Synopsis
Based on the deliciously gruesome and dark tale
of Madame Tussaud, Waxworker Extraordinaire
To the modern world, Madame Tussaud is a sideshow attraction, a Piccadilly novelty, a bizarre woman who gained notoriety for the Death Masks she took from the severed heads of famous people guillotined during the French Revolution, and which formed the cornerstone of the Exhibition she single-handedly toured all over Europe, finally settling in London.
"Tussaud!", the Musical, attempts to strip away the carnival atmosphere and put a human face on the woman who was at the very center of one of the most turbulent and bloody periods of French history. Having grown up in the household of Dr. Philippe Curtius, whose Wax Salon became a hotbed of revolutionary activity and boasted as its guests such colorful characters as Voltaire, Rousseau, Robespierre, Marat, Danton, Mirabeau, St. Just, Lafayette and Ben Franklin, to name a few, and having lived at the Court of Versailles for nine years as the Art Tutor at the request of the King's sister (Madame Elizabeth), Marie Tussaud knew all the major players, giving her a unique window on events that would shape the future of modern Europe.
Brought to life by The Barker, the waxen figures and heads from her original exhibition tell the story of Marie Grosholtz, who later came to be known as Madame Tussaud. The story opens in the Cemetery of the Madeline, where Marie goes in the dead of night to prepare a cast from the severed head of the hated Robespierre. Though the show is based largely on historical fact, for theatrical purposes Cushing has added a love interest, a Revolutionary Leader named Armand with whom Marie Grosholtz falls in love. The story follows their obstacle-ridden journey to its harrowing conclusion. As sub-plots, the musical explores class differences, and the friendship of four women whose lives intersected at a critical time in history - Marie Antoinette, Princess Elizabeth, the Princess de Lamballe and Marie Grosholtz - all of whom were subjected to horrific events beyond their control. All were beheaded except Marie Grosholtz (Madame Tussaud).