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- 152 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
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Mephisto (A Rhapsody)
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About This Book
In the town of Balbek the far right are about to seize power. At the local theatre, Aymeric dreams of celebrity; Lucas longs for a liberal revolution; Michael is seduced by the extremists; Juliette Demba is in fear for her life. As this political earthquake ripples through the town, Aymeric must make his choice: resist the forces of hatred or harness them for his own success. Based on the real life story of Gustaf GrĆ¼ndgens, whose dreams of fame led him to betray everything, and at the peak of his career, perform Faust for Hitler, Mephisto [A Rhapsody] is a searing contemporary response to Klaus Mann's banned, and fiercely political cult novel. Samuel Gallet's urgent new play asks: what would you sacrifice to do the right thing?
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Yes, you can access Mephisto (A Rhapsody) by Samuel Gallet, Chris Campbell in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Political Ideologies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
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PART ONE
A LONG WAY FROM THE BIG CITY
LUCA: When I was a student
We had this political science teacher
Heād come in
And take his lessons
And there was the odd time
When we were doing the history of twentieth-century revolutions
Heād go quiet
And weād just sit there
And after a long pause
Heād say
With a note of embarrassment
āThey expect a lot from us
People always had hope for those who would come after them
All those people who failed, well theyāre watching us now
And hoping we wonāt let it all slide back into darkness this time.ā
For a long time I felt that gaze on me like a weight of guilt
All the dead there watching me
Those whoād fought
And been destroyed by the Leviathan
They were watching me and it felt like I was being found wanting
Judged in the dock
And I used to think
I canāt do this
And I was ashamed
But then we learned to live together
The dead and me
They were still there
But they stopped judging me
They urged me gently on
Sometimes whispering in my ear not to give up
And I tried again and again not to disappoint their expectations
And to keep the possibility of a different kind of history alive
And heās always there in my memory, ageless, in a corner, in his chair
Saying nothing
Embarrassed
Just sometimes raising his head
To mumble
āIf the enemy triumphs even the dead wonāt be safeā
1.
Balbek, a small provincial town somewhere out in the regions.
A theatre. In the theatre bar, EVA, AYMERIC and LUCA drinking.
Off to one side, MICHAEL looks out into the night.
Enthusiastic applause off.
AYMERIC: Four bows.
EVA: Itās all rubbish.
AYMERIC: Iām jealous.
EVA: No one comes to see anything good anymore.
AYMERIC: I want a pay rise.
EVA: We have to cast names.
AYMERIC: I canāt stand these provincial holes.
EVA: People only care about fame, power and money.
AYMERIC: I donāt blame them.
EVA: I was at a meeting with Juliettete Demba yesterday. She was giving a talk. Doing the deep and serious voice she goes, āTheatre. There is only the theatre. Everything for the theatre.ā And everyone thought it was just great.
AYMERIC: Theatre. There is only the theatre. Everything for the theatre.
EVA: Yes, it doesnāt work when you say it. How can I give you a pay rise?
AYMERIC: Fifth bow.
EVA: Stick a star name in it and they come swarming in like flies.
LUCA: It is possible to be famous and talented surely?
AYMERIC: I want to be paid like Juliettete Demba.
EVA: Does your name sell tickets? And Iām not talking about your unemployed mates from drama school who can barely keep their heads above water.
LUCA: I really like Juliettete Demba. Her voice, her presence.
MICHAEL: Sheās a foreigner.
LUCA: Sheās great.
MICHAEL: Just because sheās black.
EVA: Michael, please donāt start on that again.
Exit MICHAEL.
The show comes down. Lots of people. The audience spilling out of the theatre.
JULIETTEte DEMBA enters.
JULIETTETE: Darlings! Hello!
EVA: Juliettete, will you have a drink with us?
JULIETTETE: I have to go, I have a date.
AYMERIC: Iām sorry Juliettete, but I simply canāt let you go until I tell you how very much I appreciate your work.
JULIETTETE: You werenāt in, Aymeric.
AYMERIC: Excuse me?
JULIETTETE: You didnāt see the show.
AYMERIC: I was in the front row. I couldnāt take my eyes off you.
JULIETTETE: And now heās lying to my face. He lies like itās true.
AYMERIC: You were fantastic tonight, Juliette. I know that. Sometimes Iād like to be the only person doing theatre. All the people who make up the theatre, all the other actors, all the other actresses, I wish theyād all just die, disappear from the face of the earth and leave me centre stage in the spotlight on my own. Do you know what I mean?
JULIETTETE: Of course. I think all actors have that. See you later.
She exits.
AYMERIC goes back...
Table of contents
- Front Cover
- Half-Title Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- PART ONE: A LONG WAY FROM THE BIG CITY
- PART TWO: LOVE AND POLITICS
- PART THREE: LAST DAYS IN BALBEK
- PART FOUR: ASCENSION
- PART FIVE: THE DEAL
- PART SIX: ELSINORE