« on: May 23, 2021, 12:00:13 AM »
[Distributed throughout Port-a-Lucine.]
LA RUINE
Disgraces of Dementlieu
Those high lords and ladies in attendance at the latest meeting Council of Brilliance were treated to no end of tedious power-brokering as the true blood of the Republic tossed scraps to the highest bidders and most loyal lapdogs. Along the way, who could miss Maitre Talleyrand's regular jibes were, with one or two exceptions, far from cutting. This might be expected, given the distracting appearance of Mademoiselle de Soulette at his side. Their playful flirtations are already the talk of the town, as the Maitre not only boldly propositioned Mademoiselle de Soulette publicly, but she went on to give permission to use her given name, the sort of intimate act normally reserved for close acquaintances in private. Many titles were earned on the 22nd, but who could expect Mademoiselle de Soulette to be so brazen in her pursuit of the title of strumpet?
The Seaworthy Ball in Review
Charity is a virtue. We have to ask ourselves, however, if it's a noble virtue. Charity is to give something of yourself with no expectation of reward, and yet who could miss our solar-counting Sieurs and Maitresse tout their 'charity' as reason why they were entitled to land and station. Given the demands of their new positions, it's unlikely they'll find the time to look up the definition, but what they were citing was a 'transaction' or 'bribe'. As an aside, serving in battle as a mercenary or Gendarme is not bravery so much as a requirement of employment. How low our standards of service have sunk.
The Seaworthy Ball illustrates the aristocratic tradition of trotting out a pet project to justify the nobility's continued existence while women and children starve in darkness outside the glow of the city's legendary lights.
Claiming to be financed by a man intent on celebrating an expedition of which he so often boasts, this monument to egotism was an intellectual slog. Certainly the pageantry and beautiful cast were an excellent distraction from the real tragedy for those lost at sea: Sons of Dementlieu were placed into perilous circumstances, under the command of men selected not for skill but for blood. Paying the widows and orphans of employees killed in a misbegotten business venture isn't charity. It's an obligation.
The cast shows some promise, but clearly suffers under the tyrannical care of its new ladder-climbing management. Of course, how can we expect anything less from the once-great Jalaberts, who brought us the disease-ridden and the traitorous to helm their productions in the past? With embarrassments like these to entertain, why do they still bother with plays?
We give this production 2 of 5 stars.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2021, 12:01:59 AM by La Ruine »
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