Camille

Synopsis

Anyone who can pay the price can have Marguerite Gautier's body; but no-one can have her heart. Then, on a night when her life of expensive passion shatters with the first signs of a fatal illness, a handsome young Parisian catches sight of her across a crowded theatre. When they meet, a mutual obsession is ignited - one that tears both their worlds apart. Please note this show may contain adult language and nudity.

Our Review:

12 March 2003

Prostitution has been around almost as long as sex has; and the theatre - ever fascinated by sex - has long been attracted to providing portraits of the ladies (as well as occasionally gentlemen) of the night who live by selling it, from plays like Mrs Warren's Profession to musicals like Sweet Charity.

The scandalous autobiographical 1848 novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, La Dame Aux Camellias, has provided the inspiration for numerous plays, films and even an opera on the subject.

But as Dumas' story reaches the stage once again, Lyric Hammersmith artistic director Neil Bartlett, who has adapted this new version, reminds us: "It is one of those stories that people think they know even if they don't", and goes on: "Too often, when it is retold, the myth obscures the social reality. To put it bluntly, it is perfectly possible to watch the Garbo film or to listen to La Traviata without knowing that anyone in it is either a prostitute or a prostit...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.66.182.83) - 21 May 2003:

I agree with the review of this production by Mark Shenton. It is slow and not helped by the bare staging. However, I did consider the performance by Elliot Cowan to be above average and in fact stronger than that of Nardini. Can somebody tell me how anybody that well-built can die of consumption and why did nobody give her a wig, if they were going to dress her up in period costume? I cannot help there are actresses as beautiful but better built for the part and who have better projection than her....

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