The American Princess /
Nissim Aloni
Drama
Poetic Drama
Subject: |
The play takes place in an unnamed South American country. King Bonifacius Victor Felix of the House of Hohenschwaden, and his son, Crown Prince Ferdinand, flee their kingdom, Great Bogomania. There, in the old country, the father was the benevolent monarch. Today he calls himself Felix Van Shvank and barely makes a living giving French lessons. His son, the former prince now calls himself Freddy. The father visits a prostitute – Marita, from Moon Street, next to the train station. He doesn’t know that his son also meets with the same lady. One day, the exiled king receives a letter from a mysterious figure, Dolly Kokomakis, who calls herself “The American Princess.” With the letter is also a recording device, upon which Dolly asks him to record his life story. In return, she sends him a monthly sum of money. The American Princess asks to use the King’s life story as the basis for a movie. She sends along a film director – well known movie genius, Jean-Paul Krupnik, who has “already made three movies: three about kings, all three who were failures, but failures that opened up an era.” The similarity between the movie and true life story of the King is purely coincidental. The King refuses to play his character in the movie. However his son, Freddy, is excited and decides to play the part at any price. With the money he receives for the rights for the movie, the King releases Marita the prostitute from her pimp. In the movie, Freddy is supposed to play his father in his youth, marry his mother, and give birth to himself. A nameless and faceless Hollywood actor is set to play the King as an adult. However, the Princess does stipulate that at least in the final scene of the movie – the murder scene – the real King will assume the role. |
The characters |
Female:0 Male:3 Total:3 |
Translations |
English, Swedish Translated to English by Richard Flantz Translated to Swedish by Viveka Heiman |
Productions |
Premierre1963 Ha-Onot Theatre director: Nissim Aloni
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