THE CHARACTERS
Honoré Lachaille: It is 1900 at the end of the Gay Nineties, and he is the personification of a dying breed — the debonair, charming and wealthy roué who spends a large portion of his fortune on women, parties and luxurious living. We later learn that one of his earlier conquests had been Inez Alvarez (Mamita), the only one he has truly loved. In the original story he is mentioned only once in passing and he does not appear in person.

Gigi: Gigi symbolizes the new age which is approaching. In the book she is known as Gilberte; Gigi is a nickname. Illegitimate, she and her mother had been abandoned by her father. Brought up and educated to be a courtesan, she rejects the world of the courtesan she sees in her aunt and her mother to find true love and happiness. From the beginning she senses that she is different than the other women in her family. From the age of twelve she had known about dipped pearls and other fake jewelry, but she is a very poor student in the art of being a courtesan. However, she is not stupid in other things, for example she always manages to beat Gaston at cards. She doesn't comprehend why her mother and grandmother are shocked by the idea of marriage. In a song from the film, I don't understand the Parisians (which was replaced in the stage musical by The Earth and Other Minor Things) she doesn't understand why love consists of things such as jewelry, cigars, kissing and holding hands. She is not allowed to have friends and realizes that she is an outsider at her school and very different from the other girls. At the beginning of the story she is only fifteen but, when she reaches sixteen, thing start to change, and we watch her transformation from a gawky school girl to a sophisticated young woman who knows who she is and what is best for her. In the book she tells Gaston why she doesn't want to become his latest mistress. "I know what all the world knows. ... It's not your fault if you're world-famous. But I haven't got a world-fmous sort of nature. So it won't do for me."

Gaston: While he apparently does some work, since he is descended from a rich sugar baron he is free to play the young man around town. It is a role which is expected of him as following in his family tradition. He is very successful in playing this role and is famous for his many liaisons, but he find it all very boring; it is all so very superficial. He is attracted by the gaiety and naturalness of Gigi and watches her development into a charming young woman until he has an epiphany and realizes he is truly in love with her. In the story Gigi calls him Tonton or Uncle Gaston. The book tells us he is thirty-three. Colette describes him thus. "His luxuries were cut and dried: motor-cars, ... Liane's monthly allowance and birthday jewels, champagne and baccarat ... . From time to time he would drop a fat check into some charity fund, or finance a new daily paper, or buy a yacht only to resell it almost at once ... . Yet from none of this did he get any fun."

Liane: She is the epitome of the artificial courtesan of the period, all show and no true feelings. This includes her "suicide" which was never meant to kill her. She represents all that Gaston is bored with, and he is horrified when he realizes Gigi has been turned into a replica of her.

Mamita: As a "professional" she had adopted the name Inez Alvarez because it sounded exotic. She was not nearly as successful as a courtesan as her sister Alicia, but she has saved enough money to afford a modest apartment and to help support her illegitimate daughter and equally illegitimate granddaughter. (Women in their profession do not marry!) She is loving, realistic and down to earth. Although she changes her mind at the end, she still has dreams of raising Gigi to take her place in the "family business". Gaston finds her home to be a place of refuge from his hectic life.

Lucille, Gigi's Mother (Andrée in earlier versions): She does not appear in person in either of the Lerner and Loewe works, but is present as the offstage voice of a working, but not very good, opera singer. In the original story she is always mentioned as having her name in small print in the casts at the Opéra Comique. She works long hard hours but has only minor roles such a Frasquita in Carmen. When younger she had also "worked" as a courtesan. One reason that Gigi is kept in school girl clothes is that her mother doesn't want to be seen with a grown up daughter.

Alicia: A throw back to the past like Honoré, Alicia is also a retired courtesan. She still has the mannerisms and life style of one of the best; minor kings were among her wealthy lovers. At one point she says, "Love is an art, not an emotion". She now lives on the income from the jewels and other gifts she received from them. Preferring "to live in a splendid past than an ugly present", she never goes out. When things reach a crisis with Gigi and Gaston she causes a sensation by going out to her sister's apartment! Note: In the stage musical she does go to Trouville and expects the attention she received when she was rich and famous.

MISCELLANEOUS
Novella: This is the name given to a tale which falls between a short story and a full length novel. The story is not as complex as that of a novel but more so than a short story. There are seldom subplots, usually only one story which is, however, more fully developed than it would be in a short story. It is not divided into chapters and usually can be read at one sitting. Familiar examples are Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea and Dickens's A Christmas Carol.

Belle Époque: This period spanned the end of the eighteenth century and the very beginning of the nineteenth. It was a period of rapid change. Modern scientific ideas, including the motor car, altered the way man perceived the world. It was the time of Edison, Darwin and Pasteur; Parisian artists included Manet, Degas and other impressionists. Writers such as Emile Zola and Oscar Wilde created a new literature, and the Dreyfus affair created a new social awareness. The Victorian Era ended and the Edwardian began. There was still a fairly rigid class structure which included the very rich such as Gaston and the very poor. Mamita was in between these as was the demimonde, or "half world" occupied by courtesans.

Lesson: The skating instructor is very young and handsome and it is obvious Liane is more interested in him than in learning to skate.

Education: The "education" she is receiving from Aunt Alicia is quite different from the lessons she learns at school. Alicia and Mamita are grooming her for the "family business", i.e. that of being a courtesan. While not explicitly stated, it becomes apparent that their motives are not unselfish. If Gigi is kept in luxury, some of it will inevitably spread to them. Their first choice as her "protector" would be Gaston.

Unmarked: It seems that Gigi has marked her old cards and Gaston thinks that is why she always win. However, she manages to win with the new cards also (possibly with a few cards up her sleeve) and thus be taken to Trouville.

People: When Alicia speaks of "people like themselves" she is speaking of courtesans. Although they may go from one man to another, successful ones like herself can accumulate enough wealth and expensive gifts to keep them in comfort for the rest of their lives. She considers this to be much better than the insecurity of marriage.

Jewelry lesson: In essence this amounts to the fact that semiprecious stones are not real jewelry and are not gifts to be accepted. Only diamonds, emeralds, real pearls and, possibly, some rubies are to be considered.

Ortolons: Ortolons are small birds. It is now illegal to sell them in France but not to eat them if one catches them or receives them as gifts. For centuries the proper eating of them was considered a rite of passage in the development of the gourmet. They are roasted whole and eaten, bones and all. Traditionally the eater covered his head with a napkin to get the full benefit of their aroma and sometimes, to hide from God! (The one to start this practice was a priest.)

Cigars: While at that time, women smoking (at least in polite society) was severely criticized. However, it was important for courtesans to know how to choose good ones and prepare them for their escorts.

1812 Overture: Gaston is being very sarcastic at this point. Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture"was written to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow before the advancing Napoleon. It requires a full orchestra and ends with the brass imitating cannon fire and the ringing of church bells. It is frequently played as an encore at orchestral an concerts especially outdoor ones on days such as July 4. It is hardly something to be played by a solo violinist in Maxim's.

En route: This is a new scene. It may have been added as something which could be played in front of the curtain during a major set change (from Mamita's apartment to the lobby of the Grand Hotel).

Lobby: The entire Trouville episode first occurs in the Lerner and Loewe film where it is entirely outdoors. It was actually shot on Venice Beach in California.

Marry: He must have been very much in love for her because to marry her would have been a serious breech of the code of the society.

Alicia: This scene is new for the Lerner and Loewe stage version covered here. Everyone is completely stunned because, for many years, she has not even left her apartment in Paris, let alone traveled all the way to Trouville. She still acts the part of al the famous courtesan and is surprised to hear her favorite masseuse is dead. As

Relationship: The feelings between Gaston and Gigi have subtly changed, and realizing this spurs Alicia to tell a doubting Mamita that it is time to complete the grooming of Gigi for her new role. With the end of Act I, the whole mood of the play changes.

Telephone: This is symbolic. Mamita has said that she would get a telephone only when Gigi was ready to have admirers.

Lawyer: Becoming a successful courtesan involved treating it all as a business matter, with lawyers drawing up a contract, somewhat like a prenuptial today. This would guarantee the woman security no matter the eventual outcome of the relationship. While this aspect of being a courtesan is assumed in other versions of the story, the action in Scene 3 of Act II is completely new.

Knows: From childhood Gigi has read all the news stories about Gaston's world and, with additional knowledge gained from Aunt Alicia, is very familiar with what will be expected of her. She also knows that such a life is not for her. Gigi telling Gaston that she "doesn't want to" is the same in all the versions. It is her declaration of independence.

Discussing: In the other versions, Gigi's refusal is the event which makes Alicia leave her own apartment for the first time in years. She is completely flabbergasted; having lived a hot house existence all her life, she cannot comprehend anyone else, let alone someone in her own family, would not have jumped at such an opportunity. Mamita, who has lived in the real world, may not approve of Gigi's decision, but she can understand and sympathize with it.

Miserable: This is the classic line from the show.

Women: This is Gigi's first experience inside the world of the courtesan. Until now, she has known it only from the newspapers and Aunt Alicia's hints. While acting maturely, she knows she is inexperienced and is curious to anxious to live up to her role.

Final Straw: The evening has been a revelation for Gaston who suddenly understands how hollow his world really is. First there is all the attention they receive, the contrast between Liane and Gigi, the girl's attempt to play her part with the request for ortolons, and the business with the cigar have made him uneasy. Her effusiveness about the bracelet and knowledge about pearls and emeralds embarrass him. This is no longer the Gigi with whom he fell in love; she has become just another of the courtesans who have so bored him. The suggestive attentions of the other two men puts him over the edge. Having him ask Honoré to take her home instead of taking her himself is new. Perhaps this was done to provide another meeting between Honoré and Mamita and to emphasize that Gaston does what his uncle had only contemplated, to marry.

Request: Note that there is no suggestion of a contract here. He is in love and expects this to be permanent. Let us hope that it is.

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Revised August 2010
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