Marie Laveaux
The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans

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​Developmental Synopsis

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ACT I.

Scene 1. In her St. Ann St. salon sanctuary in the French Quarter, early December 1814, Marie Laveaux invokes Voodoo Loa and Catholic Saints to divine the whereabouts of her lover Kwamena, but her prayers are interrupted with a knock at the door: A haggard and wounded soldier is in need of a healer, and Marie – recognizing General Jackson - invites him in. As she attends to his wounds, she discreetly sets aside a blood-stained dressing. A sip of medicinal spirits loosens his tongue, and Marie listens intently as Jackson discloses the formidable challenges of the coming battle against the invading British. She leaves Jackson to rest and begins to greet her customers - a cross-section of the whole demographic gumbo of New Orleans. The General observes the Voodoo Queen as she bestows her legal and medical advice and magical ministrations. A trio of Jean Lafitte’s men enters laden with a sack of booty, but Marie is not pleased that her voodoo gris-gris is missing. As she doles out the pirated goods to her appreciative customers, a passerby on St. Ann St. exclaims that the German Coast rebels have been captured! Marie fears that Kwamena is in grave danger, and it is now imperative that she journey to Barataria Bay to retrieve the gris-gris from Lafitte. She shoos her customers out then quickly completes her care of the General. Having observed Marie’s immense influence over the eccentric populace of New Orleans, Jackson asks for her assistance in the coming fight for freedom. Marie suggests that he enlist free gens de couleur, errant slaves, and even Jean Lafitte’s well-armed privateers, but as he departs Jackson eyes the “Lafitte Wanted” poster nailed to the Salon door and dismisses the idea. Jackson muses that in Marie Laveaux he has found at least one thing in New Orleans worth saving. 

 

Scene 2. At Privateer Jean Lafitte’s Barataria Bay hideout, the off-loading of black gold (pirated slaves) is interrupted by the arrival of Admiral Cochrane’s landing party. Offered gold and more if he helps Britain seize New Orleans, Lafitte accepts. Marie arrives and evades his embrace by presenting the wanted poster, which Lafitte mocks as Cochrane departs. He pitches the gold to his men then escorts Marie to his quarters where he attempts to woo her, presenting her with the precious gris-gris. When she inquires as to the myriad fleur-de-lys-themed objects decorating his quarters, Jean ruefully recounts losing his wife and baby daughter escaping the Saint-Dominique Revolution. The baby was born with a fleur-de-lys birthmark on her shoulder, which the captain had replicated on himself in Fleur’s memory. He turns to reveal the tattoo, but Marie has slipped away with the gris-gris. American ships arrive and open fire. Amidst the confusion, the Voodoo Queen escapes with the would-be slaves in a nearby launch. A cannonball strikes the ship’s mast and it crashes down on Lafitte. The fleur-de-lys flag floats down, covering the stricken captain like a funeral shroud.

 

Scene 3. The freed captives clamber up the banks of the Mississippi and disappear into the darkness. In the adjacent Place d'Armes, Marie’s lamp illuminates a gruesome gallery of rebel heads impaled on the surrounding fence pikes. She fears her lover is among them, but Kwamena emerges from the shadows, and they embrace. He takes down his friends’ heads while recounting the harrowing tale of the revolt and their savage executions. He breaks down, but as Marie comforts him, a vigilante enters the Place and shoots Kwamena, who kills him, then dies. Marie performs a Voodoo rite with her precious gris-gris. Marie removes Kwamena’s bloodied scarf and wraps it around her head: She is the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans and will use her power to avenge Kwamena’s death and help free her people. 

 

ACT II.

Scene 1. It is Twelve Night January 6th and the Old St. Louis Hotel Rotunda’s slave block is decorated for the Mardi Gras Ball de Plaçage auction. Marie styles the quadroon debutante’s hair but turns away in disgust when they are paraded across the block’s proscenium like livestock and bid on by the affluent. A masked gentleman in a fleur-de-lys cape enters and dazzles the crowd with fancy footwork, even as he flagrantly gropes his dance partners. Marie recognizes the decidedly-alive privateer and takes to the dance floor. Jean paints a seductive scenario of the adventure and romance awaiting her as his paramour. Marie furtively clips a lock of his hair while offering to be his if he will side with the Americans in the fight for freedom. The elated privateer unmasks and bids adieu, narrowly escaping arrest by the governor’s officers. Amalie de Lys enters in a bloodied white ball gown and ascends the auction block. She deliriously recites the litany of torture and rape she has endured at the hands of the LaLauries since her teenage plaçage with Dr. LaLaurie. Marie fails to recognize her erstwhile friend until Amalie rips off her gown, exposing many vivisection scars and her prominent fleur-de-lys-shaped birthmark. Madame LaLaurie emerges from the stunned crowd and pounces on her property, but Marie rescues her. 

 

Scene 2. On battle’s eve January 7th, General Jackson examines the newly erected muddy rampart along the Rodriguez canal in Chalmette then inspects his ragtag army. Marie confers with her contribution of sundry soldiers of color, who fall in with the Battalion of Free Men of Color. Jackson delivers a vitriolic anti-British diatribe. Night falls, and the Ursuline nuns pray in the distant Ursuline Convent to Our Lady Of Prompt Succor for success. Her image materializes out of the fog as their ethereal voices envelop the pitch-black battlefield. 

 

Scene 3. In her candlelit sanctuary, Marie finishes sewing the purloined lock of hair to Lafitte’s Voodoo doll. The decapitated German Coast rebel heads surrounding her urge her on in rhythmic counterpoint to her Voodoo chant. Dawn breaks on the battlefield, and a group of British soldiers concealed in the mist is exposed by a sudden gust of wind. Jackson opens fire and an entire column of Redcoats falls, but General Pakenham seems to have infinite reinforcements. Lafitte and his Baratarians burst out of the woods flanking the American forces, and Lafitte is about to fire on them. The severed-head voices climax in violent cacophony as Marie whispers into the voodoo doll’s ear. The real Lafitte scratches his head in confusion. She perambulates the doll, and the real Lafitte does an about-face then orders his Baratarians to turn and attack the British! Now trapped between Jackson’s wall, the Baratarians and the Rodriguez Canal, the Redcoats are slaughtered and General Pakenham is shot dead. The battle is won, but the Americans applaud the British for their valor as they exit the battlefield. 

 

ACT III.

Scene 1. Mother Ste. Francis supervises the triage of wounded soldiers in the Ursuline Convent. Marie sits holding Amaile’s hand as she recuperates. The Mother discreetly inquires about Amalie’s history, and Marie explains how she disappeared after what must have been a private plaçage years ago and her revelations of rape and abuse. Mother Ste, Francis suddenly remembers the woman who begged her to accept her young daughter as a novice but turning her away because the girl was too young. She laments her contribution to Amalie’s tragic misfortune. A wounded British soldier is brought in and the Mother assists him to a cot away from the American injured. Amalie struggles to her feet to help with his care. General Jackson and Lafitte enter the Convent and the General thanks the Ursulines for their prayers then commends each soldier for valor. The British soldier, concealed behind Amalie, pulls a pistol out of his boot proclaiming “Long live King George!” Amalie screams as the Redcoat fires at Jackson, and Lafitte simultaneously shoots at the assassin. But Jean’s bullet hits Amalie in the heart and the redcoat’s bullet strikes Lafitte in the stomach. As Jackson dispatches the assassin, Lafitte drags himself to Amalie’s side and notices her fleur-de-lys birthmark: He reveals his memorial fleur-de-lys tattoo and cries out in agony at having killed his own daughter. Seeing the loss, enslavement, and death of his daughter as God’s punishment for his sins, the privateer repents for his slaving and embraces death. 

 

Scene 2. The jubilant, tipsy people of New Orleans pause to pay respects to Jean Lafitte’s funeral procession, then applaud General Jackson as he enters the Place d’Armes. He commends his motley army and the people of New Orleans, then bows to Marie. His patriotic speech extolls freedom - including “...the freedom to own slaves that will never be impinged upon.” Enraged by his betrayal, Marie thrusts her hairpin into a voodoo doll of General Jackson, who grabs his chest and falls off his horse. Madame LaLaurie has been stalking Marie and grabs the doll and hoists it aloft, denouncing Marie as a sorceress. The LaLauries drag Marie away.

 

Scene 3. That night Madame LaLaurie tortures Marie in her mansion attic, but she has ingested a vial of potion and feels nothing, so the Madame strangles her with Kwamena’s scarf. Sensing this, Kwamena stirs in his crypt and smashes it open. As he regains consciousness from his zombie-like state, he homes in on his lover. Outraged by the sight of their Voodoo Queen’s torture, a crowd begins to gather outside the LaLaurie mansion. Kwamena smashes down the mansion door and ascends to the attic, freeing his beloved. He carries Marie to safety and stanches her wounds with the scarf. The women of New Orleans find whatever cloth they can and wrap their hair up like Marie, as the men set fire to the mansion. The LaLauries die in agony. While freedom for their people has been deferred, Kwamena and Marie’s love has survived. The struggle for freedom will continue.

 

CURTAIN

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