The Ladies of the Camellias

Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse were two of the great stage actresses of the late 19th century. Not surprisingly, in addition to their legendary talent, these superstars had a legendary rivalry, playing many of the same roles in major productions, often within days of each other. Yet they rarely if ever actually met – there are very few known instances of their being in the same room. The fascinating fact that their lives and careers were greatly “entangled from a distance” allows playwright Lillian Groag to indulge in a bit of fantasy and whimsy. What if… both divas played Camille (the “Lady of the Camellias”), each in their own unique style, on back-to-back evenings in Ms. Bernhardt’s own theater? And then… what if they are both held captive by a radical anarchist trying to free a couple of his cohorts from prison? From here, things spiral crazily out of control in this wild, imaginative farce.