A new play to be performed on the
11, 12, 18, 19, 25 &26 January 2008:
“Napoleon - Murder of an Emperor”
by Douglas Charles-Brown, directed by Dave Wearne
Cast:
Judge - Louise Graham
Defence counsel - Rick Thorp
Prosecuting counsel - Sarah Penn
Dr Sten Forshufvud - Rob Umney
Louis Marchand - Matthew Kosub
Dr Antommarchi - Ray Reid
Dame Mabel Brookes - Jayne Copeland
Betsy Balcombe - Jennie Leslie
Gaspard Gourgaud - Adam Copeland
The play explores in depth the alleged arsenic poisoning of Napoleon Bonaparte during his six-year exile on St. Helena, and is unique in that it concentrates on the details of his death rather than the triumphs of his life. It is a court-room drama played out in the home of the Balcombe family after they were evicted from St Helena by Governor Hudson Lowe. The play was inspired by the 20 years of research of Dr. Sten Forshufvud and Ben Weider - arguments for and against the scientific and anecdotal evidence are presented to the jury (the audience), who are asked to vote on whether the case has been proven.
To add authenticity to the play – and an interesting touch of fantasy – a number of the Emperor's fellow exiles (in period costume) are cross-examined, speaking lines taken directly from their diaries and journals, along with present-day characters, revealing not only the likely sequence of Napoleon's murder but also the atmosphere and intrigues on the island between 1815 and 1821.
No attempt is made to fictionalize or falsely dramatize the real-life characters, instead the play represents history as it happened. All dates, historical events and scientific data mentioned are as accurate as could be ascertained.
The play will be performed on 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 January 2008 at The Briars Historic Homestead, Nepean Highway, Mt. Martha, Victoria, Australia. The Mornington Peninsula of Melbourne is a popular summer tourist destination, featuring beautiful bay beaches, sweeping hills and rural scenery – and the historic homestead built by Alexander Balcombe, now a Napoleonic Museum with items and memorabilia collected by Balcombe descendent Dame Mabel Brookes, and donated to his friends by Napoleon himself.