ACT I - A salon in a Parisian house. Circa 1860. Rambaldo
Fernandez is entertaining friends in the salon of his mistress,
Magda. The center of attention, however, is the poet, Prunier.
He regales the crowd of young men and women with his gossip and
opinions. "Love reigns again in Paris," declares Prunier.
Lisette, Magda's maid, scoffs at Prunier's thoughts of
sentimental love: "We live in a hurry: 'Do you want me?' 'I want
you.' That's all!" Prunier is disgusted by her thoughts and
behavior. Lisette gets on with her work, as Prunier continues
his discussion of Love with Magda, Yvette, Suzy and Bianca.
"Romance is all the rage, love-lorn glances, furtive hand-
holding, kisses, sighs - but nothing more!" Magda's three
friends exaggerate their reactions to such thoughts, but Magda
tells them they should not joke. "Does the latest fad interest
you?" asks Prunier. Magda is noncommittal. Prunier calls the
'latest fad' a malady, an epidemic of madness, effecting the
feminine population. "It takes you by surprise." "N