Nothing Toulouse Chapter Four: The Purple Peacock

by Jim Fishwick on 24 July, 2019 in blog, Shows

Madame De Beaujolais (Jenny Lovell) has only just awoken in her boudoir when Remy La Beau (Adam McKenzie) bursts in to talk business. He’s developed a new dance routine, and is considering selling it to her rivals, the Moulin Rouge. Before a deal can be struck, Fromage Duffel (Patrick Duffy) enters from the bathroom. The lovers have been caught out!

Eloise Andolini (Brenna Dixon) fresh from the revelations of Clair De Lune’s (Amy Moule) affections last week, sings to the birds at the window of her room, asking them how to choose who to love. 

Fay De Complis (Chris Greogry) and Bellafonte Andolini (Tim Redmond) are making breakfast. Fay returns the necklace he has been keeping. Bellafonte tells him to be careful; it belongs to his ex-wife, Raven (Rama Nicholas), and it’s cursed.

Clair De Lune fell asleep on her train going west, and wakes up much further west than she bargained for – she’s held up by a band of marauding cowboys, in Texas. 

Fromage Duffel paints a portrait Madame De Beaujolais. She feels she will be ruined if her husband Georges finds out. Fromage feels he will be ruined artistically if she ever leaves.

Remy La Beau summons the dancers to demonstrate his new modernist dance routine, the Purple Peacock. It’s abstract! It’s passionate! It’s… really obscene! Madame De Beaujolais turns up, and thinks the dance is awful – if he wants to do that, the Moulin Rouge can have it. He threatens to expose her affair with Fromage unless she keeps it.

Bellafonte, Eloise, and Raven go on a family outing to hunt for ferns. The tension is obvious, unlike the reason for hunting ferns. An argument breaks out, Raven laying into Eloise for being childish, Eloise laying into Raven for being absent, Bellafonte laying into them both for arguing, Eloise laying into Bellafonte for lying to her. She declares neither of them have a say in who she is, and flares out. Maybe there’s more of her mother in her than she realises.

Back in Texas, the Boothill Gang are tying Clair De Lune to the train tracks. She offers to hire them instead – she will pay them a vast sum of money if they can capture someone who hurt someone she loves. They teach her everything they know about how to kill someone without getting hurt.

Bellafonte and Raven meet on a street corner to try and make amends. They’re jealous of Eloise’s independence, and reminisce on her childhood. Bellafonte lets slip that she has been courting Gustave Eiffel. Raven threatens to kill Gustave Eiffel. Bellafonte reveals he stole Raven’s necklace to place a curse… just a small one though.

Monsieur Yoplait (Jaime Cerda), recently ejected from La Chat Rouge dance ensemble, visits Remy La Beau mid-rehearsal to invite him to join a rival dance troupe. Yoplait reveals he is exceedingly rich, and will buy a new stage to perform on, if Remy comes with him. And also if Remy fires Valentin the Boneless (Adam Hembree) and breaks his legs. Valentin storms out. 

Frankston Pierre (John Voce) is slumped on the stairs, reminiscing about his lost love Grizabella. Henri La Trebuchet (Jason Geary) comforts him, and tells him that even a psychologist needs someone to talk to. Henri offers to be that someone.

Fromage Duffel is in Madame De Beaujolais’ bedroom practicing seductive poses, when the long-absent Georges De Beaujolais (Jenny Lovell) bursts in. Georges recognises him and knows his history with Mme De Beaujolais. Fromage declares he and Mme De Beaujolais are in love. Georges wants to get revenge and kick her out of his house. Fromage runs to warn her.

Bellafonte and Raven retreat to Bellafonte’s caravan, to see if maybe that old flame is still there. It’s beautiful! It’s passionate! It’s… quite obscene.

Eloise is in Clair’s room, when Clair arrives back, fresh off the train from Texas. Eloise tells her she missed her, which Clair is glad to hear. Eloise clarifies that she missed her as a friend, which Clair takes in her stride. Clair feels her admission built a wall between them. Eloise relays all that has happened to her this week. Clair instinctively begins to write it down.

Georges finds Mme De Beaujolais. He claims not to be angry because of his affair, but his voice suggests a different story. He threatens her, verbally and physically, and tells her the club’s finances better be ship shape.

What fate befalls Mme De Beaujolais at the hands of this villain? Can the club be saved? Will this rival dance troupe succeed? Can the Andolinis play happy families again? Will Clair De Lune succeed in her murder plot? Find out in next week’s show!