134 - SAND, George (1804–1876).

SAND, George (1804–1876). Autograph manuscript, *Jacques*, a two-act play, [1857]; 43 pages, in-4 format, in 2 stapled quires. Unpublished play for the Nohant theater. Note: George Sand’s diary for 1857 reveals that she began writing this “script” on September 14; the play was performed at the Nohant theater on September 22. The action takes place in 1643, at an inn in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The first page lists the seven roles, played by members of the Nohant household, including the actress Marie Lambert from Paris, and the two Luguet children, grandchildren of Marie Dorval: Valérius, a professor of science (the engraver Alexandre Manceau, a companion of G. Sand) ; Louise, her eldest daughter (actress Marie Lambert); Mariette, her second daughter (Marie Luguet, age 13); Jacques, her son (Jacques Luguet, age 11); Lacage, “a schemer and a bandit” (Maurice Sand); Papillon, the innkeeper (the musician Joseph Ancessy, conductor of the Odéon); Pippo, another scoundrel (Jardinet, the nickname of the servant Auguste Lureau). An eighth character was cut: Lucienne, Papillon’s daughter, who was to be played by Marie Caillaud. The plot, for Jacques Luguet’s stage debut, revolves around little Jacques, a sickly but gifted child. A valuable watch was stolen from the inn. Valérius and his family are suspected and threatened with prison; in shock, Jacques drops dead… but wakes up at the end of the play, and the whole family embraces. The manuscript, written in blue ink, contains numerous cross-outs and corrections, with many passages struck through; most remain legible beneath a broad stroke of the pen, notably all of Lucienne’s lines. There are a few corrections or annotations in the hand of Alexandre Manceau. A great deal is left to improvisation; for example (I, 11), Sand notes in the margin: “Valérius must explain why he was forced to leave Paris.” There he was giving lessons to several young men from well-to-do families, including a nephew of the Duchess of Montbazon. He was dismissed from every position within the span of eight days, without being able to imagine why. Louise might say in an aside, ‘I know that very well, I do! That wicked Duchess!’” or again: “Lacage delivers an aside summarizing his opinion of Louise. She is pure—he doesn’t care about that. But she wants to struggle against someone stronger than herself, and she must be broken by it.” On the evening of September 22, George Sand notes in her diary: “Jacques’s play was a resounding success. It’s one of the great successes of our theater, a production of unparalleled skill and naturalness: Jacques is adorable, Marie is charming, Marie Lambert is brilliant at improvisation and very charming as well, Maurice and Manceau are excellent in every respect, Ancessy is very funny—a remarkable ballet scene — Jardinet was very good.”