The Olympians

About the show

In 1836, a troupe of strolling players arrives in a town in southern France. The troupe are Greek gods who regain their divine powers every hundred years at midsummer. The young poet Hector falls in love with Madeleine, whose father Lavatte plans to marry her to an older nobleman. The gods perform for Lavatte’s guests, enchant the gathering and resist arrest; Jupiter knocks Lavatte down with a thunderbolt. By morning, Hector and Madeleine reconcile, and Lavatte agrees to provide the money that enables her to marry for love. The gods resume their travels.