Dufresny), who's considered to be the best comic playwright of his
age after Moliere. The sardonic and amusing THE TREE OF CHASTITY
has a slight plot, but the double-entendres flying rapidly right
and left keep the audience well-entertained. WAIT FOR ME UNDER THE
ELM is another farce filled with verve aplenty. THE UNFORESEEN
RETURN is a reworking of Plautus' Haunted House with a
seventeenth-century setting. THE RIDICULOUS MERCHANT is another
comedic romp. These bubbly, even obscene farces still hold up well
today, with all of the characters and their situations eminently
recognizable to modern audiences. Great dramatic fun
These eight short plays by Louis Carmontelle, Thomas Gueulette, Jan
Potocki, and Russian Empress Catherine II the Great (of all people
) were all the rage in eighteenth-century France--short skits that
could easily be performed by amateur companies. Since they weren't
writing "literature," the authors of these pieces could create
anything without adhering to the "dramatic rules." And invent they
did Bawdy, even obscene humor permeates many of these works. All of
them are wacky, anything-for-a-laugh comedies with little or no
attention paid to logic, plots, or themes--just a series of zany,
lewd, funny actions near enough to reality to be slightly
discomfiting to the popular audiences who loved them. And they
still remain as sidesplitting today as they were 200 years ago
Three French comedies focusing on Parisian women and their
intricate love lives. MIMI PINSON, by Jean Bayard and Philippe
Dumanoir, is a carefree, self-supporting, independent woman. She's
a grisette (working girl) who loves as she pleases, doesn't care
about money, and is both happy and charming in her simple life. THE
TYPE YOU DON'T MARRY, by Edouard Pailleron, tells the tale of the
girl Adrienne, who after being a mistress for six years, finally
succeeds in marrying her lover. Love triumphs over morality, as the
lover gives up a potentially good marriage and his family to remain
with the woman he loves. MARRIED SINCE NOON, by William Busnach and
Armand Liorat, is a monologue by a girl, Estelle, who's just
married. She's a bit naive and volatile, but utterly charming in
her simplicity. Three very funny plays that could still be
presented today
Two French comedies of love and life and the relations between men
and women. In THE VILLAGE COQUETTE a Widow trains a country girl,
Lisette, in the ways of a Parisian coquette, thinking to make her
into an image of herself; but finds that her protegee has become
too apt a pupil for the Widow's own comfort, and threatens to steal
the older woman's own lover. THE CRAZY WAGER features some unusual
gender-bending for the time. Tiggs, an older man camouflaged as a
rich woman (the Marquise), pretends to love Angelica, who adopts
the guise of a young, handsome Count--while the "Count" pretends to
love the aging Mrs. Hardwick, so she can actual marry the widow's
handsome son, Phillip. Both plays possess great vivacity and are
full of laughter and fun.
Two French comedies focusing on life and love. In STRAIGHT FROM THE
CONVENT, a rich old man would like to marry a girl who's just
emerged from the convent. Her mother wants her to cement the union
because she has no money--and would like to see her daughter
well-established. Needless to say, the girl thinks otherwise, and
"innocently" manages to collect three other suitors THE INTERRUPTED
WEDDING is about an impoverished Count and Countess who are always
at odds with each other. They have just one servant, Adrien, who
doubles as a valet and femme de chamber. The dirty old Count wants
to marry Lucas, a peasant, to Nanette, so he can get at the girl
himself. But Lucas demands a dowry, and the nobleman has no money.
Then the Countess gets wind of her husband's real intentions... Two
swift-moving and very funny farces that would play well even today
Here are four plays by the well-known American dramatist, Frank J.
Morlock. THE KEY TO THE GREAT GATE, based on a novel by Hinko
Gottlieb, is set in 1942 Vienna, where four Jews have been
imprisoned by the Nazis. The newest inmate, Tarnopolski, has
learned to manipulate the space-time continuum. His ability to
shrink and expand objects--including people--creates consternation
among both the prisoners and their guards. This is a moving story
about the power of the human spirit to survive the most appalling
conditions. HEROES AND ROMANTICS OF OUR TIMES, based on a play by
Henri Duvernois, is set in small-town America, where the corrupt
Sheriff gets his kicks by having his girlfriend pretend she's a
whore--until she becomes disgusted with the way he handles a
homeless man who finds a fortune on the street. LADY LIBERTY,
another adaptation from Duvernois, focuses on an inmate in a
sanitarium who's placed himself there deliberately to escape his
nagging wife--until, that is, she decides that she can't live
without him THE WRITING LESSON, based on a story by Ilya Ilf and
Yevgeni Petrov, is a comedy of the difficulties of writing
professionally under the Stalinist regime. Four great plays
focusing on the plight of the underdog
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