He was also concerned to create characters which called for a grand style of acting in a tradition which he saw as being in decline in French theatre.
The performances of Edwige Feuillère and Jean Marais in the first French production were an essential part of Cocteau's conception of the play.
Stanislas, a young anarchist poet who seeks to assassinate her, enters her room, wounded; he looks exactly like the dead king, and the Queen shelters him instead of handing him over to the police.
In order to remain true to their ideals and to each other, the Queen and Stanislas have to play their parts in a bizarre private tragedy, which the world will never understand.
Costumes were by Christian Bérard, sets by André Beaurepaire, and Georges Auric wrote the "Hymne royal" which is heard at the end of the play.
[8]) The first New York production was staged at the Plymouth Theatre on 19 March 1947,[7] with Tallulah Bankhead as the Queen and Helmut Dantine as Stanislas.
After six weeks of frustrating out-of-town tryouts, she fired Brando in New Haven and recast the role with Dantine in time for the Broadway opening.