Ridiculously implausible persona stories

[hudebnik]

except that this one's apparently real, h/t alpennia_feed:

"Another late 17th century actress with an extremely complicated personal life was Julie d’Aubigny, whose stage name was Mademoiselle de Maupin, or simply “La Maupin.” Raised somewhat unconventionally, including instruction with the sword, as a teenager she became the mistress of her father’s patron, who arranged a marriage of convenience for her with the Sieur de Maupin. Whereupon she ran away with her fencing instructor and the two went on tour giving fencing exhibitions and singing. She joined an opera company in Marseille and fell in love with a young woman there who was then packed off to a convent, but Julie broke her out. On her way to Paris, she wounded a nobleman in a duel, but then became his lover. She joined the Paris Opera courtesy of the influence of two mentors and made a name for herself on stage. Off stage, she continued to make love to women (and men), fight duels, and go through cycles of being exiled and pardoned. The last and greatest love of her life was the Marquise de Florensac, but when Madame la Marquise died unexpectedly, Julie retired from the stage with a broken heart."

Comments

[siderea]

"fell in love with a young woman there who was then packed off to a convent, but Julie broke her out"

Ahem:

During this time, d'Aubigny began her first sapphic relationship with a young woman. The young woman's parents sent their daughter away to a convent in Avignon, possibly the Visitandines convent, to prevent the two from contacting each other. d'Aubigny followed, entering the convent as a postulant. In order to run away with her new love, she stole the body of a dead nun, placed it in the bed of her lover, and set the room on fire before escaping.

Also:

Their affair lasted for a few months before the young woman returned to her family. The plan was for the burned body to be mistaken for that of Julie's lover, but the plot was uncovered. D'Aubigny was charged in absentia—as a male—with kidnapping, body snatching, arson, and failing to appear before the tribunal and sentenced to death by burning.[9]

Wikipedia does not explain how she got out of the death sentence.

Also:

She debuted as Pallas Athena in Cadmus et Hermione by Jean-Baptiste Lully the same year [as she was hired, 1690].[7]

Because of course she did.

She performed regularly with the Opéra from 1690 to 1694, first singing in major productions as a soprano, and later in her more natural contralto range. The Marquis de Dangeau wrote in his journal of a performance by La Maupin given at Trianon of Destouches' Omphale in 1701 that hers was "the most beautiful voice in the world".[4]

[...]

Until 1705, La Maupin sang in new operas by Pascal Collasse, André Cardinal Destouches, and André Campra. In 1702, André Campra composed the role of Clorinde in Tancrède specifically for her bas-dessus (contralto) range.[7] She appeared for the last time in La Vénitienne by Michel de La Barre (1705).[7][9]

Arguably she was the greatest thing to ever happen to France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_d%27Aubigny

[hudebnik]

I rest my case :-)