Adaptation for Audio Production This free download is provided on the understanding and agreement that the script is for personal use only and may not be copied, distributed and / or performed unless written permission is granted by Evcol Entertainment. All rights reserved by the author. Inspired by ‘La Femme X’ • by Alexandre Bisson • © Simon James Collier 2014 / 2015 – Evcol Entertainment This audio script © Simon James Collier – November - 2017 1 CHARACTER BREAKDOWN: Actor 1: Louis Floriot Begins the play in his early 30’s – ages to early 50’s as we progress... Deputy Attorney General of Paris. Dedicated to his work, a man with steel nerves and unbending will. He is the father of Raymond and husband of Madame X Actor 2: Madame Jacqueline Floriot / Madame X Begins the play as a young wife, trying to be dedicated to her husband and their young son, but finds it increasingly difficult to prove her love to him as he’s focus is work. Absolutely idolises their son, Raymond. Very attractive, but shows signs of wear and tear from when we see her at the beginning of the play to when we are re-introduced to her twenty years later when she returns to Paris with Frederic Laroque after much drug use and the drinking of considerable amounts of liquor to forget about her son, Raymond Actor 3: Florence / Marie [Hotel Maid] Florence: playing age 25 – 30, but ages as the play evolves. Dedicated maid to the Floriot house- hold. Becomes a mother-figure to Raymond as the young boy grows to man-hood – Caucasian – has to age from young to a playing age of mid 40’s through-out the duration of the play Marie: Hotel maid. Playing age 25 – 30, naive, impressionable Actor 4: Madame Varenne Varenne: Sister of Dr. Chennel, who attends Raymond through his illness, treating him like a son Actor 5: Dr. Chennel Chennel: Family friend and Doctor to Louis and Raymond Floriot. Brother to Madame Varenne Actor 6: Noel Sauvrin / Robert Henri Perissard Noel: Friend to Louis Floriot and long-time secret admirer of Madame Jacqueline, so much so that he attempted to take his own life when he knew they could not be together Perissard: Rotund, 40’s, has the look of a respectable banker Actor 7: Frederic Laroque / Court President / Police Commissioner Laroque: Playing age 35 – 40 ish, suave, blackmailer who has returned to Paris to work alongside Merivel & Perissard Police Commissioner, playing age 40 – 50, helps Louis + Noel with initial search for Jacqueline Actor 8: Raymond Floriot Raymond: Son of Louis & Jacqueline, handsome, upstanding, playing age 20+ Actor 9: Monsieur Valmorin Valmorin: Playing age 40 – 50, Public Prosecutor Actor 10: Modiste Hyacinthe Merivel Merivel: Blackmailer, younger business partner to Perissard. Inspired by ‘La Femme X’ • by Alexandre Bisson • © Simon James Collier 2014 / 2015 – Evcol Entertainment This audio script © Simon James Collier – November - 2017 2 SYNOPSIS: 1928. France. A young woman is thrown onto the streets by her jealous husband when he discovers she has been having an affair. Forbidden from seeing her beloved young son, and with neither money nor friends, she sinks into depravity. Twenty years later, she has become the mistress of Frederic Laroque, a small-time criminal. When he discovers that her husband is now the Attorney General, Laroque decides to blackmail him… Original MADAME X – Creative Team Adapted from the play ‘La Femme X’ by Alexandre Bisson Written & Produced by Simon James Collier Directed & Staged by Omar F. Okai Production Companies | Evcol Entertainment for Okai Collier Company Ltd Associate Producer | Rory Fairbairn Set Design | Martin McLeod Costume | Christina Pomeroy Lighting Design | Michael Edwards Sound Design | James Corner Graphic Design | Adam Dechanel Production Photography | Michael Brydon Operator | Helen Elliott MADAME X – Cast – Audio Production Frederic Laroque / Police Commissioner | Marcus Churchill Florence / Marie [Hotel Maid] | Sophie Dean Madame Jacqueline Floriot / Madame X | Sarah Flower Noel Sauvrin / Robert Henri Perissard | Mitch Howell Raymond Floriot | James McClelland Monsieur Valmorin | David McKechnie Modiste Hyacinthe Merivel | Jim Newman Madame Varenne | Roli Okorodudu Dr. Chennel | Mark Stewart Louis Floriot | Richard Warrick Inspired by ‘La Femme X’ • by Alexandre Bisson • © Simon James Collier 2014 / 2015 – Evcol Entertainment This audio script © Simon James Collier – November - 2017 3 Review Highlights for the theatrical production at The Jack Studio Theatre, London Review of MADAME X at the Jack Studio Theatre – LondonTheatre1 ★★★★ June 26, 2015 by Terry Eastham A mother’s love is possibly the most powerful force in the world. American essayist, Washington Irving is quoted as saying ‘A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother’s love endures through all.’ This is the ultimate truth that is at the heart of Simon James Collier’s mesmerising play “Madame X” at the Brockley Jack. Madame Jacqueline Floriot (Chloe Fontaine) is an unhappy and bored woman. She is married to a lawyer by the name of Louis (Matthew Swann) who has ambitions for high public office. As he rises through the ranks, she is often left alone to be taken out and entertained by a mutual friend. Given these circumstances it’s not that surprising that these social outings become more intense leading to her taking the friend as her lover. When Louis finds out, he throws Jacqueline out on the Parisian streets without a bean and more importantly without having the opportunity to say goodbye to their young son Raymond (Corbin Joss Furstenburg) who is basically left in the care of the Floriot’s Housekeeper Florence (Alexandra Reynolds). Louis Floriot is alone and over the years comes to realise that he has made a mistake and that he is still in love with his unfaithful wife – something he confides to his close friend Madame Varenne (Maud Madlyn) – and tries everything in his power to find her. Meanwhile, Jacqueline herself has become the mistress of a small-time villain, Frederic Laroque (Anthony Palmer), a man who does not let his heart rule his head and is looking to break into the big time of villainy. Frederic is working with the evil Robert Henry Perissard (Rory Fairbairn) and creepy Modiste Merivel (J B Newman) to blackmail Jacqueline’s former husband and when she finds out about the plan, Jacqueline goes mad with worry. Whilst not that worried about her husband, Jacqueline is determined to protect her, now fully grown, son from the shame and humiliation that blackmail would entail and takes rash action leading to her meeting with the Police Commissioner (Mario Frendo) and an unexpected meeting with her estranged family. Based on the original 1908 French play ‘La Femme X’ by Alexandre Bisson, playwright Simon James Collier has put together a dark – almost film noir – version of this story of a mother’s love in “Madame X”. The first act is long but extremely effective in introducing and setting up the characters and situations that really explode into action in Act II as the repercussions of Jacqueline’s actions from the end of Act I really take effect on everyone else. I am really going to single out Chloe Fontaine for her performance as Jacqueline at this point. She really brought the character to life and delivered a standout emotionally charged performance that had me hanging on her every word and action. Similarly, Corbin Joss Furstenberg impassioned courtroom oratory was full of the passion and power of a man born to be an advocate and determined to win his case. The rest of the cast were equally as talented, indeed Merivel as portrayed by J B Newman still sends shivers down my spine. Director Omar F. Okai uses the stage space at the Brockley Jack beautifully and the set by Martin McLeod was wonderfully flexible as well as appropriately classical in appearance. James Corner’s sound design worked very well most of the time – particularly the use of Edith Piaf’s ‘Padam, Padam’ to illustrate Jacqueline’s life after she was dumped by her husband – but I did think that the music in the final scene was unnecessary and distracted a little. This is my only quibble with the whole production which really goes to show how good the show was overall. “Madame X” starts slowly and gently draws the audience into the story so that before they know it, they are completely hooked on this tale of a mother’s love. My companion and I had quite a lively discussion during the interval of where the play was heading but neither of us foresaw the emotional juggernaut of a trip that the second act was going to take us on as to quote Robert Browning ‘Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.’ Inspired by ‘La Femme X’ • by Alexandre Bisson • © Simon James Collier 2014 / 2015 – Evcol Entertainment This audio script © Simon James Collier – November - 2017 4 ★★★★ Female Arts Review of ‘Madame X’ From the moment the dulcet mournful trumpet lingers in the air, the audience is transported to post-war France. Inspired by the original play La Femme X by Alexandre Bisson, Simon James Collier’s interpretation of Madame X takes the outward trappings of film-noir and creates a world where someone like Nora in A Doll’s House has made different choices and deals with the ramifications of them. 1928: Louis Floriot (Mathew Swann), a young hardworking lawyer who spends most of his time in the office, comes home to his wife Jacqueline (Chloe Fontaine) in the arms of another man... She flees, but her son Raymond is left behind... A few years later, she returns to see her son after he suffers a life- threatening illness, but is refused access by her husband.