The Madwoman of Chaillot
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The Madwoman of Chaillot (French title La Folle de Chaillot) is a play, a poetic satire, by French dramatist Jean Giraudoux, written in 1943 and first performed in 1945, after his death. The play has two acts and follows the convention of the classical unities. It follows an eccentric woman who lives in Paris and her struggles against the straitlaced authority figures in her life.
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[edit] Criticism
Theatre Arts magazine described the play as "one part fantasy, two parts reason." The New York drama critics hailed the 1948-50 production as "one of the most interesting and rewarding plays to have been written within the last twenty years", "pure gold, with no base metal", and having "an enveloping and irresistible humor."[1]
[edit] Translations
The play was translated into English by Columbia University professor Maurice Valency.
[edit] Productions
[edit] Stage
- 1945, original production in Paris.
- December 1948- January 1950 production at the Belasco and Bernard B. Jacobs theatres on Broadway. This featured Martita Hunt (playing the role of the Madwoman for over 350 performances and winning a 1949 Tony Award for her performance), and John Carradine as The Ragpicker.
- 1969 production at the Oxford Playhouse in Oxford, England, featuring Hugh Paddick.
- 1969 Broadway musical adaptation of the Valency translation as Dear World, starring Angela Lansbury.
- 2007 produced by the Melbourne Theatre Company, at The Arts Centre (Melbourne), Australia, starring Magda Szubanski.[2]
- 2008 produced by Bishops University Drama Department at Centennial Theatre Lennoxville Quebec, starring Rachel Thompson as The Madwoman and Ian Hanlin as The Ragpicker
- 2008 produced by the Bonita Vista High School Drama department
- 2008 produced by The Latin School of Chicago Theatre department
- 2008 revised into "Dear World", produced by the Bristol Riverside Theater, Bristol, Pennsylvania
[edit] Film
- 1969 The Madwoman of Chaillot, adapted from the Valency-translated play, starring Katharine Hepburn
[edit] References
- ^ 20 Best European Plays on the American Stage, edited and with an introduction by John Gassner (New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1957)
- ^ What's On - Event Details - The Arts Centre - the home of the performing arts in Melbourne
