Join us for a double bill of brand-new, one-act adaptations of melodramas from different styles and eras. The Captive (La Prisonnière) is set in 1870s Paris and premiered there on 6 March 1926, while Murder in the Red Barn was initially created by travelling players on the basis of a real murder that took place in England in 1827.
MURDER IN THE RED BARN
– adapted & directed by Zachariah Chamberlaine
The ‘Red Barn Murder’ involved a sensational string of events that took place in Suffolk and London in 1827. It had all of the scandalous elements required to garner media coverage and spawn numerous ‘penny gaffs’ – cheap plays performed in the backrooms of public houses. As was – and still is – the norm, the true story soon became warped to make it as dramatic, entertaining and moralistic as possible.
This is a new, one-act adaptation of the story based on old anonymous texts. Although it will be performed in a fun Victorian melodrama style, it removes many (but not all) of the added elements and reintroduces some of the real-life events, which are equally – if not more! – crazy. We could say more … but NO SPOILERS!
CAST
Maria Marten – Delphine Laniesse
William Corder – Giuliano Didio
Mrs Anne Marten – Anastasia Diatlova
George Marten & John Baalham – Todd Elliott
Hannah Fandango & Mary Moore – Gabriella Antignani
Servants – Anastasia Diatlova & Delphine Laniesse
THE CAPTIVE
– written by Édouard Bourdet
– adapted and directed by Matthew Paines
M. de Montcel, a senior civil servant, has been appointed ambassador to Rome. A widower, he wants his daughter Irène to accompany him, perhaps to distract suspicion from his stylish secretary, Madame de Vallon. Still single at 25, the lovely Irène refuses to leave Paris – or her new friends, the dashing M. et Mme d’Aiguines. Irène’s father suspects an affair. To justify her refusal, Irène claims to love Jacques, her cousin, but that he hasn’t yet declared his love. De Montcel decides to talk to Jacques. Distraught, Irène calls Jacques, reveals her lie and asks him to be her accomplice. She begs him to marry her. Jacques accepts, knowing full well that not only is such a marriage doomed to failure, but also it risks his relationship with the gorgeous Mme. Meillant. But what secret is Irène hiding? Who has imprisoned her heart, and can she escape captivity? And what’s with the violets?
Written as La Prisonnière in 1926 by Édouard Bourdet, the melodrama’s Broadway debut three years later saw the cast arrested by the NYPD (including Sir Basil Rathbone, the first Sherlock Holmes) due to allegations of ‘indecency’, ‘turpitude’, and ‘affront to American womanhood’. Sales of violets were also suppressed until as late as 1934. Expect much French farcical comings and goings, swooning ladies and dastardly womanizers, and back-of-hand-to-forehead poignancy, in a tale worthy of Minna Canth week. Violets available from the foyer café.
CAST
Mlle Irene de Montcel – Alisa Marttinen
M. de Montcel – Kent Tankersley
M. Jacques Virieu – Paul McGuire
M. d’Aiguines – Matthew Paines
Mme Françoise Meillant – Mira Montell
PRESENTED BY: The Finn-Brit Players
SHOW DATES
- Thurs 20 March 2025 at 7 pm
- Fri 21 March 2025 at 7 pm
- Sat 22 March 2025 at 7 pm
- Sun 23 March 2025 at 5 pm
DURATION: 1 hour and 45 minutes (inc. a 15-minute intermission)
AGE REC: 13+
20€ – standard
16€ – students, retired, unemployed
16€ – FBP, FINNBRIT, SHT & Internations members
SCHEDULE
The doors will open 30 minutes before the start. Please arrive in good time – due to the setup of the stage, latecomers cannot be admitted.
IMAGE CREDITS:
Honoré Daumier (from an old painting, ‘Melodrama‘)
Zach Chamberlaine (from an old artwork, the Red Barn)
Matthew Paines (an AI-generated image)