Audience Guide music theatre 2012-2013 Our 54th Season Edith Piaf - France’s Greatest Singer Issue 3, January/February 2013 Piaf! Her name is legendary. Her voice is She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion IN THIS ISSUE unmistakable. She is a cultural icon in 1915 in Paris. Her father, Louis universally regarded as France’s great- Alphonse Gassion, a traveling street est singer and its most recognized inter- acrobat, was rarely at home. Her mother, national star. Her remarkable life was Anita Maillard, of French, Italian and filled with love, triumph and tragedy. Her Moroccan heritage, was pre-occupied poignant and heartbreaking story is told with her career as a singer on the local in her songs. When she sang Non, Je cabaret circuit. It was not surprising that Ne Regrette Rien (No Regrets), Piaf de- Édith’s childhood was lonely. fied anyone to pity her. In her book NO REGRETS: THE LIFE OF EDITH PIAF, The family's fortunes deteriorated during Carolyn Burke calls her “the singer who the first World War when Louis Alphonse reached across social, linguistic and left to serve at the front and Anita was national divides to voice the emotions of forced to earn her living singing on street ordinary people.” corners. When Louis Alphonse returned from the war two years later, he sent his Her life was one of sharp contrasts: the daughter to Normandy to be raised by range of her fame as opposed to her her paternal grandmother, Maman Tine tragic personal life, and her small fragile who ran a brothel near Rouen. figure on stage contrasting with the resounding power of her voice. Piaf While these were the happiest years of embraced life passionately, even at its Edith’s childhood, they were also mixed cruelest; as long as she could express it with sadness. She developed acute in her songs she felt the suffering was keratitis, an inflammation of the cornea, worth it. Her music reflected her determi- which made her temporarily blind from nation in the face of tragedy with songs the ages of three to seven. The story is like La Vie en rose (1946), Hymne à that Maman Tine shut down the brothel l'amour (1949), L'Accordéoniste (1955), La for a day so the "girls" (who doted on Foule (1957), Milord (1959) Padam (1951) Edith) could take her to Lisieux where and Non, je ne regrette rien (1960). they prayed to St. Thérèse. Ten days later Piaf's blindness was cured. Most Sponsored by When Piaf died in 1963, although forbid- likely, the passage of time and the drops The Schoenleber Foundation den a Mass by the Roman Catholic arch- the doctor put in Edith's eyes cured her. bishop of Paris because of her lifestyle, But Piaf was never adverse to using the Enlighten is funded in part by her funeral procession drew hundreds of “miracle” story. thousands of mourners onto the streets of Paris and the ceremony at the ceme- Edith returned to Paris as a young girl to tery was jammed with more than forty live with her father, who incorporated her thousand fans. Singer Charles Aznavour into his street act. The father and daugh- recalled that Piaf's funeral procession ter team toured the country together for was the first time since the end of World several years, earning their living in the War II that Parisian traffic came to a streets. After he performed, Edith would- complete stop. pass the hat around the crowd. But soon Her life has been the subject of many films and plays, most recently LA VIE EN AUDIENCE GUIDE ROSE in 2007. The film stars Marion Research/Writing by Justine Leonard Cotillard in the role that won her the and Education Intern Andrew Groble Academy Award for Best Actress as Piaf. for ENLIGHTEN, Numerous songs by Piaf are used in Skylight Music Theatre’s movies such as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, Education Program INCEPTION, BABE:PIG IN THE CITY and the animated film, MADAGASCAR 3. Edited by Ray Jivoff 414-299-4965 [email protected] There is a museum dedicated to Piaf, www.skylightmusictheatre.org the Musée Édith Piaf at 5, rue Crespin du Gast, 75011, Paris. See the guide online at www.skylightmusictheatre.org Edith Piaf (1915-1963) edith piaf on stage was Simone who passed the hat while Edith sang. In spite of her scruffy street urchin appearance, Edith proved extremely popular; her amazingly expressive voice moved even the most impassive listener. In 1932, Edith fell in love with Louis Dupont, a local delivery boy. Dupont moved in with Edith and Simone, but was never happy with the idea of Edith roaming the streets. He persuaded her to take jobs he found for her but she resisted whenever possible, until she be- Edith and Simone Berteaut came pregnant. At age 17, Piaf had her only child, a girl named Marcelle. Yet, just as Piaf's career was on the point of taking off, tragedy struck. Leplée Raising the child in a small apartment was murdered in his home and Piaf, Edith, age 4 with barely enough money to pay the and many of Leplée’s Pigalle underworld rent was hard, but Edith made a serious connections, were called in for question- Edith discovered that she had a powerful effort to be a good mother even though ing. The French press had a field day singing voice that could mesmerize an she had little maternal instinct nor do- with the story but it turned out that audience and left her father to begin her mestic ability. Leplée had been killed by mobsters with own singing career. previous ties to Piaf. Before long, she returned to street When she was 15, she met Simone singing and Marcelle was often left A barrage of negative media attention Berteaut, who became her lifelong com- alone. Edith was devastated when Mar- now threatened her career. To rehabili- panion and partner in mischief. Soon, it celle died of meningitis just after her sec- tate her image, she recruited composer- ond birthday. Shortly after Marcelle's Raymond Asso, with whom she would death in 1935, Edith was performing her become romantically involved. He act on a street corner in Pigalle (the changed her stage name to "Édith Piaf," neighborhood's raunchy reputation led to barred undesirable acquaintances from its World War II nickname of "Pig Alley" seeing her and commissioned Monnot to by Allied soldiers) when Louis Leplée, write songs that reflected Piaf's previous the director of a cabaret on the Champs life on the streets. Elysées happened to walk by. He was bowled over by the young singer's voice Asso persuaded the director of the ABC, and offered her a job in his club, Le one of the most famous Paris venues of Gerny, which was frequented by the the day, to sign Piaf as a supporting upper and lower classes alike. It was artist. When the 23-year-old Piaf took to Leplée who invented Edith's famous the stage she brought down the house, stage name, La Môme Piaf, which in earning as much applause as the head- street slang meant little sparrow. lining stars. That same year Piaf would Leplée taught her the basics of stage presence and told her to wear a simple Advertisements for Piaf’s mother, profession- black dress, which became her ally known as Line Marsa (above) and father, billed as “The man who walks upside down.” trademark costume. While Edith Piaf might have appeared tiny and fragile, when she performed on stage, she w exerted an extraordinary power over her audience with her raw, emotional vocals. Leplée ran an intense publicity campaign leading up to her opening night and the unknown street singer was an immediate hit with chic Paris audiences who flocked to the Champs Elysées to hear La Môme Piaf sing. Encouraged by this overnight Édith success, Piaf recorded her first single, sang, it Les Mômes de la Cloche, penned by Marguerite Monnot, a collaborator throughout Piaf's life. “Miss Edith, Vocal Phenomenon,” age 8. edith piaf on stage also launch a film career, starring in fame in France and she began using her Jean Limur's film LA GARÇONNE. A few celebrity to help launch the careers of months later, Piaf appeared at the up-and-coming artists. Bobino, another famous Paris venue, now as the headlining act. She discovered Yves Montand in Paris, made him part of her act and became In 1940, Piaf met French actor Paul his mentor and lover. In 1945 Piaf and Meurisse. The couple's passionate rela- Montand formed a famous double act in tionship lasted two years with Meurisse Marcel Blistène’s film ETOILE SANS acting as a kind of Pygmalion figure in LUMIÈRE. When he became one of the Piaf's life, educating her about French most famous singers in France and culture and teaching her how to behave almost as popular as Piaf, she broke off in society. Soon the singer was the their relationship. darling of Paris' intellectual elite, becoming a close friend of Jean La vie en rose, her signature song, was Cocteau, the famous French playwright written by Piaf in 1945 with the melody and film director. Cocteau wrote a play composed Louis Guglielmi, known as especially for Piaf and Meurisse, LE BEL Louiguy. Encouraged by its phenomenal INDIFFÉRENT, which revealed the full success, Piaf would write 80 more of her Piaf and Marguerite Monnot extent of Piaf’s acting talent. It proved to own songs during her career. be the hit of the season. Azores Islands.