Henry Meilhac (1831-1897) has been almost forgotten in the English-speaking theatre world. A select few may recognize him as co-author of the libretto for Bizet’s Carmen, but he was also one of one of the most successful authors of Paris comedies. Meilhac created strong, appealing female characters – in this play, four of them.
In 1890, Ma Cousine opened at the Théâtre des Variétés, Paris with Gabrielle Réjane, France’s leading comic actress in the title role – and the play had a run of over three hundred consecutive performances.
The play opens with Gabrielle, toast of the 1921 Paris stage, having her nails polished by her manicurist Berlandet while they discuss life and society. A succession of visitors drop by Gabrielle’s apartment and introduce the foundation of the plot – news of an affair between Raoul d’Arnay-la-Hutte and Victorine Champcourtier. He’s a well-to-do young socialite; she’s the wife of a much older, even wealthier club-man who has decided to try his luck at play-writing to impress “the fellows”. Raoul’s wife Clotilde, Gabrielle’s long-lost cousin, comes to plead for her assistance in winning back her husband. Gabrielle agrees and outlines her plan: she intends to charm Raoul away from Victorine, then find a way to deliver him back to Clotilde. A rehearsal of Champcourtier’s play, The Hortense Tango, in the d’Arnay-la-Hutte salon provides the setting for phase one of her strategy, culminating in a comic dance of lustful glances and jealous reproaches. By one of life’s coincidences, Raoul’s love-nest for his planned rendezvous with Victorine in the final act, turns out to be an apartment rented from Berlandet. Gabrielle shows up, as do the other characters, and she succeeds in wrapping up her master (or is that mistress?) strategy.
I have adapted the play to 1921 – a time when such adult comedies would have become acceptable, although still daring, to English-speaking audiences. This has required a few changes, such as turning Champcourtier’s play into The Hortense Tango, complete with Rudolf Valentino silent movie references.
GABRIELLE Come on stage with me, then. (Champcourtier looks around) Here, beside me. (to all) Mr. Champcourtier has had the brilliant idea of beginning his play with a pantomime.
CHAMPCOURTIER Except I don’t call it a pantomime. My idea is to combine the best of moving pictures with the best of the stage. The curtains part . . . and the audience can read the preamble written on large cards – we call them titles – then the actors enter and, well . . . act – and the next title tells the audience what they are saying to one another, and so on, just like at the cinema . . . and then they dance a tango. When the dancing ends, they start talking out loud, like, well . . . like at the Theatre des Folies-Amoureuses. That way, the audience gets two art forms instead of one!
GABRIELLE Value for the money . . . if only all our playwrights thought like you, Mr. Champcourtier.
CHAMPCOURTIER (lifting Gabrielle back up) I think that went well, didn’t you? (Victorine stands up behind the piano; she, Raoul and Clotilde are now so busy ignoring each other, nobody answers him) I certainly do!