Le Legs

Do love and money make good bedfellows? In this one-act play, Marivaux depicts three couples: The Countess and the Marquis, Hortense and the Knight as well as Lisette and Lépine. Arranged marriage, love hindered by pecuniary considerations, and financial arrangements are all on display. It’s not about love but money. For better or…

In order to come into the handsome sum of six-hundred-thousand francs, the Marquis must marry Hortense. And vice and versa. Whoever gives up on marriage will give up on their share of the money and reimburse the other up to two-hundred-thousand francs. Only they don’t love each other. He loves the Countess. She loves the Knight. Marivaux utilizes this heritage – this “bequest” that causes so much longing and stands in the way of love – to break down the mechanics of social and love relationships constricted by money. This situation inevitably leads to some tensions with everyone quickly trying to work out their best interest, in all senses of the term. The Marquis takes the whole act to declare his love for the Countess who sees right through the scheme. Marivaux’s relentless and breathless writing is skillfully infectious, making the audience laugh at intricate situations where everything is hinted at. His characters are stingy and waver back and forth between business and love. While men act like alpha males, they have to contend with women who know what they want and do not want. Performed by Ecole du Nord alumni, the play will be performed in various locations around Nanterre.