SYNOPSIS
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Duet for One – Vaudeville Theatre
A story of music, passion, frustration and re-evaluation!
In this play we meet Stephanie Anderson, a world famous violinist who suddenly develops multiple sclerosis who is forced to re-evaluate her life as a result of it.
This has strong echoes of the story of famous cellist Jacqueline Du Pre who was married to equally talented conductor Daniel Barenboim. She was at the height of her powers when she developed MS at the age of 27. This led to deterioration in her condition ad playing ability and she died at the relatively young age of 42.
In a direct parallel here, Stephanie too is at the top of her game. She is a brilliant concert violinist married to a conductor and the two of them have a great life until Stephanie is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Unable to accept this diagnosis, her world falls apart and she slips into a depression. At this time her husband embarks upon an affair with his secretary. In a state of desperation she decides to get help and visits a psychiatrist Dr Feldmann.
This turns out to be a painful and deeply moving experience for Stephanie and she is forced to confront some unpleasant truths namely that her career is over.
This is too much for her to bear and she turns on her psychiatrist, accusing him of not understanding how painful a decision this is. She was at the height of her powers and lived for music and to have this suddenly taken away is extremely painful to bear.
She goes home and shuts herself away from the world with only her concert tapes for company. She plays these over and over again, torturing herself with images of herself playing beautiful music that she will no longer be able to do.
This becomes too much and realising that she nothing left to live for, she resolves to commit suicide but is prevented from doing so by her maid. This is however, a turning point for Stephanie who realises that her sparkling career is over and that she is facing an uncertain future. She comes to terms with these facts and sets out to live what is left of her life.
Duet for One opens on the 7th May 2009 and runs until the 1st August 2009.
