The fortunes of Fifi

In the fog‑filled backstreets of 1804 Paris, a modest theater flickers to life on the Rue du Chat Noir. Mademoiselle Fifi, newly promoted to leading lady, steps onto the stage with a mixture of ambition and naiveté, her bright eyes reflecting the yellow lamps that line the narrow lane. The Imperial Theater, run by the shrewd Duvernet, promises a modest salary and a chance at fame, but its walls hide a tangled history of former starlets who vanished into marriage and scandal.

Cartouche, the theater’s practical foreman, warns Fifi that the role comes with a strict “no flirtations” rule, recalling how Duvernet’s past leading ladies each ended up as his wives—whether by choice or circumstance. As Fifi grapples with the manager’s cynical counsel and her own desire for a genuine stage career, the story balances witty banter with the gritty reality of a struggling troupe. Listeners will find a lively portrait of ambition, humor, and the precarious dance between art and survival in revolutionary Paris.