Guests of the Fête, dancers from the Opera, King's guardsmen, monks, clowns, pages, milliners, sentries, lackeys, footmen, King's Secret Police, Sans-Culottes, a mock king, a mock herald, a drunken patriot, a cocoa vendor, Federals, National Guards, Tricoteuses .
The Milliner's shop in the rue St. Honoré. Paris.
Jeanette trims hats.
(One month later.) Jeanette's Apartments, adjoining the Gambling Rooms of the Marquise de Quesnoy ("La Gourdan").
"The game called destiny."
(A year later.) Du Barry holds a Petit-Levée in the Palace of Versailles — at noon.
"The doll of the world."
SCENE 1. In the Royal Gardens. Before the dawn of the following morning.
"Folly, Queen of France."
SCENE 2. Within the tent.
"The heart of the woman."
(A lapse of years.) During the Revolution.
SCENE 1. The Retreat in the woods of Louveciennes.
"Fate creeps in at the door."
SCENE 2. (Five days later.) In Paris again.
"A reed shaken in the wind."
SCENE 3. In front of the Milliner's Shop on the same day.
"Once more we pass this way again,
Once more! 'Tis where at first we met."
TIME. Period of Louis XV., and after the reign of his successor.
PLACE. Paris, Versailles and Louveciennes.
The entire production under the personal supervision of Mr. Belasco.
Scenery by Ernest Gros.
Stage decorations and accessories after designs by Wilfred Buckland.
SCENE: A Milliner's shop in Rue Saint Honoré .
Mademoiselle Jeanette trims hats .
The famous shop, owned by Madame Labille, but conducted in the name of her husband, stood on the rue Saint Honoré, at the corner of the rue Neuf-des-Petits-Champs ( since made world famous by Thackeray's "Ballad of Bouillabaise" ).
The shop windows opening on the street ( but at the back of the scene ) are decorated with plumes, hats and flowers. In the main room, a counter stands at one side, over which are sold ribbons, silks, buckles, high-heeled slippers, sword-knots and corsets. A counter on the opposite side, with tall seats behind it, ends in a business-like desk. Cupboards for hats and flowers are within easy reach of this counter .
Glass doors lead to the work-room in which, from time to time, we see young girls sewing, snipping and shaping flowers .
An armchair, standing beside an inviting sofa, is set at the back for the customers .
Other doors lead to the porters cupboard and the mirror room .
And here, in Labille's shop, trimming bouquets and snipping out leaves, is one Jeanette Vaubernier — to be known later as La du Barry, the mistress of a king; but at present not dreaming of the destiny awaiting her .
As the curtain rises, a hurdy-gurdy is played outside in the street to put us in the mood of the days when Louis XV was ruler of France .
Madame Hortense is seated looking over a sheet of figures. She is about 45 years old, stout, palpably laced and my much made up. Juliette and Nichette are decorating the shop windows; Juliette is handing hats to Nichette, who places them on view to tempt the passer-by. Leonie, behind the counter, is making a poppy. Two other girls, seated at a little table near the work-room steps, are sliding ribbons through buckles. Denys, the porter who remains Jeanette's friend to the very end of her life, a tall, impassive man of about 35, is in the street polishing the shop windows .
The girls in the work-room are chattering, and one of them is singing as the curtain goes up .
( Jeanette shrugs her shoulders and goes off for a bite of luncheon .)
( Cries of "Help!" "Thief!" are heard outside; and the clatter of footsteps running round the corner. Jeanette's father has found a fresh victim .)
( She picks up a calèche, borrowed as usual from the stock, and begins to tuck in her curls .)
( The girls come running in, putting on their hats .)
( Goes off, fanning herself .)
( Hortense, exhausted from running about, sits in a chair, her hat awry, panting. Denys stands looking at the pile of boxes .)
SCENE: As Mademoiselle Jeanette never went back to Labille's after she ran out to see the King pass by, her attic room has given way to a luxurious salon with silken walls and draperies. A gilded clock, supported by chubby Cupids, stands over the fireplace and ticks away the feverish hours in La Gourdan's gambling house .
A table with a chair is near the fireplace so that a gallant may have a glass of wine with his dreams or to console himself for his losses .
A gaily painted piano adorns the scene; and below it is a seat on which a pair of lovers can sit — and no doubt do — to whisper sweet nothings .
A little desk ( handy when one wishes to answer a love letter ) is placed against the wall and near it is a sofa with soft cushions. Violets are scattered about the room which is lighted by candles .
Doors lead to Jeanette's bedroom, to the hall and of course to the card-tables .
A panel ( in reality a door ) is set in the wall at back. It has a device by which one outside may peep in and one already in the room may peep out .
The rich rugs, the gilded carvings, — in fact, the entire surroundings, — show that the little milliner of the rue St. Honoré has taken a step up ( or down ) in the world. But while she is given every luxury, the sole purpose of her stay is to entertain rich men, gentlemen of rank, dandies of the day, who come in for a game of cards; in fact, the Duc de Richelieu himself ( Marshal of France and son of the distinguished Cardinal ) is about to drop in soon after the curtain rises: we might say that even now he is in the wings, awaiting his cue .
As the curtain goes up, Jean du Barry enters to find the old Marquise already in the room .
Madame la Comtesse du Barry holds a petit levée in the Palace of Versailles at noon .
SCENE: At a glance, one recognizes the room as a beautiful bedchamber occupied by a great lady of a frivolous turn of mind. The richness of the peignoir thrown carelessly over a chair, the splendid buckles on the high-heeled slippers lying on the floor, the drawn curtains at this late hour of the morning — all proclaim the fact that a lady of fashion has not roused herself to the dull cares of the day .
An entrance at the back lets in or keeps out those who would pay court to the acknowledged favorite of His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XV. And here, in bed, we find Jeanette, the milliner, — now Madame la Comtesse du Barry, wife of the drunken and exiled brother of Jean, the gambler, sitting up in the midst of furs, lace flounces, silken sheets, pillows boasting embroidered crowns — in fact, all the kickshaws of the period .
Madame la Comtesse du Barry wears jewels and a wonderful night-robe, and resembles nothing so much as a doll sitting up in state at a child's party. Above her head, Cupids smile down, and above the Cupids is a high gilded cornice holding soft draperies cunningly caught back at the sides to allow an unobstructed view of the lady in the bed .
A candelabrum is placed on a table at the foot of the couch and a little night-table, held up by fat-legged Cupids, stands beside the bed .
Luxurious chairs and beautiful rugs grace the scene .
Here, during the morning reception in bed, comes His Reverence, the Papal Nuncio himself, His Reverence, the Abbé Terray ( Minister of Finance, who loosens his hold on the state purse-strings when Madame du Barry smiles upon him ), His Eminence, the Duke de Richelieu, the Lord Chancellor de Maupeou, and Jean du Barry ( now engaged in the profitable pastime of blackmail ). Here, tradesmen with their novelties and jewels mingle with gallant statesmen and great ladies. It is even said that Her Royal Highness, the little Princess Marie Antoinette, graced the scene in her sixteenth year .
At any rate, she treated Madame du Barry so coldly at Court that the King complained to the Austrian Ambassador who, in turn, complained to the Austrian Queen, Marie Theresa, who ( smelling powder ) complained to her daughter, Marie Antoinette, who promptly received Madame du Barry with gracious smiles — and Austria breathed freely once more .
Louis, the well-beloved, thrust his somewhat rusty sword back in its scabbard and "it was all mighty well."
Her Grace, the Duchesse de Grammont, a great lady of her day, stepped upon the train of Jeanette's gown — and laughed. Her laughter ceased abruptly, however, when she received the King's letter of exile — two years — no less .
Jeanette du Barry, without politics or malice, without love, without reproaches, with very little desire to please the King, appeared upon the scene in the very nick of time. But for two tragic figures in the background, Madame du Barry could never have existed .
The Queen ( now dead ) had been for years a sad and sombre figure. Madame de Pompadour ( Du Barry's predecessor — also gone from the world ) was a politician in petticoats, a slave to the King, the head and heart of a group of brilliant people, and the most tragic figure of her day: for, after having worked tooth and nail for Louis, the well-beloved, she lived to see the little door walled up — the little door connecting the King's apartment with her own. Accepting the situation gracefully, she managed to hold the King until the end by the sheer force of her mentality; but, no doubt, time passed heavily for Louis .
As the curtain is about to rise, we find Du Barry at the height of her power — on the top spit of glory — quite unchanged — the same jovial, good-natured scamp of a milliner .
She is lying on the gilded bed ready for the gossip of the day, always trying to forget Cossé ( and never succeeding ), utterly unconscious that she will be the last love of Louis' life and that one fatal April day will dawn when — but we are ahead of our plot .
We hear some one knocking. Sophie opens the door and admits Lebel, the King's valet .
( The Papal Nuncio passes out, all bowing .)
( Du Barry rises, leaning on Zamore, and gets into bed. During this, a voice in the distance is heard announcing .)
In the Royal Gardens, before the dawn of the following morning .
"Folly, Queen of France."
The King, Du Barry, and the ladies and gentlemen of the Court, are eating and drinking ( unseen ) in a pavilion. The curtains enclosing the pavilion are drawn; but a stream of light shines out into the shadowy gardens. An awning of tapestry is fastened to the trees .
Mingling with laughter in the pavilion, cries of "Pacte de famine" are heard outside the gates to remind His Most Christian Majesty that while he feasts others starve .
In the background, lights twinkle in the Palace .
The curtain rises to a wild dash of bacchanalian music .
Monsieur de Renard, a sentinel, is on duty. Scalo, a big Nubian, is scattering scarlet flowers here and there .
Drums are heard and the King's Guard enters .
( Pirouettes, takes the arms of the roysterers and goes of singing drunkenly .)
( The dance music is faster, louder, and comes to an end amid cries of "Bravo! Bravo!" )
( Brissac has entered and stands immovable. The Kings Guard is stationed out of sight. Lackeys have carried on banquet tables and candles. Four Nubians dash down with lighted torches with sharp ends which they stick into the ground. Pages draw the curtains open and thhe King appears, escorting Du Barry .)
( The Cupids pull the clowns down, aiming arrows at them. The clowns strike grotesque poses of fear and crawl away. The King laughs .)
( The music of the minuet begins. The guests dance .)
Within the Tent .
The King, seated, motions the Nuncio to sit. Jean du Barry stands waiting. By this time he is sober .
( At a signal from the King, attendants retreat with Jean .)
( The King, his mistress and the Nuncio are silent, overcome by the scene .)
After a lapse of years, we find Du Barry living in Louveciennes. Exiled to a convent on the death of the King, forsaken by Jean du Barry, who has run off to Germany ( but continues to black-mail his sister-in-law from a safe distance ), she has as last been permitted to live "ten leagues away from Paris." She settles in Louveciennes where she has remained in peace, quiet, and ease for fifteen years .
As the curtain goes up on the last act, we find that the French Revolution is in full swing. Marie Antoinette and her husband have been beheaded; many of the aristocrats have followed her to the guillotine .
Madame du Barry, owing to her desire to efface herself from the public memory, has now become a sort of tradition, an echo of a King who is no more, a survivor of a time now past. Had she not been cursed by the possession of so many jewels, it is doubtful that she would have met her tragic fate; for, after all, she was a milliner to the end — one of the people .
The last Act, with its three scenes, takes place after a lapse of years, during the Revolution .
"Fate creeps in at the door."
SCENE: A corner of Du Barry's estates at Louveciennes .
We see a corner of the house with a balcony under which violets are growing. In the distance is a wood with a path running through it. A table, with a chair and a footstool near it, is placed on a rug under a silken canopy. The place is shut in and one must enter by an iron gate .
The curtain rises to vesper bells .
Sophie, grown older, her hair streaked with gray, is picking a rose. A young woman enters, a poorly dressed peasant; a barefoot child holds on to her skirt, eating a carrot. Other peasants pass the iron railing and gates on their way to vespers .
Hortense opens the gate and hastens in. She has grown older, — her hair is now white .
Two days and five months later .
SCENE: A room in the Conciergerie .
Now at last we are coming to the end, and find Du Barry in prison, stripped of her luxury. Her possessions consist of a brass-bound trunk, the dress, mantle and hat in which she left Louveciennes, a bottle of ink, a quill pen. Nothing else remains save a ring which will shortly be taken from her .
The furnishings of the room include a cot, a wash-stand with an iron bucket of water, an iron screen, an old candlestick, a stone seat, and a stool .
Outside, through a little door, we see a dreary wall and a strip of dull grey sky .
When this scene comes into view of the audience, the far-away sound of the Marseillaise is heard .
Du Barry, her face very pale, stands clutching the barred window. Marac, an officer of the Gendarmerie, is seated upon a stool behind the screen. After a second's pause, he looks out to watch the prisoner .
The door is suddenly unbolted, a key is turned in the lock, and Citizeness Rosalie, an assistant at the Conciergerie, enters. She is a kindly-faced, strapping woman of about forty, neatly dressed. She has her keys fastened to a small chain about her waist. She places a small bowl of steaming soup on the table .
( Rosalie goes to the door .)
( Du Barry gets her bag, takes a brush and mirror and after brushing back her hair and powdering her face, she sits breathlessly on the stool, waiting .)
( Rosalie opens the door and admits Denisot, Judge of the Criminal Revolutionary Court, followed by Tavernier and Royer. All the men's faces are impassive. Du Barry looks at each one as they come in, trying to detect a ray of hope .)
( She fans herself .)
( Marac sits back of the screen. Rosalie now lets in the Papal Nuncio .)
( Nuncio makes a warning gesture to Cossé .)
( As they start to go out, Nuncio blesses her but she looks at Cossé .)
The same day .
"Once more we pass this way again,
Once more! 'Tis where at first we met."
SCENE: The rue St. Honoré, in front of Labille's shop .
All the other shops in the street are closed .
It is the 8th of December, a dull, gloomy day, at five minutes past four in the afternoon .
Labille and Hortense, both grown older, are in the street outside the shop, waiting to see the tumbril bear Du Barry from the prison to the guillotine. They are in despair, hoping against hope that something may save her. Through the half-closed shutters of the shop, milliners and shop-girls peep out — all looking in one direction .
( Throws her a bunch of violets .)
( Angry shouts from the crowd .)
( He bows .)
( A tricoteuse dances up to the cart. She and three or four others sing "Ça ira", dancing extravagantly .)