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Ne Quittez Pas: A Reimagined La Voix humaine...This site-specific production begins with an intimate performance of French art songs, followed by one of opera's most powerful monodramas, La voix humaine, in which a lonely woman lays bare the heartbreak of unrequited love. This reimagined staging brings new perspective to a work once described by Poulenc himself as “a musical confession.”
That familiar, rapidly aging, unnamed rock club that has definitely seen better days but could possibly yield a memory worth saving.
The Prologue
The show has ended. The owner attempts to close down the venue for the evening and begs the pianist to find new songs for one of his stars. He leaves into the night. The pianist stays behind. He makes a phone call but has second thoughts. He decides to practice a new piece. Someone starts knocking on the outside door: it is Paul, Elizabeth (Lise) and a young man. Paul and Lise are siblings—and have seemingly encountered this young man out in the city. They coax him into the club, immediately make themselves at home and beg the man and pianist to begin performing. Once he agrees—they commence a dangerous game. It begins simply: The pianist and the young man must act according to Paul and Lise's every whim. The group plays, they move, they recite...as the “Game” quickly becomes dangerous and holds unexpected consequences for all…?
La voix humaine
A woman enters, searching, having waited all night. She sees belongings left behind. She sees sheet music on the piano. She finds the pianist's keys. She dials a number. Hangs up. She prepares to leave and the phone rings. It's a wrong number. She hears the phone ring again and picks up. It's him. She begins a pivotal conversation with her lover...?
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