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Madame Melville

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 2m

Richard Nelson

Set in 1966 in a soon-to-be-exploding Paris, Madame Melville is the intimate story of Carl, a fifteen-year-old American, and his teacher, the beautiful Claudie Melville.

Published in the volume Richard Nelson: Plays 2: Three Plays of Adolescence, containing Madame Melville, Goodnight Children Everywhere and Franny's Way.

Madame Melville

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 2m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Period
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Over a night and day, Carl, a 150-year old American, discovers an unimagined world where beauty, loneliness, love, sex and art are one.

History

The play premiered at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, in October 2000 with Macaulay Culkin and Irene Jacob as Carl and Claudie.

Keywords

M2 (15, 40s)
F2 (30s)

  • Time Period 1960s
  • Setting

    An apartment living-room

  • Features Period Costumes

Media

"You become suddenly aware that you are in the presence of something rare and special." - The Daily Telegraph

"Short, sweet and extravagantly sentimental play..." - The New York Times

"'Madame Melville' may wind up melting even those determined to withstand its misty-eyed sensibility." - The New York Times

"Mr. Nelson revels in and shrewdly manipulates the conventions of the memory play in ways that are hard to resist." - The New York Times

"Nelson... writes with observant wit." - The Guardian

"Nelson has pinned down with exact compassion what happens when two worlds collide." - The Guardian

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
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Authors

Richard Nelson

Richard Nelson

Richard Nelson's plays include The Gabriel Plays (Women Of A Certain Age, What Did You Expect?, Hungry), Oblivion, Nikolai And The Others, The Apple Family Plays (That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet And Sad, Regular Singing), Farewell To The Theatre, Conversations In Tusculum, Fr ...

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