“Therese Raquin”
by Helen Edmundson
![Keira-Knightleybway2015[1]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/theatregold.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Keira-Knightleybway20151.jpg)
A quiet young woman with a restless spirit, Thérèse (Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and Olivier nominee Keira Knightley) submits to a loveless life at the side of her weak and selfish husband… until she meets his childhood friend Laurent. Consumed by their desire for each other, Thérèse and Laurent dream of the day they can finally be together. When their overwhelming passion spins violently out of control, they realize that love can be a dangerous game, and sometimes there is no winner.
Roundabout Theatre Company
Previews Oct 01, 2015
Opening Night Oct 29, 2015
Closing Jan 03, 2016
Reviews !
Cast
Keira Knightley
| Gabriel Ebert | Camille Raquin | |
| Keira Knightley Broadway debut |
Thérèse Raquin | |
| Judith Light | Madame Raquin | |
| Matt Ryan | Laurent | |
| David Patrick Kelly | Superintendent Michaud | |
| Jeff Still | Monsieur Grivet | |
| Mary Wiseman Broadway debut |
Suzanne | |
| Glynis Bell | Priest | |
| Wedding Guest | ||
| Attendant | ||
| Alex Mickiewicz Broadway debut |
Priest | |
| Wedding Guest | ||
| Attendant | ||
| Sara Topham | Priest | |
| Wedding Guest | ||
| Attendant | ||
| Ray Virta | Priest | |
| Wedding Guest | ||
| Attendant |
| Understudies: Glynis Bell (Madame Raquin), Alex Mickiewicz (Camille Raquin, Laurent), Sara Topham (Thérèse Raquin) and Ray Virta (Monsieur Grivet, Superintendent Michaud) |
Based on and adapted from the 19th Century Emile Zola novel Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman trapped in a life of servitude and the desperate measures she will undertake to free herself from her circumstances. Forced by her adoptive mother and aunt to marry her sickly cousin, Camille, Thérèse lives an unhappy and resentful life. When Camille moves the family to Paris Thérèse is doomed to a life of servitude and unhappiness working in her Aunts downstairs haberdashery. When one day Camille brings Laurent, a friend, to visit he unwittingly sets in motion a series of cruel and devastating events that will ruin all their lives.
Characters
Thérèse Raquin The wife of Camille and the orphaned daughter of Madame Raquin’s brother and an unknown African woman, early 20s
Camille Raquin Thérèse’s husband and first cousin, works as a clerk at the Orléans Railroad Company with Laurent and Grivet, mid to late 20s
Madame Raquin Camille’s mother and Thérèse’s aunt. She works as a shopkeeper in a haberdashery shop to support the family, late 40s early 50s
Laurent A childhood friend and co-worker of Camille who seduces Thérèse, about the same age as Camille
Michaud An ex-police commissioner and friend of Madame Raquin, early 60s
Suzanne Michaud’s niece, 16 years old
Grivet An employee of the Orléans Railroad Company, where Camille works, mid 30s
Setting
This production is set in the original context of Zola’s novel, 1860s, Paris, France. Much of the play is set in the Raquin’s small apartment above their haberdashery shop in the Passage du Pont Neuf (see below). This setting has important implications for the actors in creating and performing their characters. The political, social and cultural aspects of European society of that time meant that gender roles were more defined, language was more formal and these impacted on family and social behaviours. Further, the fashion of the 1860s strongly modified women’s movements.
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