http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=31312

I went to see this play today and was once again fascinated how tiny theaters could find such lovely plays and so many great actors that often do better jobs than well known actors.


Here is a little bit more about the play:

http://www.suffolk.edu/21302.html


Theater was tiny, literally tiny - maybe 50 people in the audience and every seat was occupied. I was sitting in the first row and the actors were, well, as far as I am concerned amazing. They were acting, I know, it is a novelty, but they were doing it so well. Actually no, I think they were living on stage. Shakespeare, Marlow, all of them. There are only four actors involved.

Loved it.

What you are about to read is nothing more than a summary of my favorite storyline of one of my favorite books ever with some asides and comments from me :-)

"Bertrain de Talair the younger son, the Troubadour, removed the mask he wore.
"By all the Holy names of Rian", he said, "I have never known a woman like you in my life Aellis, you were magnificent" - p.25

Bertrain de Talair says those words to his lover Aellis de Miraval, wife of Duke Urte de Miraval in the prologue of 'A Song for Arbonne" Prologue takes place some twenty years before the main events of the novel take place.
It shaped political situation in Arbonne for many years to come and certainly not for the best. Because you see Aellis De Miraval died nine months after that meeting with her lover. She died in childbirth, but before she died she felt a need to reveal to her husband Urte that the child was not his. I wish somebody would have taken care of cutting Aellis' tongue before hand. Oh wait. I was supposed to try my hand in neutral writing of sorts.  Never mind.

Apparently Urte did not take that news kindly. Aellis died and child disappeared as well, probably dead from Urte's hand, but it is not confirmed or denied by anybody including Urte himself.

Bertrain de Talair, who after the death of his older brother became a duke of Talair blamed Urte for Aellis' and his child death and the bitter enmity between two largest dukedoms in Arbonne had been born. Bertrain would not attempt to kill Urte because even though he thinks that Aellis and child may have been dead from Urte's hand in revenge, he is not sure. But short of murder both dukes are not shy of doing anything else to each other or their people.

Fast-forward twenty two or twenty three years and we hear chief ruler of Arbonne widowed Countess Signe de Barbetain thinking about the one year anniversary of her husband's death and how she would not order feuding dukes to come to Barbetain for this event.
Can I just mention that this was the moment when I fell in love with Signe de Barbetain? She hates using the anniversary of her husband's death in such bluntly political way, even if it can show the world that Talair and Miraval CAN put their differences aside albeit temporarily.
I think Albus Dumbledore can take some lessons from this woman really. I never for one second doubted that Signe cares about people she rules more than politics. And yes, she does have to make some hard political decisions as well. But as I said, I never doubted that she cares about people. Well, maybe I did once, but keep reading :)

Arbonne IS in a very tough spot when the events of the novel begin. Gornaut, its north neighbor greedily sizes up Arbonne and would not mind to conquer it as trophy. Add to it that women are held in much more respect in Arbonne and its culture is the culture of troubadours ( yes, Arbonne is in large part based on Provence), where art in general is held in respect and you can see why military Gorhaut whose leaders are portrayed as quite evil people would consider conquering Arbonne as easy and desirable task.

Arbonne needs unity, but instead its two large dukedoms are anything but united.

We meet Bertrain de Talair  again when he is forty five years old. Apparently he is a very talented troubadour, but it also looks like he is a very competent ruler  and is not afraid of taking chances not only in bed but when he feels that it is in the best interests of his country.

Bertrain begins his quest to make Blaise the son of high cleric of Gorhait who is working as mercenary in Arbonne his friend and succeeds quite nicely eventually.  It also looks like Bertrain succeeds in making King of Valenza to be more of Arbonne's allies than neutral after just one meeting. I am actually not quite sure if it was only one meeting, but in any event it was impressive.

We also see Bertrain going from one lady to another and being quite successful in it. "Bertrain de Talair  has a twenty year reputation for being extremely resourceful and determined in pursuit of his seductions. Also successful" - p.69

Bertrain goes from one bed to another but as we hear him confessing to Blaise, he did not find woman who would be equal to Aellis yet"

"Twenty-three years," Bertrain de Talair said a moment later, half to himself, his eyes on the moon of the window. "So much longer than I thought I would live actually. And the god knows, and sweet Rian knows I've tried, but in  twenty-three years I've never yet found a woman to equal her, or to take away the memory, even for a night" - p.89

Through the book we see intense feud between Bertram and Urte where people  on both sides get hurt and killed. We see Urte for the first time in person and boy their conversation with Bertrain is intense.

"What are you doing here?" said de Talair, his back to the person addressed. His voice was cold as winter moonlight.
********
He was huge, Blaise saw, robed in extravagantly expensive dark green satin trimmed with white fur, even in summer. Easily sixty years old, his grey hair cropped close like a soldier's, he stood lightly balanced, for all his size, and his posture was straight backed and arrogant.
"What am I doing here?" he echoed mockingly. The voice was memorable, deep and resonant. "Isn't this where the singers are? Is this not Carnival? Cannot a man seek the solace and pleasure of music at such a time?
"You hate musicians," Bertrain de Talair said harshly, biting off his words. He still had not turned. "You kill singers, remember?
"Only the impertinent ones," the other man said indifferently. "Only those who forget where they are and sing what they should not. And that was a long time ago, after all. Men can chance, surely, as we move towards our waiting graves. Age can mellow us." There was nothing mellow about that tone though. What Blaise heard was mockery, savage, acid-dipped" - p.133

Well, this is Urte for you and I bet that he may remind my fellow Harry Potter fans of certain somebody. ;)

The feud  reaches its apogees when the war with Gorhaut starts. Signe has to name commander of the joint forces of Arbonne. She chooses Bertran, chooses as she is saying for the good of the country despite Urte de Miraval asking her not to do so, that he and his people would not serve under Bertrain. Urte is even saying that he is not asking Signe to name him as chief commander of the army. Urte is saying that he is not asking Signe to do the same to Bertrain as she is doing to him. Signe would not have it.
Urte says that Bertrain will lead Arbonne army without him and Miraval men and storms out of the room full of witnesses.

I wonder if anybody thinks that it is strange that man does not want to serve under the man who had an affair with his wife and who humiliated him for whole country to see.


The main battle which will decide the outcome begins and Arbonne is losing.... until Urte and his men come to fight THAT IS! They turn the battle around.

"Urte de Miraval had come to war and their worst nightmares were made real as those grim, meticulous ranks began to move down the slope.
****************
With the horrified fascination - the way one watches a coiled snake Blaise saw the corans of Miraval, fifteen hundred of them, sweep down from their ridge behind the majestic figure of the duke.
*****************
And he saw them go straight past those desperate men, no horse or men of Urte's company so much as breaking stride to crash, with a sound and impact  that seemed to shake the earth, fall into the rear of the Army of Gorhaut" - p.470

Arbonne's people did fight bravely in that battle. Bertrain and his people showed skill and bravery, Tierry Gartensu and his archers were phenomenal, Arbonne eventually prevailed and since evil leaders of Gorhaut are dead we have all the reason to believe that person who claims the throne of Gorhaut will be just ruler.

Urte de Miraval mortally wounded in the battle and Bertrain with two other commanders goes and tells him that his decision to participate in the battle after all saved them all today.

Urte is amused or at least as amused as dying soldier can be. It turns out that he never planned not participating in the battle. Him and Signe staged that scene for all the witnesses in the room to show Gorhaut that one of the most powerful dukes is not to be bothered to fight for Arbonne. It was a trap, which worked nicely.

Urte also tells Bertrain that he asked Signe not to tell Bertrain for a fear that his demeanor may be different if he knows, but of course Bertrain realizes that in this at least Urte took his revenge.

Bertrain is shocked, but before Urte dies he also tells Bertrain that he did not kill Aellis or child, that child died in his hands. 

Urte drops another bomb on Bertrain before he dies. He did love his wife contrary to what Aellis says in the beginning.

"Bertrain remained on his knees beside the body for a long time" - p.483