OBSERVER: Roses to Poison
Melbourne French Theatre presents a rehearsed and costumed reading of From Roses to Poison/Après les Roses, le Poison, from April 30 to May 3 at La Maison de Maitre Building, 203-205 Canning St, Carlton.
Written by Marijke Eysbertse-van Schaik, directed by Donald McManus and produced by Michael (Michel) Bula, the story tells of the French Emperor Napoleon I having been defeated at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 and his exile to St Helena – an island in the south of the Atlantic Ocean.
William Balcombe, Superintendent of the East India Company of the island, agrees to the Emperor’s request for a temporary stay at his home, The Briars.
Elder daughter Jane soon starts giving Napoleon English lessons. After initial misgivings, her uninhibited younger sister, Betsy, falls for the charms of the suave imperial visitor and his French entourage.
Everything takes a turn for the worse with the arrival on St Helena of Sir Hudson Lowe, the New Governor.
The Emperor receives orders to depart immediately for Longwood, where he is to be guarded around the clock by 3000 British soldiers.
There, the suspicious deaths, escape plans and dangerous liaisons remain shrouded in mystery to this day.
Audiences will relive the last period of Napoleon’s life in exile on St Helena and the fascinating Australian link where the Balcombes established the Briars in Mt Martha.
Presented in French with English surtitles.
Performance Season: April 30 – May 3
Venue: La Maison de Maitre Building, 203-205 Canning St, Carlton (Cnr Neill St)
Bookings: melbournefrenchtheatre.org.au
Cheryl Threadgold