by George Feydeau
Translated and freely adapted by Peter Meech
Directed by Conrad Cecil
When:
Auditions: Sunday, February 16 at 7:00pm
Callbacks: Wednesday, February 19 at 7:00pm
Where: Sutter Street Theatre Annex, 710 Figueroa Street, Folsom
REHEARSALS: March 2 – April 2 weekday evenings 7-10pm
PERFORMANCE DATES: April 3 – April 26 Fridays & Saturdays 8:00pm and Sundays 4:00pm.. You MUST be available for all performance dates.
What to bring: Please bring a headshot and resume if you have them. Prepare a brief (1-2 minute) comic monologue. You will be asked to read from the script.
Synopsis
Paris, 1880, the height of the Belle Epoque. Sleeping in separate bedrooms since their arranged marriage, Dr. Moulineau and his wife Yvonne hardly know each other. When she accuses him of having an affair, Moulineau enlists the help of a friend whose bizarre behavior only adds to his wife’s suspicions. Things get worse for the doctor with the arrival of a crazed mother-in-law, an enraged army officer and his wayward wife, and figures from Moulineau’s checkered past… Fortunately, love conquers all, and it does so hilariously in this classic French farce.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
–Dr. Moulineau, a Parisian doctor.
Male, 40’s, any ethnicity.
After a checkered youth, Henri Moulineau has become a respectable doctor with a beautiful wife and a comfortable Parisian life. Unfortunately, he has been living a life of enforced celibacy for the past six months and he is now desperate for female diversion…
–Yvonne Moulineau, the doctor’s wife
Female, late 20’s, any ethnicity.
Yvonne Moulineau is a generous spirit and the only child of a wealthy and domineering mother, whom she both obeys and seeks to be free from. Yvonne’s natural tendency to see the best in others is overshadowed by the suspicions her mother has cast in her mind. These two opposing traits are stretched to breaking point by her recent marriage to the charming Doctor Henri Moulineau…
–Etienne, servant to the Moulineau household
Male, 30s, any ethnicity
Etienne is the mercurial servant to Henri Moulineau. A sensitive, albeit gossipy creature, a survivor of life’s ups and downs, Etienne takes advantage, like his master, of situations as they come up. He prides himself on being the guarantee of domestic harmony: but his strategies don’t always pan out as he imagines they will…
–Madame Aigreville, Yvonne’s mother
Female, 50s, any ethnicity
Yvonne’s formidable mother. A five-star divorcée, Madame Aigreville could rival King Henry VIII of England for ex-spouses. Obsessed about social appearances, and a kind of sentimental tyrant, Madame Aigreville’s main concern is making sure her daughter’s recent marriage appears respectable, and that the husband is behaving. She is a forceful, merciless woman who will stop at nothing to have her way…
–Suzanne Aubin, the doctor’s patient
Female, 20’s, any ethnicity
The elegant Suzanne Aubin is a bright, adventurous woman whose marriage to Captain Anatole Aubin has faded into a routine of social events, without any real interest. She has started courting her doctor, Henri Moulineau, in the hopes of bringing some spark back into her life.
–Captain Aubin, Suzanne’s husband
Male, 40’s, any ethnicity
An officer and a veteran of the Franco-Prussian war, the unpredictable and provocative Anatole Aubin is married to Suzanne, whom he still adores, but with whom he has become bored romantically. The Captain readily brandishes his revolver to warn off anyone who might have eyes for “his” Suzanne.
–Mr. Bassinet, a friend of Moulineau
Male, 40’s or 50’s, any ethnicity
An amiable and eccentric acquaintance of Dr. Moulineau, Samson Bassinet is full of anecdotes and stories that he is eager to share with anyone he meets, whether they like it or not. Bassinet inherited a Parisian property that he is trying to rent out. He is also trying to find his wife, who left him for a military man in the first days of their marriage not so long ago…
–Rosa, “la demi-mondaine”
Female, 30’s or 40’s, any ethnicity.
A working can-Can dancer, Rosa was recently courting a count, who’s family name she borrowed for a while. She may once have been married, no one quite knows. Yet Rosa seems to know a thing or two about other people that they don’t know about themselves…
–Mademoiselle Pomponnette, a client of the tailor…
Female, any age, any ethnicity. A client of the tailor for ladies.
About the Director
Conrad Cecil, Director
In November 2019 Conrad directed Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors for Sutter Street Theatre’s Off-Broadway Series, following an open-air staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Conrad has performed on stage in English and in French, in London, Paris and Hollywood, and on screen alongside Sophie Marceau, Liam Cunningham, Clémence Poésy, Moritz Bliebtreu and Johan Leysen. Conrad has a Master’s degree in Directing from RADA and King’s College, London, and is a graduate of East 15 Acting School, London.