Description

Madam, once a distinguished actress, lives in seclusion in a cottage in West London, looked after by her housekeeper and ex-dresser, Doris. Their peaceful routine includes regular visits from the doctor and the insipid Sylvia, who takes acting lessons from Madam. Life for these ladies has become a well-regulated, quiet experience. One day, however, a surprise visitor arrives – Ursula, Madam’s estranged daughter, who is nursing a bitter secret. The initial acerbic comedy of the play gives way to the poignant drama of familial anguish -as Madam and Ursula are forced to confront several unhappy truths and to move towards some kind of understanding. Madam, left alone at the close, relinquishes her long-held theatrical pretensions, aware that they are now completely meaningless.